Painting laminate table and galley countertops Cruising Corner Forums

This was one of the lost topics when I had to change out the forum..here it is with some before and after pictures also.

We are heading to Valkyr this evening to spend the night.. We are going to try some special laminate paint on one of the laminated counter tops to see what we think of a color change from the original brown laminate to an ivory color. We were looking at replacing the laminate with a lighter laminate but this paint looks pretty good on the demo we saw at home depot and only cost $20 for enough that we should be able to do all the laminate surfaces in the boat with it. We figure that since we planned on replacing the laminate anyway that there is no downside to spending $20 dollars to test out just painting it with this new product. We will let everyone know how it turns out. Scott Ok we got the salon table painted the other day when we stayed on the boat. I'm not sure I would want to do this again while staying on the boat. This is some nasty stuff and you should probably/definitely use a respirator when painting it. However it looks really good. I haven't been back to the boat yet to see it after it is fully dry but Zsanic says it is doing awesome. She spent the night on the boat last night and got to use it. Sailor the cat ignoring us Standard wood pattern factory laminate.. ho hum…

We got an off white color. Truly the original laminate is still in good shape. It's just so dark.. Going down in the boat is like entering a cave. Changing the salon table, galley surface, head sink cabinet surface and starboard shelves surface to a off white is the first step we have planned for lightening up the whole boat. here the tape is still on. I would recommend top quality masking tape and also when you go to pull it off, cut the edges between the tape and paint with a razor blade to give the neatest line. I didn't and though it looks awesome, it could have looked even better when your real close up.

Looking good here. One of the secrets to doing this is that you paint a layer on and then walk away. don't keep going over and over it trying to make it even. Do get any differences in thickness out of the paint but if you can see some of the laminate under the first coat don't sweat it. You will come back and do another coat in an hour or two. I had to do three coats to totally cover the brown wood pattern in the laminate and get it to a solid off white. Home depot sells this in a quart can and it says that it will cover 25 linear ft of counter top. That works out to 50 square ft. However I think that in actual usage over a dark surface you will be lucky to get 25 sq ft of coverage. Still I think we will get the salon table and all the galley surface done with the one can.. not bad for $20.

I will post the galley when we get to it. Maybe in another week or two. Sailor says don't bother, he likes it the way it is and that new paint smell sucks!!! Rustoleum countertop coating is a chemical, moisture an scratch resistant finish that renews and restores laminate countertops, cabinets and furniture. This coating contains antimicrobial protection that will protect the painted surface by inhibiting the growth of mold and mildew and other odor or stain causing microbes. it adheres to laminate as well as vinyl, wood and metal. great for laminate surface such as countertops and cabinets in, kitchens, bathrooms, home offices, work rooms, recreation rooms Prep. clean surface and let dry. tape around area you wish to paint. no primer is needed for laminate surfaces. hmmm.. maybe i brain deaded on instructions when doing it. It does say to scuff or lightly sand slick surfaces before using. I read a usage section that said not to use steel wool or sandpaper on it.. I think that is addressing the finished/painted surface not the laminate your going to paint. So we didn't scuff or sand the laminate before hand. Just cleaned it. oh well we will see how it stands up in usage. Home depot tints it for you in one of 16 different colors.