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Can You Paint over Granite Counters?

Updating Granite Countertops Using Paint –

Have you ever wondered if you could update your granite counters without having to replace them? I did, and was able to give them new life when I updated them to look like faux marble counters.

update your granite counters to look like marble

Before you say it’s ridiculous to paint granite, please know that it was not my first choice (which would have been to replace them with counters that matched the kitchen right next to this space). However, this was a DIY update gave us the look we were looking for, at the time that we needed it done.

When we bought our last house, it had a ton of granite countertops, but all of them had lots of brown and cream. They didn’t “go” with all the new colors we put in the house – grays and crisp whites and bright colors. They especially didn’t go with our brand new kitchen, located just next to the bar area…

white kitchen black cabinets quartzite counters

Our New Kitchen…

It would have cost us a fortune to replace them, and we didn’t have several thousand dollars to swap them all out. We did replace quite a few of them in the bathrooms, but the two that were next to our brand new kitchen didn’t make the priority list, and unfortunately clashed with the new pretty quartzite not fifteen feet away. So I decided to paint them to look like faux marble counters. Yes, I know there are many who believe that I shouldn’t paint them, as mother nature took a bazillion years to make them. But it was either paint them, or take them out and put them in the trash in order to replace them. This was a great temporary fix while we waited to replace them.

This is the bar/wine/coffee area the day we settled on the house, before we did anything to it.

wine bar area - 1990's Gotta love the 1990’s cabinets and granite combination. And let’s not ignore that pretty embossed mirror. Ugh. Not my style at all.

1990's bar area before

After we replaced all the floors in the house, the first thing I did in this space was paint the cabinets black using Amy Howard chalk paint in black, and replaced the dated hardware.

granite countertop before painted marble

All of the counters I’m talking about are all in the great room area, which includes our new kitchen with quartzite counters that look very much like marble.

Pinterest Inspired Kitchen -Gorgeous kitchen makeover! Calcita quartzite counters, herringbone tile floors... love it all - on Pinterest Addict Blog

White wall cabinets, black island base cabinets, quartzite counters, Moen faucets and tile backsplash

There are tons of tutorials out there to duplicate the effect of faux marble, and I tried a few different ways. One of the videos I watched was for a product called Giani’s Countertop Paint , and it gave me a good idea of how to start the process. Being that I am impatient and didn’t want to wait for it to ship to me, and they don’t carry that product at my local Home Depot or Lowe’s, I used what was already on hand. I did buy a glossy surface primer, but everything else I already owned.

List of supplies
The How To

I began by wiping everything down, making sure I started with a clean surface. Then I primed the counter tops. I used Kilz Adhesion primer for glossy surfaces. I had it tinted with some black to make it gray.

kilz adhesion primer for glossy surfaces like granite

The right thing to do is to wait at least 24 hours for the primer to dry. And I did do that – after the first counter had to be started over since I went too fast. Wait. Just do it.

The coverage from the Kilz adhesion primer is awesome – it took one coat to completely cover the granite completely. I wish all paint was like that….

Kilz adhesion glossy surface primer on granite

When it dried, I tried to scratch it off with my finger nail, and it didn’t budge!

Granite counters primed with Kilz adhesion primer

We also went over the small part of the counter that was melamine with the Kilz adhesion primer, and it worked great. It even filled in those scratches, so you couldn’t see them anymore when I finished with this process. Kilz adhesion primer on melamine counter

Then I put the first coat of white over the primer. It was pretty streaky and splotchy, with the dark gray still showing through, but that’s okay. Let it dry for a few hours.  It doesn’t matter that the coverage wasn’t smooth or covered 100%. In fact, it’s better because it adds depth to the end result.

first coat of chalky paint and second one started for faux marble countertops

Then, go back with a big round brush or sponge, and give it another coat by blotting the white on top of the first coat. I wasn’t looking for perfect cover, I wanted a little bit of depth and interest. Let it dry completely.

