Painted Bathroom Sink and Countertop Makeover
Wondering if you can paint your bathroom sink countertop? The answer is YES and we’ll show you how (plus how it’s holding up after a year).
You can also paint your bathroom tile and tub, plus read more about other countertop painting techniques (including how to spray paint countertops!)
Paint is the first go-to for many DIY projects – it’s affordable and accessible for even beginners, and it is the answer in so many situations, such as…
🖌️ No budget for new kitchen cabinets? Paint them instead.
🖌️ Dated furniture? You can paint it (yes, even the upholstery!) or even paint faux stain on worn wood furniture.
🖌️ A concrete patio that’s stained and discolored? Yup, there’s paint for that (and it works on cinder blocks, too.)
🖌️ Outdated ugly countertops? Paint them! We’ve extensively options for painting your kitchen countertops in different ways.
So when we saw Kelli’s painted bathroom sink countertop, we wanted allll the details.
There are a lot of great products out there, as you wander the aisles of the hardware store. But how do you know if they will do what they claim they will do? I’m always glad to find someone who has tried it and can say what worked and what didn’t.
Plus — a painted bathroom sink and countertop, no sealer required? That sounds like a perfect makeover! Come learn from Kelli how she used tub and tile paint to give her 90’s integral cultured marble sinks a completely new, modern look (and then keep reading for more ideas for how to update an integral sink and how to use tile refinishing paint)
This painted bathroom sink countertop is such a great project, and has been popular for years here on the blog! We’ve updated this post to answer your questions about how to paint a bathroom countertop and give clear step-by-step instructions.
Interested in how Kelli’s painted countertop is holding up? Read her report and others’ follow-up reports about their painted countertops here.
This post contains affiliate links. Learn more and read our full disclosure policy here.
Painted Bathroom Sink and Countertop Makeover
by Kelli from I’m Flying South
Hey there, friends! I am so thrilled to be here with you at Remodelaholic! I’m Kelli from I’m Flying South. I write about all kinds of things over in my little corner of the internet. The blog started as a way to get out all of my feelings surrounding our move from Michigan to Florida and transformed into the chronicles of life as a SAHM to twins +1 and beating Postpartum Depression & Anxiety. Eventually, we moved back up to Michigan, and now that we’re settled into a new house in our beloved Mitten State, I’m sharing all of the work that my husband Brian and I are doing to make our new home feel more like ours.
Luckily, our new home was fairly turn-key aside from needing a few appliances. Built in the 1990s, the house is full of cultured marble and shiny, yellow brass. It was a foreclosure that the bank came in and fixed up a bit with new carpet and fresh peachy-beige paint on every square inch of the walls, making it clean and very livable. While the colors and fixtures are not aesthetically our taste, we have been able to take our time making it our own. If you want to check out my first big victory over the peachy-beige paint, feel free to wander over to my blog.
One of very favorite projects so far is our painted Bathroom Sink & Counter Makeover. It was a fairly quick, easy, inexpensive update that made a HUGE difference in the feel of the rooms. After a little water leak incident in the basement, we decided that the old, swiveling, shiny yellow brass faucets in both our half bath and the boys’ bathroom had to go. And while we had the faucets off of the counters, we might as well paint the bathroom countertop like I’d been planning!
Can you paint a bathroom sink countertop?
Yes, you really can paint a bathroom countertop and sink! I’ll show you step by step, how I painted our half bath countertop with Rustoleum’s Tub & Tile Paint. Before, it was a beige marble-ish one piece sink and countertop. Nothing terrible, but just not our style either. And after painting the walls (Pantone Illusion Blue – Valspar) and the cabinet (Blue Coal – Valspar) and changing out the cabinet hardware, the counter was just screamin’ for a makeover.
And if you’re worried about the durability of a painted sink – read my update here. (Spoiler: no regrets!)
Step by Step: How to Paint a Bathroom Countertop and Sink
I’ll walk you through how to paint a bathroom countertop and sink. My vanity top is just one piece, an integrated sink and countertop, in both bathrooms where we painted the sinks. This paint will work just a sink, too, if you have a drop-in sink, or for any kind of ceramic re-coating on a tub or tile.
If your bathroom vanity has a separate sink and a laminate countertop, I’d suggest using this epoxy paint for just the sink and using one of these DIY countertop painting methods to paint the vanity top separately.
Supplies to Paint a Bathroom Sink Countertop
There are now quite a few different tub and tile refinishing paint kits on the market (and even on Amazon!). I’d heard good things about Rustoleum’s Tub & Tile Paint, so we decided to go that direction.
