Faux Marble Countertops - How to Apply Epoxy Countertops
I wanted marble countertops in my rental home, however, I did not want to pay the price. I found this faux marble countertops kit, it turned out amazing and I am excited to show you guys!!
Materials
Epoxy Counter Kit
tweezers (if needed)
600 grit sandpaper (if needed)
brillo pad (if needed)
painters tape (if needed)
paper towels (if needed)
paint opener (if needed)
paint tray
safety glasses (if needed)
paper plates (if needed)
acrylic caulk (if needed)
nail polish remover (if needed)
Step 1 - Prep for the Faux Marble Countertops
Clean your countertops and remove dirt and grease. If your countertop is not flat, sand it down. I did not do this as much as I should have, however, it turned out.
Use painter’s tape to cover any surfaces that you don’t want to have the epoxy on around your countertops (around your sink, above your backsplash, around your stovetop, etc.).
The kit gives you a protective tarp to use to protect your cabinets and anything else you want to cover. Tape up the tarp where needed. You can tape on the underside of your countertops to make sure the cabinets are covered properly. This should cover the floors as well!
Step 2 - Paint
You will use the white #1 paint for this. You will need at least two coats to cover your countertops, I had to use more because mine were black.
Make sure to check for any paint lines and smooth them out, this will show if you do not.
Look up online what type of marble look you are going for. I just wanted a simple with a few veins painted. You can choose whatever look you want. I just went for it because I did not have that big of space to do, however, if you want to draw out your countertops on a piece of paper and then do a mini sketch of a guidelines for your veins, that would be great!
They give you a practice sheet so you can practice the veining process. Go for it!!!
Begin by using the the small brush and gets some of the gray veining mineral (#2) and drag your paint brush against the countertops in the way you want. Swiveling or twisting or whatever you had practiced.
Then, spray your vein with water until the gray mineral starts to bleed. Lightly dap your vein with the 2 inch brush.
If you are doing a long vein, do it in segments so the gray mineral paint does not dry fully before you spray it.
I highly recommend watching the how-to video on the amazon website, it helps so much when creating the vein look.
After you are done with that, then you will use the sponge and little add some of the white paint on top of it. Get some paint on the sponge and dab the access off on a paper plate or paper towel. Then dap it on top of the veins barely touching the surface.
Step 3 - Epoxy
Please please please follow the instructions on how to properly mix the epoxy together. I don’t even want to type instructions because I don’t want to accidentally tell you wrong, just look at the instructions for this. Many epoxy kits are different, so if you have a different one do what that one says.
After done mixing, immediately pour the mixture in three streams on the counter tops (closer to the backsplash, the middle and the edge). Use the entire mixture. Each mixture covers a 6 foot square inch countertop.
Use your 2 inch brush and start with the backsplash, transfer some of your epoxy mix and paint it on to your backsplash. Also, use the brush to cover the edges (close to sink, countertop edge, etc.).
Lightly use the roller for the rest of the countertops. Remember the epoxy is self-leveling so you don’t need to work it too much. Make sure to lightly roll the front edges of your counters.
After you are done with that section, you can move on to another can of epoxy and do another section.
If your last sections is less that 3 feet, only use the amount of epoxy you will need.
Once you are done, use a bright light to find any hairs, lint, air bubbles or dry spots. You can add a little epoxy with a 2 inch brush if you notice a dry spot. For air bubbles, lint and hairs use the tweezers to get them out. You can just pop the air bubbles. This is all done before it dries.
Remove the painters tape within one to two hours after you lay the epoxy. If you peel it off too early it will make marks, but if you peel it off too late it will be stuck!
Wait 8 hours to remove the tarp over the floors and cabinets.
Step 4 - Finishing Touches
Use clear acrylic caulk around your sink and whatever caulk you want around your backsplash (I would use white).
Do not place anything heavy on your countertops for the first 2 days.
Then you are done!
Check out how the whole kitchen turned out here. This was such a fun renovation!!
If you love it, you can pin it
