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You are here: Home / DIY Upcycling / How To Update A Kitchen With Painted Worktops

How To Update A Kitchen With Painted Worktops

20th September 2017 by Claire Armstrong 50 Comments

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Using Floor Paint For My Kitchen Painted Worktops

If there is one thing I would love to do in my home, is to install a new kitchen. It’s also probably the most expensive home improvement too! With 2 boys currently at University and one more to go, there isn’t the budget for it at the moment. So in the meantime I went for kitchen update I could afford and that was painted worktops.
 
 
It’s not that I didn’t like my wooden kitchen countertops, but after 20years of heavy use, they weren’t looking good. Especially around the sink, the wood was full of black stains that no amount of sanding would remove.
 
 
It was actually my sister Tasha, that suggested that I paint my kitchen worktops. She had done it a couple of years ago and was really pleased with the results. In fact, she painted her wooden kitchen floors and countertops with the same paint.
 
 
I’d never thought of using floor paint before for painted worktops. However, the floor paint idea sounded like a good one, as floor paint has to be hardwearing and you would want hard wearing paint for painted kitchen worktops.
 
 
I’m really pleased with the newly painted worktops. The kitchen looks fresher and brighter, it will do me anyway for a couple more years before I can eventually afford a new one. Elliot my son did, however, comment that he thought it looked a bit Greek with the bright blue worktops against the white brickwork.
 
 
Would you like a new kitchen but can't afford one?  How about giving your kitchen an affordable update with painted worktops, using floor paint.
 
 
 
This post contains Amazon affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to see my disclosure policy.
 
 
 

What I used for my kitchen painted worktops

  • Floor paint Since discovering Lakeland Eco Paints several years ago, I won’t use any other paints around the house if I can help it. The paints are VCO free so don’t give off any fumes. I know you can buy them in Europe but I’m not sure about the US. The paints are food safe too!
     
    My sister used a Farrow & Ball floor paint. I’m sure you could use any wood floor paint.
  •  
     

  • Small smooth paint roller and tray
  •  

  • Orbital Sander
  •  

  • Clear furniture wax

 
 
Kitchen counter tops before
 
 
 
wooden worktops before
 
 
 

How to paint kitchen counters

  1. The first thing is to sand all the old varnish and grim off the countertops to be painted with an orbital sander.
     
     
    sanding worktops
  2.  
     
     

  3. Once you have finished sanding the worktops, make sure you wipe them down and remove all the wood dust.
  4.  

  5. Prepare the paint according to the instructions on the tin. If you use a small roller kit to apply your paint to the countertops, it will give you a smooth finish with no brush marks. I used 2 coats of floor paint, making sure the paint had dried thoroughly between coats.
     
     
    DIY kitchen painted worktops
  6.  
     
     

  7. To finish off I added a coat of clear furniture wax as added protection especially around the sink area where the countertops often get wet.

 
 
I’m really pleased with the finish on my painted worktops. The paint has gone on really smoothly and looks good. I will see how the painted worktops stand up over time. Tasha reassures me that the paint will last as it is durable floor paint. I do have some left in the pot just in case I need to touch up anytime.
 
 
Painted kitchen worktops
 
 
 

Finishing off the kitchen

Whilst I had the paint there I painted my window and door frame to match the worktops and even my knife block and utensil holder.
 
 
Window painted to match kitchen painted countertop
 
 
Finished painted kitchen worktops
 
 
Finished painted kitchen worktops
 
 
finished painted kitchen contertops
 
 
 
There are other ways to update the kitchen other than with paint, you can add a DIY splashback with wallpaper , or simply update your kitchen bin with wallpaper.
 
 
Have an ugly trash can ? Then why not transform it by upcycling with wallpaper. step by step tutorial for this Orla Kiely Trash can (bin)
 
 
Since painting the worktops, I also made some unique storage for the kitchen from an repusposed chair back.
 
 
Repurposed Chair back into a handy kitchen towel rack and storage.
 
 
 

Filed Under: DIY Upcycling Tagged With: blue, counter, counter top, countertops, eco paint, floor paint, kitchen, kitchen update, paint, painted, refresh, tops, update, wooden counter, wooden worktop, worktop, worktops

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Meghann Otto

    23rd March 2020 at 12:56 pm

    It looks amazing. The colors are awesome. Looks like heaven and I need light in my life praise Jesus.
    Great Job! Let me know how the paint hold’s up on cabinets. An idea thinking what if adding some coral or bright peace is orange pink it makes dinner to colors on back splash? So doing that

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      23rd March 2020 at 7:35 pm

      Thank you so much ?

      Reply
  2. Claudia

    22nd September 2018 at 5:44 pm

    Can you use this product on laminate?

