One of our Haven sponsors was Rustolem and they have some wonderful innovative products that I have enjoyed trying out. They were great and sent me primer for my new house and when I asked if I could try out the countertop kit, they didn’t hesitate to send it out. I chose the Onyx color and figured it would be a great way to extend the life of my not so pretty guest bath countertop. I can’t afford to gut those bathrooms at the moment, so anything I can do to make them prettier, well, that’s what I’m doing.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I have to say, that I love the way they turned out. So much fresher and more up to date than the old dated laminate from the late 70’s. I can live with it now and make it work with my décor.
Here’s a step by step on how I did the countertop and how it turned out. It’s a 2 day process.
Here’s a reminder of the Before laminate. Dated. 70’s. OK, ugly! There’s mauve in there, uggh.
And the After is so much better. It’s glossy and smooth in a pebbly way and should clean up very well.
Here’s how I did it. I was sent this kit for free to try out, but didn’t receive any other compensation for doing this. I wanted to try it and was happy to do so. The kit retails at the big box stores for around $150 and it does more than one countertop.
It comes all packaged in a nice and tidy kit with all the materials labeled.
The first step is taping all your edges, along the front, sides, and backsplash area, making sure to mask off anything that you don’t want paint on. The comes sanding down the counters, removing the gloss from them. This gets messy when the chips start flying so it is a good idea to have a dropcloth on the floor too. I didn’t do that and vacuumed up chips after, they were a mess!
The first can is the black top coat, a thick gloppy substance that resembles tar when it goes on. You want an old paintbrush for the sides and backsplash bringing it out a couple of inches and then that is where the roller comes in. You want to try to keep a wet edge as your working your way around the countertop. I didn’t get pics of this step, but cover every inch of the countertop making sure there is nothing white showing. You want it pretty heavy, because then you’re going to fling those black chips all over it and you really want it to stick well.
Here is is all covered with the Base coat. Nice and thick. It doesn’t have to be really smooth, it will level out.
Next, you will fill up that white contraption, somewhat like a fertilizer spreader with the black chips. I filled up the spreader with chips and then pressed the button, turning the wheel and chips went a-flying. All over the countertop. Just go back and forth, whirling the spreader and making sure that all those chips fly and stick all over the countertop, covering every inch of the black base coat. It should stick very well, but there’s a wetting agent in a bottle just in case it starts not sticking well. You have about 20 minutes to do this and that is plenty of time.
And here’s what it looks like after flinging those chips. It does go everywhere so be aware of that. In the sink, on the floor, everywhere.
See what I mean? Chips everywhere. But they do vacuum up fairly easily, they reminded me of spilled coffee. Now, let everything dry well overnight. You want to do the 2nd coat within 24 hours of the first one.
Next day, here’s what it looks like. Then you get a scraper tool and another hand sander block out and hand sand the chips down, scraping off the excess and sanding smooth the surface, preparing it for the final top coat. You do wipe down well with a damp cloth in between these steps too and then let it dry before going on to the top coat.
Here’s what it should look like after sanding, sort of gray looking as everything gets smoothed out. I didn’t get mine completely as smooth as the sample they had in the kit, but I was happy with it anyway. It was smooth enough for me.
The 2nd coat is mixed together, Part A and Part B, which turns into a thickish poly looking topcoat that you’ll brush and roll on. You want this thick as well.
Ready to brush it on the backsplash with the paintbrush. By the way, I used an old paintbrush and threw it away.
Brush the backsplash first and then move down to the flat area and roll.
Rolling and brushing, be sure to cover evenly and thickly. It will self level and mine wasn’t perfect by any means, but for the most part it’s smooth. There were some thicker parts back in the corner of the countertop, but it dries clear and is not that noticeable. I brushed all around the sink getting it into all the corners and edges of the countertop and ends. There are areas that are thicker and thinner on the countertop itself, but overall it looks really good.
After that, let it dry overnight before you mess with anything. I left the tape on as that is what the directions said to do.
Still wet.
The whole countertop all covered and drying. It takes several weeks to completely cure, so it should be good and dry by the time I move in. NOTE: It is very dry by the 3rd day, so that it can be wiped down and very dry to the touch. Like most paints, the complete curing time can takes weeks, so you should just be careful during that time.