In addition to the resurfacing kit, you’ll need:
- Rustoleum Tub & Tile kit (just one box was enough for 2 sinks and countertops; I used gloss white and they now have satin finish in both white and light gray “coastal fog”)
- 4-inch paint roller (& tray if desired)
- fine-bristled paint brush
- craft sponge brushes
- Comet (or other similar cleaner)
- sponge
- Lime Away (or other similar hard water remover)
- abrasive sponge
- tack cloth
- 400-600 wet/dry sandpaper
- bucket
- bath caulk
- lots of elbow grease!
And just a word of warning: this epoxy tub and tile paint STINKS. The fumes are very strong and last a day or two. Be sure to take breaks, wear a good respirator, and ventilate the area as well as possible.
Prepare the Countertop and Sink
Step 1: Remove the faucet
Remove the faucet and drain, and use a putty knife or scraper to remove any old caulk from the counter or where the backsplash meets the countertop.
I was installing a new faucet, so the old faucet had to go anyway. Even if you’re keeping the faucet, I’d recommend removing it if possible instead of trying to tape around it the handles and drain.
Step 2: Clean the sink
Scrub the sink and counter with a stain-removing cleanser (like Comet) and a sponge and rinse well. Then scrub with a hard water cleaner like Lime-Away and an abrasive sponge; rinse well. Be sure to remove all soap and residue.
Step 3: Sand
Next up, sanding. Sanding is pretty important, as this is how you’re going to get your surface nice and grabby for the paint.
I’ll be honest, 400 grit sandpaper felt like I was just caressing the surface of the tile. So I went rogue and grabbed some 320 from the garage. The 320 felt like I was actually sanding something rather than giving the tile a nice massage.
Sand, sand, sand till your arm feels like it might fall off. The sanding creates a really fine white powder all over the entire surface, so wipe with a damp cloth a few times, then wipe with a dry one. Use a tack cloth to capture any remaining dust.
Finally, I let the surface air dry overnight to be sure that it was completely dry with no moisture remaining on the surface.
Step 4: Tape
Tape any surfaces that you do not want to get the tile paint onto (walls, vanity, etc) with a painter’s tape. You may want to use some drop cloths to protect the cabinets and floor.
Mix and Apply the Countertop Paint
Now it’s time for some epoxy! Painting the countertop is actually pretty easy. A painted bathroom sink was a bit more tricky, but still not terrible.
Step 5: Mix While Wearing Safety Gear
I’ll admit that sometimes I’m not the best at following directions. Sure I read on the box and from several websites that this stuff was stinky, but I wasn’t prepared for just how stinky it actually is. I now have no nose hairs left. (Kidding. Kind of.)
I had windows open and fans on and the kids were shipped off to Grammy’s house for a sleepover, but I just figured that an N95 mask would do the trick. Um, no. I lasted approximately 3 minutes until I sent my husband to Lowe’s for a respirator! Apparently it takes more than the manufacturer and several testimonials to convince me to save my brain cells.
So, wear a good respirator (and safety glasses and gloves) while mixing the parts and painting. Follow the instructions on the can to mix the tub and tile paint. It’s pretty simple: just mix Part A (applicator) and Part B (base).
Step 6: Paint the Sink and Countertop Edges with a Brush
The Rustoleum box recommends using a 4 inch roller with foam cover and a very fine bristled brush for the edges. First, I used the fine bristled brush to cut in around the edges of the counter. I actually did the entire first coat with a brush instead of a roller. I found it much easier to get a nice thin coat on with a brush.
*Beware of Bubbles!
The above photos are actually of the first coat in the boys’ bathroom, because it’s the one I started … and it’s just … better. My husband and I each started one sink and someone got kicked off of his project because **cough**PAINT BUBBLES**cough**. The man just doesn’t believe in the whole tried-and-true “multiple, thin coats” method. But he is insanely handy and awesome to have around, so I’ll keep him.
So while I was brushing on my nice thin first coat, Brian went straight for the roller. No brush, just a nice, thick coat with a roller. You know what happens when coats of paint are too thick? Bubbles, my friends. Bubbles.
Don’t roll on a thick coat of this epoxy paint! By the time I saw it, the bubbles were half dry. So, how to fix bubbles in tile paint? I let it dry, sanded the bubbles down, and went back for the brush! Brush for the edges, roller for the rest. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Step 7: Roll the Paint on Large Flat Areas
As previously discussed – roll the paint in THIN coats on the larger areas. The foam roller is really great but can also apply the paint much thicker than is good (see above).
Tips for Painting Tricky Areas
Certain areas of the counter and sink were a bit more challenging to achieve a smooth finish – namely the corner behind the faucet and the bottom curve of the sink.