white chalk paint layer of faux marble countertops

I took some of the silver and gray paint, dipped a feather in it, and ran it over the top randomly, creating veins. It doesn’t have to be perfect, because you will go over it a few times with more gray, white and other shades of white. Let it dry.

faux marble counters - veining details

After it dried, I went back with some watered down white paint and blotted it over top of the gray veining.building texture and depth. Faux marble counters

I took a little bit of the pearl white paint, and put in a few veins of pearl to make it look opalescent and a little sprakly, like real marble sometimes is.

faux marble counter - after And when i was finally happy with how the “marble” looked, I let it dry completely for a day or two. Then I put a couple of coats of sealer on top and let them dry for a few days before I put anything on top of them.

finished faux marble counters in bar area

They looked so good – and held up great to every day use for over a year.  Finished faux marble counters in bar area

In the above picture, you can see how the pearl paint added a little bit of shine and depth to the finished counter. When people came over, they were always surprised to find out they were painted!finished faux marble counter in wine bar area

Unfortunately, we moved before I could take proper “after” pictures with less glare, no mess and no painters tape left behind. But you get the gist, right?

So, yes, you can paint over ugly granite counter tops and make them a thing of beauty.

Want to see how I painted floor tile? Check out this post: Painting Floor Tile

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Comments

  2. Hi Elisia! Your counters look great! Thanks for the tutorial. When we moved into our outdated house 14 years ago we decided to use the primer and paint technique (just a solid color) for our kitchen backsplash “for the time-being”. Well, we never have done much else to it but the paint has held on to the tiles wonderfully. Have you moved from this house? You were one of the first people I know to do the herringbone wood tiles.

    Reply

    • Thank you! In the house before that one, we painted the all black granite backsplash too, and it was the best “temporary” thing we could have done! Yes, we moved from there last year. I miss that floor! I would probably do it again because it was just so easy to maintain and looked great, and classic and timeless… we put in bamboo floors in sections of our current place and I detest them. (Bad install, bad quality, they are a pain to clean without damaging, etc) I’m saving my pennies to be able to change them to wood look tile 🙂

      Reply

      • Hi! The counters turned out beautIful! After you Used the kilz primer, what brand and tyPe of paint did you use to finish? Thanks!

        Reply

  3. Hi, I’m a bit confused. Did you use quartzite or a DIY. Also one of the pictures show a countertop that is chiseled at the edge. Were you working on two projects?

    Reply

    • I painted existing granite counter tops in the bar area to look like marble. They had a chiseled edge already. I also did the same thing to a small piece of melamine counter in the same area. The photo of the kitchen was to show that the painted counters ended up about the same color as the kitchen quartzite, instead of the brown/black/beige colors they were.

      Reply

    • I’m sure it could be, since it’s on top of granite. I’ve used citrus paint remover to take paint off a granite piece before and it was fine. I don’t know if I’d do it if I didn’t completely hate the existing granite.

      Reply

  8. What type of topcoat did you use to protect tHe counters from scuffing during every day use? I saw you listed bEnJamin Moore sealer/topcoat, but was hoping you cOuld give more specificS – IE: wood sealer, seAler for stone, etC. ThaNks!

    Reply

  9. Im in love with this!
    Ive been painting.baCksplAshes- so very INTERESTED!!
    How long did it need to cure?
    Has it survived washing? Some cleaners are quite harsh!
    #HugeFan

    Reply

    • I think I let it cure for a day or so before putting my coffee pot on it… and then treated it kind of gingerly for a few days afterwards. I scrubbed and cleaned it like normal counters, including light bleaching when it got stained.

      Reply

  10. Love this and dying to do it on a condo we have just purchased and it too, has builder’s grade granite…how does it hold up to heat…. can you set a hot Pan or cookie sheet on it Without ruining it?

    Reply

    • Thanks for the kind words! I honestly don’t know since I didn’t paint where I would have to put hot things on it. It held up well to daily use, as it was my coffee area. I scrubbed and cleaned it every day, with not problems.

      Reply

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