Recently I shared on Facebook that we were doing a makeover on our powder room, aka the “World’s Smallest Bathroom”. The project I was most excited about was the sink. I had wondered how to paint a sink so I did a little research and found a product that would do it. Since the paint kit was only around $25, we decided to try it. Then if it didn’t work we’d just rip out the sink and put in a new one. Here’s what my nasty old bathroom sink looked like BEFORE the countertop makeover.
Here’s a little video I took of what the sink looked like BEFORE I painted it:
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How to Paint a Sink
- Rust-Oleum Tub and Tile Refinishing Kit
- 4″ paint roller
- 1″ paint brush or sponge brush
- painters tape
- scraper to remove caulk
- Comet or other scrubbing powder cleanser
- Lime-Away
- scouring pad
- sponges and plenty of paper towels!
- 400-600 wet/dry sandpaper
- tack cloth
- bucket
Bikeman removed the faucet for me. Here’s another close up of the nastiness! I think the one-piece sink/countertop and the handle were both original to our townhouse, built in the mid 1970s! I was NOT feeling good about painting at this point.
The most important thing about painting a bathroom sink is the prep work! Painting was actually pretty easy but these steps take time. I think I spent about 1 1/2 hours cleaning the sink before I even started painting.
First remove all the old caulk.
Place a bucket under the sink. Scrub with Comet. Rinse off. Clean with Lime-Away. Rinse off. Then sand, sand, sand. Rinse and wipe down with tack cloth.
Now the scary part. BEFORE painting make sure you open all your windows, turn on the exhaust fan, and aim a fan at you to get fresh air. This paint STINKS!!!! I can’t emphasize that enough. Don’t paint with kids or pets in the room. Seriously. It stinks. I mean it…
Mix the 2 part epoxy paint together, following instructions. The instructions say it can be rolled, brushed, or sprayed. I chose a 4″ mini roller and a 1″ foam brush to get the corners.
The paint is much thinner than I expected it to be. Aim for 2-3 THIN coats and be ready for it to look BAD after the first coat.
Here’s what my first coat looked like. Not even, but it’s a self-leveling paint. It looked much better after it dried. But definitely needed more than one coat.
See the difference?
The curved sink was a little bit of a challenge but between the roller and foam brush I managed to get it all covered.
Here it is after 3 thin coats.
And here it is all caulked and finished! What do you think? I’m glad I spent the time figuring how how to paint a sink!
My review? I love it… so far. I want to reserve the right to change my opinion after I see how the bathtub paint kit wears. But I’ve heard good things from other users — IF you do the prep!!!
That, plus this is in our guest bathroom that doesn’t get daily use.
I’ll keep you updated on how it holds up. Keep watching the blog for our complete powder room reveal! Sign up for our Home DIY email list if you want to get them sent straight to you!
If you enjoyed this countertop makeover, you might also like these:
- How to Paint Bathroom Cabinets – COMING SOON
- $100 Powder Room Makeover Reveal – COMING SOON
- How to Organize a Small Farmhouse Bathroom
- 17 Clever Ideas for Small Bathrooms
- 4 Quick and Easy DIY Bathroom Ideas
Thanks for reading! Got any questions about how to paint a sink? Leave ’em in the comments.
‘Til the next project,
Ann @ Duct Tape and Denim
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Mother Deer says
August 14, 2017 at 5:48 amYou did a great job! I have the same sink/counter situation in my home, but with more counter. Did you use up the whole epoxy kit, or was there enough left to paint more counter space if you needed it? I’ll be interested in hearing about how well it holds up to cleaning and if color can be added to the epoxy. Thanks for sharing this project 🙂
ducttapeanddenim says
August 14, 2017 at 8:40 amThere was plenty left over for more counter. I think it’s supposed to cover a whole bathtub! We’re going to live with our sink for a while to see how it stands up before trying the tub though! I don’t know if you can add color but I’m going to guess not. And I didn’t see it come in any other colors.
Katie says
January 26, 2018 at 4:20 pmHow has it held up? What do/did you clean it with?