The next day, I used a utility knife and cut around the sink and backsplash, removing the Frogtape. It came off pretty well without a lot of damage. You can see the edge of the sink here and under the rim, it’s a little messy where the sink is raised a bit. There was old caulking in here that I took out and I think I’ll tape around the sink and go back and recaulk it in white and try to clean up the edge line a little bit. I think that will make it look cleaner. Around the sink is the hardest part to get nice and smooth with a clean line.
There was one little spot to the back of the sink where it pulled off some of the black when I cut the tape. I went back and added a little solid black back on top of it and it should dry out fine. That doesn’t bother me.
And here is the finished product again. Overall, I’m really, really happy with it. It’s much better than the old one and the finish feels good to the touch too. It’s very shiny and feels almost vinyl-like and should clean up well. I’m going to eventually get a frame up on the mirror too.
Here’s the room finished with mirrors framed and it’s still like this now. The countertop has held up fine almost 4 years later.
So, if you have an old countertop that needs sprucing up, I can definitely say that this Rustoleum product worked great for it. You have nothing to lose anyway by trying to cover up an ugly countertop that you don’t like anyway, that’s the way I looked at it. I’m happy enough with my masterbath countertop, so I’m leaving it as is, but this one looks much better to me.
What do you think? Would you try it?
{Disclosure: I received my Rustoleum Countertop Transformations kit for free, but did not get paid for my review. My opinions and experience with the product are entirely my own.}
Krystle @ Color Transformed Family says
I have seen this at the store and wondered how well it turned out. Thanks for sharing your process and opinions. At first the glossy-iness kinda scared me but it looks much better in the shot directly above the counter. That shot shows a lot of the texture. I agree this is a nice hold over until you are able and ready to replace the entire vanity. Plus, you got to try it for free!
doreen@househoneys says
When you mentioned you were going to do this last week, I couldn’t wait to see the results. I did this in our kitchen at the cabin about 3 years ago using a product called gianigranite. The process was similar, and since it was done on a weekend home the drying time for us wasn’t a problem but you’re right. It takes weeks to CURE, but it’s totally usable after three days. They’re a bit cheaper in price, and the finish is a little less shiny. They kinda want you to believe it’s a granite look, but in my opinion it’s more like laminate. Either way, it’s a low cost alternative and even after 3 years the counters show no signs of wear or tear. If this is in your guest bath, I’m sure it will last as long as you want it to.
Great results!
Brenda says
It looks very nice, but at $150, you would have something to lose if you hated it. I would think $150 would go pretty far toward replacing just a vanity top. If you were doing more countertops it might be worth the price, but for just one, I don’t think I would go to all that work and espense. Also, if one were living in th ehouse, the curing time could be a problem.
Brenda Kula-Pruitt says
Looks 100% better!
Brenda
laney says
…i am simply so very very happy for you…you make me proud to be a southern woman…(and that counter top is pretty great too)…blessings laney
Beth Morrow says
Looks great! You are one industrious woman! I can’t wait to see the completed bath!
Linda Coleman says
What a fabulous improvement! You did a wonderful job! You always inspire me. I need to get up and do something, anything. 🙂
Guerrina says
Rhoda, that looks SO much better! Looking forward to seeing this room completed!
SheilaG @ Plum Doodles says
Looks great, Rhoda! I’m so glad it turned out so well!
Brooke says
Thanks for sharing! My husband and I have been talking about doing this. We just moved into a great house with not so great countertops! This looks like it would be worth it!!
Jane @ Cottage at the Crossroads says
Rhoda, the countertop looks 100% better! I wouldn’t be able to live with mauve either. Couldn’t do it in the 80s either! I think the whole point about using this product is that you would not go to any additional expense to remove the sink if you were using this. A great solution, in my opinion!
Christina W. says
So much better! I would definitely give this a try.
beth says
This looks so good and what a transformation of this bathroom. Way to go Rhoda – another great DIY and detailed tutorial. Best I’ve seen using this product and I have been wondering about this kit for a while now. You are right….everyone needs to weigh their options, budgets, etc. in every DIY job. This should hold you until you gut these bathrooms. Plus, it will give us yet another fabulous post to look forward to when you do gut this bathroom and do a total redo! I’m not sure I have the patience to paint my countertops…but love the look! The product sounds great and not bad for the price. The paint, clear coat, tools etc. individually priced and added up makes sense for the total cost of the kit.