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      23rd September 2018 at 5:56 am

      I do not know as I haven’t tried laminate. I assume you would need to prime it first.

      Reply
    • Amanda Taylor

      21st July 2019 at 5:48 pm

      Great idea with the floor paint.. I have just moved and need to update my kitchen cabinets and work tops. I realise you did this last year, so can I please ask.. did it stand the test of time? Or have you had to patch up areas that take the most stick?
      Thanks x

      Reply
      • Claire Armstrong

        22nd July 2019 at 1:17 pm

        Thank you, Claudia. After about a year it started to show bits of wear in high traffic areas, but it is easy to patch with a bit of paint.

        Reply
  3. Margaret

    22nd September 2018 at 2:07 pm

    Claire, your kitchen looks so happy and welcoming now. Your countertops look so much more attractive now. I wish that I could convince my daughter to paint hers as you did.
    The blues work so well together. I love blue as it makes me happy. The all white and gray kitchens so popular today do not inspire me. I think I could get very creative in your kitchen. I wish that I could cross the pond and have a cup of tea in your cheerful kitchen!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      22nd September 2018 at 3:14 pm

      Aww, thank you so much Margret. I have had a blue kitchen for twenty years now and I still love it. I do like colourful interiors, they always seem happy. Even though I’m English I’m more a coffee drinker than tea, so it would be a coffeee in my kitchen or a hot cup of cocoa even.

      Reply
  4. Chris

    5th July 2018 at 7:03 pm

    I like the pots of plants on your window sill!
    What’s the plant in the middle with the long leaves?!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      6th July 2018 at 9:38 am

      Sorry I’m not an expert on plants it will be one I just picked up from somewhere like Ikea.

      Reply
  5. Sondra

    18th February 2018 at 3:39 pm

    Love your kitchen! It is so bright and happy. I know it would cheer me up every time I walked in. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      18th February 2018 at 6:45 pm

      Ahh, that’s lovely of you to say so, thank you.

      Reply
  6. Elizabeth Brettig.

    10th January 2018 at 3:32 am

    Your Great idea!Yes, Claire, it does look Meditearean.But I’m sure you can colour it any colour you want at the paint store. To make it make had wearing put a coat of clear gloss wood varnish over your tops. I’m sure the more coats of varnish you put over the top the tougher and more water resistant it will become use a bead sealant all around the tops and sink and then paint and varnish to prevent water getting under the wood and damaging it. For laminated surfaced apply a product that helps the paint adhere to the surface before painting. We have it in Australia so you should have it there.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      10th January 2018 at 7:52 am

      Thank you for your tips Elizabeth. I would have to make sure it was a food safe varnish though.

      Reply
  7. Rhonda Strahler

    9th January 2018 at 5:24 pm

    Firstly, I love your SS sink – where did you find it? As for the countertop – I fail to understand why anyone would paint a butcher block countertop instead of sanding and sealing it – they are beautiful and my favorite. Also – (my opinions here) I think there’s just a touch too much blue in your kitchen – butcher block would have been the thing that kept it from “going over the blue edge”…

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      9th January 2018 at 7:07 pm

      I too love the butcher block, but no matter how much sanding I did I could not get rid of the black marks round the sink. That is why I painted the countertops to hide the black marks that were ingrained. This was a temporary measure until I can afford a new kitchen. The sink is from IKEA

      Reply
  8. Trueskye

    7th October 2017 at 2:18 pm

    Desperately need a solution to replace countertops due to a smaller sink opening on a beautiful sink I bought great price but it’s an inch shorter length and width so countertops have to go . really can’t afford much but I could figure out a way to do this with wood if it’s a safe food service / waterproof is the floor paint actually waterproof and food safe? That’s a great idea I sure hope it the answer as this would be the solution that would work and I could do it myself without paying someone to install formica tha I really can’t afford right now

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      7th October 2017 at 3:09 pm

      The floor paint is food safe as I used an Eco-friendly floor paint. It is splash proof but I would either wax or varnish the painted tops in high water traffic areas like around the sink to protect it further.

      Reply
  9. Barbara viney

    30th September 2017 at 1:16 pm

    Looks terrific just like a new kitchen
    Barbara

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      30th September 2017 at 4:40 pm

      Thank you, it has certainly brightened it up.

      Reply
  10. Elena

    26th September 2017 at 7:43 pm

    Wow, what a transformation. I love that blue, your kitchen really looks amazing now. I’ve been thinking of repainting all the doors and cabinets in my kitchen and looking at this I think they could look really nice.
    #HomeEtc

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      27th September 2017 at 9:52 am

      Thank you so much. I definitely re-painting a kitchen is an affordable transformation.