For behind the faucet and the tops of the pieces that crawl up the wall, I found that using the foam brush to kind of dab the paint on was pretty effective.
The sink just took a lot of smoothing with the roller. Random little bubbles would form and even the thinnest layer seemed to want to drip a bit. After rolling out the imperfections for awhile, we just called it good and decided to let it cure.
Update: Rustoleum now makes an aerosol spray paint for tub and tile that might help with the drips and bubbles on curved surfaces? Spray paint takes extra time to prep and mask off the rest of the area, so let me know if you try it and like it!
Step 8: Let Dry Between Coats
Like any painting project, the key to a good durable finish is thin coats that fully dry between layers.
Rustoleum recommends waiting 1-2 hours between coats, and applying 2 coats. I coated the vanity top really thinly, so I actually applied 3 coats for the coverage I wanted.
Step 9: Paint The Second Coat (and Third)
The trick with this stuff is not to get a super thick layer on there, but not too thin either. Too thick = bubbles and drips. Too thin = weird texture and marks. I started with a thin layer (treating it like a coat of primer) and worked up from there for a second coat. We let each coat dry for about an hour before starting another coat. The third coat was when I really started to get serious about texture and watching for brush marks.
Step 10: Let the Paint Cure
Rustoleum recommends 24 hours of curing before touching the surface and 72 hours of curing before getting the surface wet. Don’t try to cut this short!
Finishing the Vanity Top Makeover
Step 11: Reinstall the Faucet
After the recommended 3 days of cure time, in went this pretty lady…
Isn’t the new faucet gorgeous??? It’s the English Country Double Handle Centerset Faucet (in Oil-Rubbed Bronze) by Kingston Brass. Words cannot express how much I love her. It’s probably unhealthy to be this in love with a faucet. I’m fine with it!
Step 12: Caulk the Edges
Looking at these pictures, I do wish I had used some bath caulk to touch up the edges where the side backsplash piece meets the countertop. (The backsplash behind the faucet is all one piece, but the side is separate on mine).
But, I’m so hopelessly in love with the finished products that I don’t mind that or the little bits of uneven texture here and there or the little drip mark in each sink. They are barely noticeable unless you stand at the perfect angle and realllllly examine the whole thing. And I don’t do that. So we’re golden. For us, it was the perfect budget makeover for our 90s-tastic sinks!
Time to Paint a Bathroom Countertop and Sink
The prepping and painting process took roughly 3 hours – 30 minutes for prep, 10 minutes of painting per coat (maybe closer to 20 minutes for the last coat), plus one hour drying time between each of the 3 coats. Rustoleum recommends 24 hours of curing before touching the surface and 72 hours of curing before getting the surface wet. So this is a project you can finish in a day, with the countertop and sink out of commission for a long weekend.
Painted Bathroom Sink & Countertop – Cost Breakdown
- Rustoleum Tub & Tile – $25.97 at Amazon (and enough for 2 counters & sinks!)
- 4-inch roller and cover – $0 (from our stash)
- Brushes – $0 (from our stash)
- 400 grit sandpaper – $3.97 at Lowe’s
- 320 grit sandpaper – $0 (from our stash)
- Comet – $0 (from our stash)
- Lime Away – $3.99 at Meijer
- Sponge – $0 (from our stash)
- Abrasive sponge – $2.99 at Meijer (we used Scotchbrite)
- Tack Cloth – $2.09 at Lowe’s
Grand Total Cost: $39.01 – for 2 bathrooms!
(If we didn’t have some of this stuff already, we may have spent an extra $20 or so.)
Adding in the faucet from Wayfair ($68.22) brings the total up to $107.23. Still not too shabby, and much less expensive than getting new countertops!
I would say painting like this is the cheapest way to update a bathroom countertop. It requires some labor, but the out of pocket expenses are low!
Getting the room all dolled up for the holidays was a treat, especially now that that counters are so clean and fresh. The half bath is one of the only rooms in our house that is consistently clean. Between 3 little boys, 1 big one, and 3 dogs, someone is always making a mess in some corner of the house, so I try really hard to keep this room clean. It’s great for guests and perfect for grabbing a tiny break from the reality of motherhood while I sit in there and pretend to go to the bathroom for 3 minutes just to get some peace and quiet. (Shhh … don’t tell my boys!)
Update: One year later, my painted vanity top still looks amazing! Read my full follow-up review here.
—————————
Kelli, thank you so much for sharing with us! Such a nice budget-friendly update to those 90’s sinks!
Remodelaholics, head on over to I’m Flying South to catch up with Kelli and more of her creative projects (like recovering a storage ottoman with some great fabric)… and stay for the food (yum!)
