I will be turning over my rental property next summer. I plan on replacing the carpet, doing some painting , adding A/C and also considered upgrading the kitchen. The counter tops are Formica and the color is out dated. I was looking into re-coating with epoxy. Has anybody tried this ? Or should I just replace ?
I had this same question in December - nicked, old, dingy ivory laminate countertops. The guy who was going to replace the counters with Lowes pre cut laminate and remove/replace the sink backed out at the last minute, and I had new tenants moving in within a week. So I had to find a method of refinishing countertops without removing the sink.
The countertop kits from HD & Lowes have great reviews, but repeated complaints about chipping and bubbling after 18 months.
Envirotex epoxy has some good DIY blogger experiences, and I met someone who has had her Envirotex finish for 5 years and is still happy. This is the same stuff people use to do table tops with memorabilia - eg pennies, bar tops - so it is a very thick layer. I am not crafty, but read the blogs and the instructions several times.
Cost - under $100 for 3 boxes of envirotex, paints, supplies.
It took me a couple of hours in total - base coat, paint coat, sponge paint were all very fast. Envirotex needs to be mixed very specifically and used immediately, then you need to keep checking for drips for another hour or so. I checked in on the edges while taking care of other things. A couple of drips formed overnight, and were shaved off with a razor blade. Tenant loves them so far, but it has only been a 3 months.
If you decide to give it a try, don't do a light colored counter. Lots of comments that the epoxy yellows. I did a black base and tried to make it look like granite.
The pre-cut laminate slabs are great, but if this treatment holds up with tenants I will absolutely use the epoxy again. It looks fantastic in person. The bottom picture is after 24 hours of dry time.
LMK if anyone has interest in the info and I can post some links to the webpages that were most helpful.
@Greg Zydonis The kits are about $100 and the preformed counters in stock at home depot might be $50 more depending on how much you need. But to answer, no I have not done it. The kits have been around a while so worth a shot. I would pull the sink up so the painted edge is protected at the most vulnerable spot. Personally, I would do the preformed and get 15 years easy,
I haven't tried it, but I know someone who painted the countertops. They lived in the house, so wear was minimal. New countertops are not that expensive, so it might be worth it to call and get a quote to replace them. On the other hand if they are in good shape, you could leave them.
Houzz, HGTV, and other sites are recommending butcher block as an inexpensive alternative. (And, citing Ikea as a good source for it...). I've seen the painted counter tops and they look like painted counter tops. I recommend doing something like the butcher block since it's trendy - and you won't have to maintain it since you're selling.
I had this same question in December - nicked, old, dingy ivory laminate countertops. The guy who was going to replace the counters with Lowes pre cut laminate and remove/replace the sink backed out at the last minute, and I had new tenants moving in within a week. So I had to find a method of refinishing countertops without removing the sink.
The countertop kits from HD & Lowes have great reviews, but repeated complaints about chipping and bubbling after 18 months.
Envirotex epoxy has some good DIY blogger experiences, and I met someone who has had her Envirotex finish for 5 years and is still happy. This is the same stuff people use to do table tops with memorabilia - eg pennies, bar tops - so it is a very thick layer. I am not crafty, but read the blogs and the instructions several times.
Cost - under $100 for 3 boxes of envirotex, paints, supplies.
It took me a couple of hours in total - base coat, paint coat, sponge paint were all very fast. Envirotex needs to be mixed very specifically and used immediately, then you need to keep checking for drips for another hour or so. I checked in on the edges while taking care of other things. A couple of drips formed overnight, and were shaved off with a razor blade. Tenant loves them so far, but it has only been a 3 months.
If you decide to give it a try, don't do a light colored counter. Lots of comments that the epoxy yellows. I did a black base and tried to make it look like granite.
The pre-cut laminate slabs are great, but if this treatment holds up with tenants I will absolutely use the epoxy again. It looks fantastic in person. The bottom picture is after 24 hours of dry time.
LMK if anyone has interest in the info and I can post some links to the webpages that were most helpful.
I have never done it myself but I have seen other counters that were done. Didn't look terrible but didn't hold up to renters either. Even off-the-shelf premade laminates at Lowe's/HD should last you 10-15 years without too much trouble. No way you're getting that from the epoxy IMO unless you have some super-careful tenant.
As mentioned earlier - I did this treatment in a rental last November, so can't speak to the longevity of it yet.
These are the two blogs that I referenced the most when doing the countertops, and I also googled "how to envirotex lite" which pulled up some of the people talking about their bad results. The bad results videos helped me to choose a dark counter (in case it yellows with time) and made me Very Careful with the directions (the woman who didn't mix it long enough and had to sand everything off).
Remodelaholic.com got updates from people who painted their countertops, a couple are Envirotex countertops from 4-5 years ago - the second one down is from GeneralSplendour. There are some good pictures for ideas.