      Reply
  11. Christine

    26th September 2017 at 2:57 pm

    I am loving the color you picked, I literally just finished painting my hallway a similar color so I am all about the blue right now.
    Thanks for sharing this at the Dishing It & Digging It Link Party. Hope you have a great week Claire!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      26th September 2017 at 7:09 pm

      Thank you so much Christine. I bet your hall looks amazing in blue.

      Reply
  12. Fionnuala

    25th September 2017 at 7:21 pm

    Floor paint is a great idea. I would never have thought of that. #HomeEtc

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      26th September 2017 at 8:45 am

      Thank you, it seems to be working well so far.

      Reply
  13. Lins @ Boo & Maddie

    24th September 2017 at 8:56 pm

    Beautiful transformation! I too would love a new kitchen but there’s no budget here either, so perhaps painting the counters may be the answer X #HomeEtc

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      25th September 2017 at 3:18 pm

      Thank you, I’ve only painted wood counters I’m not sure about other counters but I think you can get specialist paints for Formica and other materials.

      Reply
  14. Cecilia

    24th September 2017 at 7:38 pm

    Your countertops look wonderful! I love your bright cheery kitchen! Thank you for sharing @Vintage Charm–pinned!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      25th September 2017 at 3:16 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  15. Michelle

    24th September 2017 at 5:26 am

    Your son’s right Claie, it does have a Greek island feel to it now. But that’s kinda of perfect. Everything looks so bright and cheery.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      24th September 2017 at 6:56 am

      Thank you, Michelle. Yeah I can live with a Greek Island look, as you say it’s a bright cheery one.

      Reply
  16. Janice at sawdustsisters

    24th September 2017 at 2:52 am

    Claire you are so brave to paint your countertops! That was a great tutorial. I’ve been wanting to rip the carpet off my stairs and paint the plywood! This paint sounds like it’d do the job! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      24th September 2017 at 6:59 am

      Thank you, Janice. I ripped the carpet off my stairs, stained the steps and wallpapered the rises. It was one of the best transformations I have done in the house. I do think you should go with it with your stairs. Painted stairs are so much fresher than carpeted ones.

      Reply
  17. yuni

    21st September 2017 at 3:11 pm

    the power of paint is truly remarkable! great job mama!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      21st September 2017 at 7:57 pm

      Thank you, I agree paint can really transform stuff.

      Reply
  18. Jen

    21st September 2017 at 10:32 am

    Your kitchen looks so cheerful!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      21st September 2017 at 10:43 am

      Thank you, Jen. I like cheerful!

      Reply
  19. Amanda @ The Bay Bush

    21st September 2017 at 3:06 am

    Wow! I had no idea you could paint them! Great to know!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      21st September 2017 at 5:42 am

      Thank you, nor did I until my sister painted hers.

      Reply
  20. Janine

    21st September 2017 at 2:18 am

    Claire,
    Your kitchen countertops look fabulous! What a great transformation!!!

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      21st September 2017 at 5:42 am

      Thank you, Janine.

      Reply
  21. Toni | Small Home Soul

    21st September 2017 at 12:17 am

    I love the look of butcher block counters but water is the one reason I could never do it. The update looks great and it really brightens your kitchen. Tell you son that all the ladies love the blue and white of Greece so you chose right 🙂 I know that will hold up well if it’s intended for foot traffic. My mom used a similar “special material” for counter tops on her formica. Sadly it hasn’t held up very well. Maybe we’ll try floor paint the next time.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      21st September 2017 at 5:41 am

      Thank you, Toni. I love the look of butcher block counters too but unless you are very careful they don’t wear well especially round the sink. I don’t know how floor paint would work on Formica though I imagine that is a difficult service to paint.

      Reply
  22. Annisa

    20th September 2017 at 7:45 pm

    I haven’t ever heard of anyone using floor paint, but it makes sense! Clever! I’ll be SO curious to hear how they hold up over time. Enjoy your “new” space! 🙂

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      20th September 2017 at 9:50 pm

      Thank you! It’s holding up well so far. My sister did her worktops over 2years ago and she says her countertops are still looking good.

      Reply
  23. Karen

    20th September 2017 at 2:09 pm

    I love that you’ve gone for such a bold colour! Totally rocking the double denim vibe. It’s brilliant!

    #HomeEtc

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      20th September 2017 at 4:42 pm

      Thank you, Karen. I do like my blues!

      Reply
  24. Mary

    20th September 2017 at 1:26 pm

    Claire I am also working on a kitchen so I can really sympathize. It looks really great and such an economical solution.

    Reply
    • Claire Armstrong

      20th September 2017 at 1:39 pm

      Thank you, Mary. I’m really pleased with the results for now. Hopefully, we’ll get a new kitchen in a few years time. I’d love to see what you are doing for your kitchen.

      Reply

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