Be sure to follow Remodelaholic so you don’t miss any more of our projects or our amazing DIY guests, too.
Pin this to share and save for later!
More affordable DIY bathroom updates
Learn how to skim-coat concrete on a countertop and integral sink for an amazing modern update to a dated sink.
If you’ve got outdated tile on your bathroom walls, you can paint the tile in your bathroom
And you can also paint the tile in your shower and tub!
As you plan your bathroom makeover, this post will help you plan and execute a budget bathroom makeover, instead of spending a bundle on a renovation or remodel.
How to Paint a Bathroom Countertop and Sink
Ingredients
- Rustoleum Tub & Tile kit just one box was enough for 2 sinks and countertops; I used gloss white and they now have satin finish in both white and light gray “coastal fog”
- 4- inch paint roller & tray if desired
- fine-bristled paint brush
- craft sponge brushes
- Comet or other similar cleaner
- sponge
- Lime Away or other similar hard water remover
- abrasive sponge
- tack cloth
- 400-600 wet/dry sandpaper
- bucket
- bath caulk
- lots of elbow grease!
Instructions
Prepare the Countertop and Sink
- Remove the faucet and drain, and use a putty knife or scraper to remove any old caulk from the counter or where the backsplash meets the countertop. Alternatively, you could tape around the faucet and drain instead.
- Scrub the sink and counter mild abrasive cleanser (like Comet) and rinse well. Then scrub with a hard water cleaner like Lime-Away and rinse well. Be sure to remove all soap and residue.
- Sand with 320-400 gfit sand paper to rough up the surface and the give the paint something to grab. Clean the sanding dust from the sink really well using wet and dry cloths, and a tack cloth.
- Tape any surfaces that you do not want to get the tile paint onto (walls, vanity, etc) with a painter’s tape. You may want to use some drop cloths to protect the cabinets and floor.
Mix and Apply the Countertop Paint
- Wear a good respirator (and safety glasses and gloves) while mixing the parts and painting. Follow the instructions on the can to mix the tub and tile paint. It’s pretty simple: just mix Part A (applicator) and Part B (base).
- Use a fine-bristled brush to cut in around the edges of the counter with the paint. (I actually did the entire first coat with a brush instead of a roller. I found it much easier to get a nice thin coat on with a brush.)
- Use a 4″ foam roller to roll the paint in THIN coats on the larger areas.
- Let the first coat dry. Rustoleum recommends waiting 1-2 hours between coats, and applying 2 coats. (I coated the vanity top really thinly, so I actually applied 3 coats for the coverage I wanted.)
- Apply the second coat (and I did a third coat as well). The trick with this stuff is not to get a super thick layer on there, but not too thin either. Too thick = bubbles and drips. Too thin = weird texture and marks. Let each coat dry for at least an hour before starting another coat.
- Let the paint cure. Rustoleum recommends 24 hours of curing before touching the surface and 72 hours of curing before getting the surface wet. Don’t try to cut this short! Remove the tape and allow the epoxy paint time to cure.
Finishing Up
- Reinstall the faucet and drain after the recommended 3 days of cure time.
- Use bath caulk to touch up the edges where the side backsplash piece meets the countertop.
Notes
First published 31 Dec 2014. Last updated 31 May 2024.
Lorene has been behind the scenes here at Remodelaholic for more than a decade! She believes that planning projects and actually completing them are two different hobbies, but that doesn't stop her from planning at least a dozen projects at any given time. She spends her free time creating memories with her husband and 5 kids, traveling as far as she can afford, and partaking of books in any form available.
While you were letting it cure, did you have to leave your home for a few days or were you able to sleep at home? I wanna do this so bad but I don’t wanna have to stay somewhere else for 3 days.
I want to do this sooooo badly to our bathroom. It is BORING beige; I want white. Or faux while marble. 1) do you recommend individual products or the kits? 2) I don’t recall if you answered about need to leave home due to smell. I know you emphasized need for respirator, but is evac necessary? 3) I might have to spring for replacement toilet…not sure I’m up for painting THAT! Your thoughts? And kind of the same for tub/shower enclosure. Just seems like A LOT! (and a lot to go wrong) Thoughts? Recommendations? I love your blog!!!
i usually clean my sinks with comet, after you paint with rustoleu what can you clean the new painted sink with?? thanks. Kim
Hi Kim!
Comet would be a bit too abrasive for this surface. I try to use some kind of “natural” cleaner on it, but with 3 little boys in our house I more often resort to Clorox wipes. This has worked fine over the years. Good luck!