Bonnie says
Looks great, Rhoda! Yes, I would try it if I needed to update an old look. It looks like honed granite! YOu did an awesome job!
Naomi W says
You did a great job. I think replacing the laminate with new laminate would cost a lot more than the kit once you figure in the cost/time of pulling the countertop, sink and faucet, and then replacing it all. You would probably end up with a new sink, the faucet would break, and the list would continue. And all you would get was new laminate when you really wanted _________ (fill in the blank). I think this is a good cost tradeoff product. Thanks for letting us watch your work in process. You are so bless to have parents who can help you. Enjoy your new home. It really is yours as you put so much sweat equity into it.
Mavis Jones says
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the this review and application. I’ve been looking at this product for awhile and wanted to do the color you chose. I think I will go ahead and give it a try. It will definitely be one of my fall / winter projects.
lyn says
$150.00, i don’t thnk so. too much work and down time. in trussville ala we can set granite that size for less money and it’s granite. i understand why you did it,- it was free and it does look good but can’t help but wonder how long it will last. good luck with the reno. it seems it all never gets down before you have to start over again.
Lynn says
Can you please tell me where I can get real granite for that cheap?? I have a black granite fireplace. Granite cost, 2,100
Mike Davis says
It may not be as cost-effective in a bathroom but for a kitchen it was much cheaper than a new countertop. We recently did this and I have a little bit of insight/advice.
Apply good quality tape, like Frog, not painter’s tape as it isn’t sticky enough. Use plenty and press the edges down with a putty knife so ensure good adhesion.
Do NOT mix all of the epoxy/final coat at once, mix enough to do the job and leave the rest in the containers. If you make a minor mistake or need to patch after 4 hours you can do so, my wife mixed it all at once so now we need to try and find some additional epoxy. Rust-oleum hasn’t been helpful in trying to locate the epoxy as a stand-alone even though they claim it’s available at Home Depot/Lowe’s and other retailers. Last we heard from them they say it’s only available to contractors but a google search came up with nothing.
All in all it’s worthwhile. We also used the Cabinet Restoration but we’re not happy that Rust-oleum seems to want us to buy an entire extra kit to get a little bit of extra epoxy sealer. If I was sure it was just epoxy I’d use something else but as the color changed after applying it I suspect it activates or interacts with the “chips” in some way.
Gigi says
I just finished redoing my kitchen counters with this product and I had a not-so-pleasant experience that I thought I would share.
First of all, it is a LOT of work. Although they advertise that it can be done in one weekend, I think that can only be true if you’re willing to work 16 hour days, which I was not. So it’s stretched into a week-long project. Tough to go that long without a kitchen (no sink, no oven, no counterspace, no place to wash dishes, etc. and living off microwave meals. Yuck!)
Further, although I measured carefully based on their recommendations, one kit was not enough to do my whole kitchen even though they advertised that it was. There just was not enough base coat, so I was not able to put it on as thickly as described. I ended up having to order a half-kit but by the time it came, of course it was days later and my kitchen was unusable for several extra days. When it came, I discovered that the half kit had the same size can of base coat as the bigger kit! BUT I had 4 bags of chips left over! (6 in the larger kit of which I used 4; 4 in the smaller kit of which I used 2). So something is not right here with the materials they send with the kit.
The chip spreader that came with the kit did not work — it kept jamming — so we ended up spreading most of the chips by hand. And they went EVERYWHERE. No kidding, I’ll be vacuuming up chips and chip dust for days, I’m sure. Very messy and we’re tracking charcoal-colored footprints all through the rest of the house. 🙁
Finally, because I did not have enough base coat, it didn’t cover well and there are several places where the old counter is showing through. We followed their directions to the letter for ‘touch-up’ but the results were less than ideal.
Lesson learned; I would NOT do this again (I’d call that person in Alabama who claims to be able to place real granite for the same price) and let them give me the real thing!
Rhoda says
Hi, Gigi, sorry you had such a bad experience with the kit. I do think doing a whole kitchen would be a lot more challenging and I probably wouldn’t have tackled that either. One countertop in a bathroom is not much work to do and I really do love how mine turned out. I can see how doing an entire kitchen would be difficult and I really hate that you didn’t like the outcome.
Nate says
I just finished my bathroom cabinets using the espresso color of the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations. I wrote up a how-to article with pictures and tips based on what I learned. I definitely am please with the results. What do you think of my writeup?