DIY your own epoxy countertop. It’s not as hard as you think!
Epoxy countertops are all the rage nowadays. Especially with the faux marble look being so popular. I have done 3 epoxy countertops and I absolutely love how they turned out! Instead of buying multiple colors of paint to create my own poured paint design, I used countertop paper and epoxied over that. Amazon has a great selection of countertop wallpaper that is good quality with beautiful designs. Just search for countertop wallpaper.
Above is the Before pic of my main bathroom. The counter is made of 4″ tiles and all those grout lines are going to show through the countertop paper…not to mention that nice green hue that will bleed through if I chose a light colored paper…which I did. Here is the white and black marble paper that was going to be my beautiful new countertop.
First step: prep the countertop. First I removed the backsplash tiles (I was replacing them with something else), primed the countertop with white primer, and filled in ALL the grout lines with plaster. Once dry, I sanded the counter down smooth. It was super important that I took the time to do this in order to create something I was proud of (and impress my husband).
Here is the countertop after the first round of painting and plaster. Once the prep is done, I stretched the countertop paper over the whole length of the counter to get an idea of how long a piece I would need. I cut this piece off the roll but I cut it extra long so I wouldnt be short. My tips for getting a good lay are to 1) ensure your countertop paper is wider than the countertop, 2) have someone help you hold the opposite end so it doesn’t curl up and stick to itself, 3) use a wallpaper brayer/scraper to help smooth out the bubbles, 4) take the backing paper off a little at a time and press the bubbles out as you go. Small bubbles can be poked with a pin and the air pushed out once the paper is completely down.
After the paper is laid, I trimmed up the edges against the wall, around the sink, and over the edges. Now it’s ready for epoxy! I used Stone Coat epoxy for kitchen countertops. Link to their website is https://www.stonecoatcountertops.com/stone-coat-gallon-kit/. It is rated as one of the best on the market and has a temperature resistance of 400+ degrees. There are TONS of Stone Coat videos for tips and tricks, so watch some of those before you jump to epoxy. Make sure you have plenty of disposable gloves on hand and a face mask. You will need a blow torch or a heat gun. I used my craft-grade heat gun and it did pretty good. If you’re comfortable using a blow torch, that’s probably the way you should go. Here are the other countertops I did.
Countertop in the master en suite
If you choose to try this yourself, I would love to answer any questions you have and I would LOVE to see pics!! Make sure you cover your workspace really good with plastic tarps to protect your floors and cabinets. When you flood the countertop with epoxy, let it flow over the edges so it is one smooth flow. I used an 1/8″ notched trowel (like Stone Coat suggests) to spread the epoxy around.
Dining room buffet counter
Epoxy dries faster when it’s warm, so keep that in mind when planning where and when to pour. I passed the heat gun 4-6 times over the poured epoxy to remove bubbles. Then I let the epoxy sit for 30 minutes and went back and used the heat gun again. The epoxy needs to dry for 24 hours but is ready for light use after a couple days. My husband was SUPER IMPRESSED with all my countertops!! He thought for sure I hired someone to make them. LOL
Leave me a comment below if you have used epoxy on a countertop or if you plan to. I would love to hear how it goes!
Click here to see the completed main bathroom: https://talanastreasures.com/bathroom-remodel/