Hi! I loved your tutorial and how detailed it is. I’ve been reading blogs and articles on how to paint bathroom counters before taking the plunge and redoing mine. My question is can I use this on Formica bathroom counters? Both my bathrooms have Formica (one is gray and the other is pink. Yes pink… uck!). I’d like to make the counters white, but everywhere I read it says to put a sealer it on it (poly) and it can turn it a bit yellow. If I can use the products you used on formica it would save me the headache of having to put a sealer on it. Help! 🙂
Hi Melina!
Thanks so much! I don’t think that this product can be used on Formica, but if you contact Rustoleum their customer service department is generally good at pointing you in the right direction for the material that you want to resurface. Good luck!
Instead of using LimeAway, try toothpaste and 000 steel wool. No protection needed, and it does a great job cleaning off lime and calcium deposits from sinks and tiles for a much lower price. Even gel toothpaste will work.
Thanks for the tip, Kim!
So I just did my bathroom counter and there are a few bubbly spots/rough feeling spots. Can these spots be sanded down and then have another coat applied over top or do I have to sand back to the original finish and start over? Most areas look great but there are a few spots that just can not be left as is.
Hi Allison!
I’m by no means an expert, but I would imagine that if you sand it down it will lose the glossy finish. It seems worth trying though!
Can you please tell me what blue paint you used for the cabinet? It’s beautiful!
Hi Tina! It’s Blue Coal by Valspar. https://m.valsparpaint.com/color-chip.php?id=2074&g=1020&r=lowes
Hi, I see it’s been several years now since doing this, wondering if it’s still holding up decent? Thinking of doing this also, but wanting something to last a while. 🙂
Hi Mindi!
I did this in 2 bathrooms – my half bath & my boys’ bathroom. The half bath is holding up beautifully! It’s the only bathroom on our first floor, so it gets a lot of use, but it’s really just a bunch of hand washing all day long. I use Method or a similar cleaner once a week and a Clorox wipe in between as needed. There is a tiny spot of staining from the label on the bottom of a candle getting wet, but my (Now label-less) candle lives there so I don’t see it.
My boys’ bathroom hasn’t held up quite as well. But they are ROUGH on it. Constant scrubbing of hardened toothpaste and other unidentified things have dulled the shine quite a bit, and there are a few stains from various things. That said, there are no chips or scratches, so I think I could do another coat pretty easily to take care of those things if I wanted to. They’re still young though, so I’m going to let it go until they’re older and can be more accountable. I hope that helps!
Thanks for the update, Kelli!
You mentioned the smelly epoxy but not what you did with it. Is it important?
I’d like to know too! Planning on doing mine in 3 weeks
You mentioned that you used bright white paint on your sink. Can you tell me what kind? Or was it only the tub and tile?
This is exactly what I want to do! Thank you so much for posting this!!
Can you somehow change the color of the sink paint? Everything is white, beige,or black that I’ve seen. I want a medium blue. thank you
Is your old countertop painted or the laminate? I am going to try to paint over the old paint and was wondering if your techniques will work?
I’m about to jump in with both feet and paint my counter top and sink in my master bath. My question is I want some color in mine. Can the paint be tinted or could i use acrylic craft paint and get the marbled look by swirling or dabbing it in with the counter top paint? Thanks!
I am also interested in knowing if this can be done with other colors besides white/neutral colors.
So I convinced my husband to do this to our bathroom sink this weekend but he wouldn’t listen to any of the tips that I got from your post. So of course there are bubbles everywhere and drips. We are waiting the 72 hours before we sand and try again. I was wondering after we sand the bubbles away do we clean it with a cleaner before applying another coat or just clean it with water? Also, do you just apply another coat to the spots we sanded or do another coat on the whole sink? Thanks for your help! Hopefully my husband will listen this time when I give him tips!
Wow! This looks so awesome – I need to do this in our home… like bad haha. One bathroom especially needs a lot of love. Even the toilet and tub are brown :O Great job!
Thank you so much for this! Our new house has granite counter tops in the bathrooms. The bathrooms were recently remodeled like, 5 years ago but they arn’t my style. I feel bad painting granite but can it be done so you think?
I love this — I really want to do this, I’ve seen this product or another product by Rustolem, the appliance epoxy.
How did this hold up over time? Wear and tare?
Thanks!
It’s holding up beautifully! Kelli gave us an update that we shared here with other painted countertop reviews: https://www.remodelaholic.com/diy-painted-countertop-reviews/
What did you use the epoxy for?
Hi Jenny – the paint is a 2-part epoxy paint. So no separate epoxy, just the 2-stage paint that mixes together.