Girls Bathroom -Prep and Painting Faux Counters

Next problem to tackle is the girls' counter top!

Really there is nothing wrong with the counter.

I actually like the easy care and durability of laminate counters.

Les was totally happy with these counter tops and couldn't really understand why I wanted to replace something that seemed perfectly fine!!

They weren't chipped or out of fashion really..... 

but.....

I had a vision for this bathroom and brown counter tops wasn't apart of that vision. 

I really felt I wanted white or light counters. 

Sooo.....

I had to find a way to replace them for next to nothing.

I scoured all my usual haunts, the Restore, DIs, online sales. But I was having a hard time finding the right size. I liked how I my faux painted laundry room counters turned out

and decided to give this a try again. In the laundry room the counter was not in place yet, so I was able to created the faux look off site and then move it into the room. This time I had the challenge of creating the whole thing already installed. Many readers have asked about this so I figured it was a good time to find out whether this makes it harder to do. I also was curious to see how this counter would hold up to more daily use and abuse!! The laundry room counter still looks beautiful. I use it a lot, but it has no sun light exposure and really only gets clothes set on it, and occasionally wet clothes.

 Long explanation to say I am trying this again!!

With out further ado lets get rolling!

I started by removing the sink. Next I used a putty knife to remove the old caulk.

Then I cleaned and sanded the surface with a 

medium to fine sanding sponge. 

Make sure you wipe all the dust off.

I tried a few samples, as I wanted a little more creme in this counter. I knew the girls would have a hard time keeping a super white counter clean. Here is my final sample.

Now I was ready to start painting. 

I used a primer for glossy surfaces and just rolled it on. I had to do two or three coats to cover the dark counter. I wanted a crisp white base to start my faux painting on.

Make sure you wait for the primer to completely dry before staring your faux painting.

I used the same techniques I used for the laundry room. 

(You can go back to see in depth how I faux painted the counters to look like marble in the laundry room post, I will only touch lightly on it today.) 

I used a feather and some cardboard and created some veins with a dark grey paint.

I sponged on some Apple Barrel craft paint in dolphin Grey mixed with metallic silver.

 (Don't think I would add the silver next time.) 

I very sparingly sponged on some Autumn Haze by Gliden , followed by white paint.

I just kept going through these colors till I got the look I liked.

This step is hard for me, because it is flat and looks fake to me. Like a theater back drop.

 I just keep trying to make it look better. 

I have to tell myself, "Just let it go!!!

 It will look better after the shine is applied!!"

(Yes, I obsess too much.)

I added a little iridescent glitter and left it till morning.
Here is what it looked like.
Stay tune for the adventure of pouring the Super Glaze.

Thanks for stopping by!