Waiting reply
Katie
ducttapeanddenim says
January 27, 2018 at 7:57 amIt still looks great. I just wipe it with all purpose spray cleaner… nothing abrasive. I’m planning another Facebook Live soon so do a follow up.
Mimi says
January 27, 2018 at 5:18 pmYou painted the actual bowl of the sink too? Did you use the foam brush for that? If it is thin, didn’t it all run down? Same question about the edges of the counter top and back splash.
ducttapeanddenim says
January 27, 2018 at 9:25 pmYep… I painted the bowl and backsplash, too. With a small roller and I got the corners with a foam brush. Took a few coats but it worked!
Peggie Russo-Millard says
August 14, 2017 at 11:33 pmCan it this product be used on Culture Marble?
ducttapeanddenim says
August 15, 2017 at 4:33 pmI’m pretty sure it can be. Double check the package and/or their website.
Vickie Kuykendall says
August 15, 2017 at 6:14 amLooks great! What a difference!
Cheryl says
August 15, 2017 at 9:31 pmYou did a good job. I suck at painting and it was easier to buy a new sink!
Kim~madeinaday says
August 22, 2017 at 12:55 pmGreat job! Sharing on FB. Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Hope to see ya next week!
Kim
Courtney @ Pop It Up Girl says
August 23, 2017 at 10:39 amTotally did not know you could paint a sink! Love this!
Brenda Young @Unique Junktique says
August 24, 2017 at 3:53 amI had no idea this could even be done! I would love for you to share your project tonight at #FridaysFurnitureFix, hope to see you there!
Susan says
August 24, 2017 at 7:17 amWowza! What an improvement. I am pinning for when we finally tackle the kids’ bathroom redo. Thanks for sharing at the This Is How We Roll LInk Party.
Rachel Teodoro says
August 29, 2017 at 11:01 amJust wanted you to know that I featured this on create link inspire party. Thanks for linking up.
Toni | Small Home Soul says
September 20, 2017 at 6:52 amAnn this turned out great! I’d love to try this on my faux granite sink in my bathroom. It’s pretty scratched up. I hope it hold up really well for you, there are so many great products out today to save us big $$
Tracey says
January 19, 2018 at 11:40 amNow that it has been a while, is the paint still holding up? I’m hoping to do this to my bathroom that has a sink that looks very similar to your original one! Would must rather paint it than by a whole new one at this point!
ducttapeanddenim says
January 22, 2018 at 11:01 amYes, it is! I still love it. And we just had our bathtub painted. (I was afraid to do that myself!)
Leigh says
January 23, 2018 at 6:13 pmHow do you clean it? Any special instructions?
ducttapeanddenim says
January 25, 2018 at 7:35 amJust no abrasive cleaners. I’ve just been using all purpose spray or Windex when I clean the mirror.
Ina says
May 20, 2019 at 1:38 amI bet u could add in food coloring or something… and what website do u use to create ur blogs… is it free… I’m wanting to do my own and I don’t have any idea where to start and how much I could make….
Ms Rogers says
August 5, 2019 at 2:26 amHi there, I think this is a great idea. Right now I live in Vegas, and there are some beautiful hand-painted sinks (besides the primary color, there are beautifully hand-painted sinks of flowers) at some of the hotels, and I think they are just wonderful. But way too expensive, I’m sure. When I work on my farmhouse next year, I was thinking how I might be able to hand paint some flowers on a sink (since after all, the farm is a lavender farm). Do you have any recommendations for paint to be used on a sink in smaller, less expensive quantities (since there may be many colors in the painting)? Thanks so much! Great job on your sink!
Becky says
September 1, 2019 at 5:12 pmDid you seal it? Now it’s 2019: how has it held up?
ducttapeanddenim says
September 2, 2019 at 6:39 pmI just used the paint kit. We sold the house in December 2018 and it was still in great shape. We never had any chips or anything.
Cindy Sonntag says
September 3, 2019 at 10:24 pmCan I use this product on a plastic RV sink?
ducttapeanddenim says
September 9, 2019 at 8:21 pmI don’t see why not. But you may want to check the Rust-Oleum website. And make sure you have plenty of ventilation while you’re painting… it’s stinky!