If you have been with me on the counter top redo you will remember the disastrous Rustoleum review. I had few options after the made for counters paint ruined mine. Our budget does not allow for installing new, and tiles etc were more tedious than I had time for right now.
This is what I had ended up with, constant chipping,
and those ugly bubbles.
I had to stick with paint for the time being, I decided to give a home made chalk paint a try, why? It is thick, goes on even and can be touched up and blends, unlike the Rustoleum product. Regular paint probably would have been fine if it had been a semi gloss or gloss finish, but just for you I did it wrong so you could learn from me! I actually love the chalk texture and finish but.....it stained some, coffee etc would stain if not immediately cleaned, I think because of the grout added. But...it did not chip and it looked great! so.....
first step- making the chalk paint. Mix plaster of paris with enough water for a soft paint like consistency.
Plaster amount I used- eyeballed, no formula- sorry that's how I roll.
|
| Looking at these photos should give you idea amounts. |
I first covered the existing Rustoleum paint with 123 primer, then coated with the home made chalk paint.
Since the first coat stained I later did a second coat, then sealed it with clear poly urethane. The whole process took far less time than the first disaster and is holding up much better. For now, this will do. As I said I use a lot of cutting boards anyway so I am not worried about food touching the surface.
Poly urethane stinks so air your house out, still not as potent as the Rustoleum. 24 hours later I was rockin the kitchen again!
Much better! No nicks, chips or bubbles!
blessings and thanks for visiting
17 comments:
I feel so bad you had a disaster. The counters are looking great.
Looks fabulous. YOu did a great job. Hugs, Marty
It looks good....you sure have patience. Smiles, Susie
Oh- That is so sad about that Rustoleum disaster. Your new countertops look great and I hope they hold up really well. Blessings- xo Diana
Bless your heart, this couldn't have been fun! Glad you found a solution for now, and hope it holds up.
I actually used a fleck spray paint on counter tops in our cabin, then coated them with poly, and they held up until we removed the cabinets.
Sorry things didn't work out so well with your counter tops. Your tops look great and I'll bet you're the first to paint your counter tops with it.
Be a sweetie,
shelia ;)
I've never read a good review of the Rustoleum product. Seen a lot in the "oops" bins and Home Depot, too. I read one other review of chalk paint on counters, hers she did graphite with multiple coats of poly. Yours look great now.
Janet
Wow, what an undertaking. Looks great!
I am just getting back to blogging and I found you via clicking like crazy on other blogs.. Glad I got to stop by!
~~~kimmer
Because you took the unpaid-for time to write this detailed review, you have saved me(and my little vintage Sunset Motel in Brevard NC) a lot of time, toxicity, money, downtime and the sore throat from yelling at Rustoleum. The home made chalk paint will solve a multitude of problems around the motel and costs a bucket load less than name-brand chalk paint!! Can't thank you enough. Lori
Did you use the small foam roller again? I too just had a disaster with the Rustoleum countertop paint and need to fix it. One more question, did you sand at all prior to putting the primer on first? - Thanks for your posts. It is very helpful!
I just discovered you this morning and I am totally enamored of the work you've done on your mobile home! Your counter top chalk paint solution is genius! I used envirotex on the top of my kitchen island made from nightstands and it is holding up so well I'm thinking of using it on my dining room table. Now to read/stalk the rest of your blog!
Im glad I did more pinterest "research". Im updating our mobile home countertops (same exact hunter green color! :-) and I assumed rustoleum was the only way to go. I did homemade chalk paint on the cabinets but didnt think to do it for the countertops! This cuts costs even more! Thanks for the honesty and the willingness to share your success as well as fail. I appreciate being spared from disaster!
Hi, I hope you can respond to this. My wife and I also used the Rustoleum countertop paint when we first bought our house ten months ago. We didn't get the bubbles, but the chips were plentiful :( We can't afford to replace the countertops altogether and found this blog post while doing research on alternatives to total replacement. Can I ask if your counters are still holding up, now that it is nearly two years after you did it?
Oakley fan, I could not see an email to contact you so I will answer here and hope you see it. Yes....and no. The paint is holding up well without any chips or wear, my problem has been, when I did this I only put one coat of polyurethane on and it had a tish of yellowing so I didn't do any more. That poly I believe because of being so thin has worn off from cleaning in spots leaving the porous paint to absorb some stains here and there. I am going to repaint with the same paint and use Water based poly acrylic (it is not suppose to yellow) and put on several coats. I believe that will be an even better and stronger finish. Thanks for asking
Found you through Hometalk and your response to the question about Rustoleum on the counter. You certainly made lemonade out of lemons as you kitchen looks great! Thank you for sharing your experience and recommendations - you have no idea how many people you have helped with your blog just by answering this question!!! I certainly won't be considering Rustoleum if I paint my counters!!!
I'm glad I saw this! I've been thinking about painting my bathroom counter top.Did you use spray polyurethane or a brush or roller?
I'm glad I saw this! I've been thinking about painting my bathroom counter top.Did you use spray polyurethane or a brush or roller?