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So Denise asks me,…. in our newly purchased cabin, can we paint over the ugly blue laminate on the kitchen counters? It would be a stop gap measure, (couple of years), then would replace with tile. She’d like to experiment with some faux finishes.
Since it’s a part time residence for her,and I guess the laminate is REALLY ugly,I suggested it might be a possibility. Probably want a real durable clear coat on top of it all, and be somewhat careful.
Sooo….anyboby done anything like this? Suggestions on methods or materials? A waste?
Thanks, Peter J
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An experiment is never a waste.
Rough the laminate up with sandpaper first and paint your blues away. Solvent based paints will last the longest but they take a day to dry. If she uses latex, topcoat with a clear varnish like polyurethane.
Lee
*Peter, I saw some laminate painted at a commercial site, and here's what they used: If the surface is slick, rough it up to a matte finish. If matte finish (or sanded as above), clean off with MEK. Apply X-I-M sealer/bonder type primer. Paint with quality oil-based paint (Sherwin Williams Pro-200 was used). The resulting surface (a counter at a vet clinic) held up well for a couple of years. Denise could do her faux finish on the enamel base and then overcoat with poly as Lee suggested. Good luck, Steve
*Peter, we just moved upstairs (we are renting the bottom floor), and I am dealing with the same problem. Because I thought we would eventually rent out thei downstairs,I put white formica in the little upstairs kitchen. Not only does it show stains something fierce, I can't abuse it like I did my stainless steel, tile, and wood counters. I am in the process of trying lots of stuff; like Lee says, an experiment is never a waste! My counters are white, so I am probably going to end up dyeing them with a serious dye; if your counters are a light blue, you might try the same thing. If they are a dark blue, you could dye them navy, maybe. Or a nice, rich purple - gimme a break, I'm from New Orleans ; )Delta Techincal Coatingshttp://www.deltacrafts.com/makes a decorative paint called PermEnamel, which is permanent (well, about as permanent as anything is) on glass and ceramic tile. It does not need heat-setting, yet is impervious to heat. The Delta FAQ said it hadn't been actually tried by them on countertops, but had held up on backsplashes, whatever that means. The only problem is that it comes in 2 ounce bottles, though I'm sure you could order a much larger size from Delta. I have used it on dishes, and it has held up amazingly well! There is also ani acrylicglaze that you can use over it, that works well. I used an acrylic glaze on a wood bathroom counter, and it has worked just fine for 10 years. I sprinkled glitter on it, too, but that is not for the faint of heart, or for those with some modicum of taste.Even if you can't paint the entire counter, you could stamp it with different motifs, to play down the blue, and if some of the motifs got scratched, it wouldn't be as noticable.I agree with those who suggested that nasty-smelling primer; there are different brands. I got one because I wanted to paint one of those ugly laminate storage cabinets (no info, I'm still putting it off).Another idea would be to nail the sheet stainless steel, made for the purpose, to the counters. Of course, that would be more expensive than just buying one of those ready-made counters at the Depot, which are really cheap.I am also thinking of gilding my counter with copper leaf, as it doesn't have to be coated with anything, and will develop an interesting patina... I would love to use the real gold leaf, but that would cost too much.Hey, tile experts, is there any reason you couldn't put ceramic tile on top of the formica? If it were temporary?I will let you know how all the experiments work.Patty
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So Denise asks me,.... in our newly purchased cabin, can we paint over the ugly blue laminate on the kitchen counters? It would be a stop gap measure, (couple of years), then would replace with tile. She'd like to experiment with some faux finishes.
Since it's a part time residence for her,and I guess the laminate is REALLY ugly,I suggested it might be a possibility. Probably want a real durable clear coat on top of it all, and be somewhat careful.
Sooo....anyboby done anything like this? Suggestions on methods or materials? A waste?
Thanks, Peter J