I just recently remodeled my master bath which had a hideous vanity with Formica countertop. I really wanted the look of quartz without breaking the bank. So, I did what any DIYer would do, and I researched how to paint and epoxy my old countertops to make them have the appearance of quartz. There are a lot of "how to" websites out there with pictures of exactly what materials to use, and step-by-step instructions. But I will tell you what I I did and how much it cost. First, I went to Michael's craft store and picked up some Krylon Stone spray paint (3 cans covered my 10 sq ft countertop), EnviroTex Lite epoxy, clear glitter, and a foam brush. Then I went to the hardware store and picked up some plastic painters drop cloth, painters tape, a notched trowel, 2 quart sized buckets for mixing the epoxy and paint sticks for stirring. Then I prepped my counter. I just simply sanded it briefly so the paint would stick, then wiped it clean of dust. I taped the drop cloth underneath the edges of my counter, and let it flow to cover my entire bathroom floor. I also put plastic over my sink and taped around it. And I taped some of the plastic to the walls behind the countertop and next to it just to make sure no paint splatter got on the walls. Then you're ready! I sprayed the first can on my countertop evenly. Then I waited for it to dry. Then I sprayed the second can, waited for it to dry. And then I sprayed the third can to achieve the coverage I wanted. But after this step is when I applied the clear glitter while the spray paint was still wet. This was a really fun part! You get to make your countertop just as sparkly as you wanted to be. I just took pinches of glitter, put them in my hand, aimed my hand at the countertop, and blew the glitter on to the countertop with my mouth. I did this over and over until I had as much sparkle as I wanted. After I let it dry overnight, I was ready to apply the epoxy. I followed the instructions on the box for mixing, and off I went! I just poured it on the counter top, and troweled the epoxy around to spread it evenly. This is a messy process, and a lot of epoxy will drip over the edge of your countertop and down the painters plastic. To cover the edges of the countertop, I used the foam brush. Then I placed a small heater in my bathroom, shut the doors, and let it dry overnight again. The warmer it is in your bathroom the faster your epoxy will dry. It does take about 3 days to cure entirely, but will be dry to the touch after about 8 hours. The next day I used a box cutting knife to cut all of the tape off from around the sink and the edges of the wall behind the counter top. And voila! That's it. Now I have a new beautiful shiny and sparkly countertop that looks like quartz, but only cost me under $150 to do. The photos I am posting don't do it justice. Plus you can't see the glitter in the photos as well as you can in person. Oh and yes! I would do this again. If you're crafty, this is such a fun way to redo your countertops. I hope this helped! Good luck to you!
I just recently remodeled my master bath which had a hideous vanity with Formica countertop. I really wanted the look of quartz without breaking the bank. So, I did what any DIYer would do, and I researched how to paint and epoxy my old countertops to make them have the appearance of quartz. There are a lot of "how to" websites out there with pictures of exactly what materials to use, and step-by-step instructions. But I will tell you what I I did and how much it cost. First, I went to Michael's craft store and picked up some Krylon Stone spray paint (3 cans covered my 10 sq ft countertop), EnviroTex Lite epoxy, clear glitter, and a foam brush. Then I went to the hardware store and picked up some plastic painters drop cloth, painters tape, a notched trowel, 2 quart sized buckets for mixing the epoxy and paint sticks for stirring. Then I prepped my counter. I just simply sanded it briefly so the paint would stick, then wiped it clean of dust. I taped the drop cloth underneath the edges of my counter, and let it flow to cover my entire bathroom floor. I also put plastic over my sink and taped around it. And I taped some of the plastic to the walls behind the countertop and next to it just to make sure no paint splatter got on the walls. Then you're ready! I sprayed the first can on my countertop evenly. Then I waited for it to dry. Then I sprayed the second can, waited for it to dry. And then I sprayed the third can to achieve the coverage I wanted. But after this step is when I applied the clear glitter while the spray paint was still wet. This was a really fun part! You get to make your countertop just as sparkly as you wanted to be. I just took pinches of glitter, put them in my hand, aimed my hand at the countertop, and blew the glitter on to the countertop with my mouth. I did this over and over until I had as much sparkle as I wanted. After I let it dry overnight, I was ready to apply the epoxy. I followed the instructions on the box for mixing, and off I went! I just poured it on the counter top, and troweled the epoxy around to spread it evenly. This is a messy process, and a lot of epoxy will drip over the edge of your countertop and down the painters plastic. To cover the edges of the countertop, I used the foam brush. Then I placed a small heater in my bathroom, shut the doors, and let it dry overnight again. The warmer it is in your bathroom the faster your epoxy will dry. It does take about 3 days to cure entirely, but will be dry to the touch after about 8 hours. The next day I used a box cutting knife to cut all of the tape off from around the sink and the edges of the wall behind the counter top. And voila! That's it. Now I have a new beautiful shiny and sparkly countertop that looks like quartz, but only cost me under $150 to do. The photos I am posting don't do it justice. Plus you can't see the glitter in the photos as well as you can in person. Oh and yes! I would do this again. If you're crafty, this is such a fun way to redo your countertops. I hope this helped! Good luck to you!