It all started when we move into our new home.
We chose this home because we loved the bones and the character throughout the home. You could tell right away it wasn’t a cookie-cutter home.
What we didn’t love so much were the finishes. The builders chose nice finishes, don’t get me wrong, but they just simply weren’t our style.
Everything was a little dark and a little dated, with dark granite countertops.
Now because they were granite, at first my thought was that to change the look, we would need to replace them or use an appliance epoxy to cover them.
But the more I dug into options, it turns out, many people have successfully painted (yes, painted) their countertops to look like marble.
Now this I had to try for myself.
DIY MARBLE COUNTERTOPS – HOW TO GET THE LOOK WITH PAINT & EPOXY
I’ve now tried the look throughout my home several times and simply love it! So in case you’re tired of staring at countertops you’re not in love with, here are the steps so you can update your own without having to replace them!
STEP 1: CLEAN YOUR COUNTERTOPS
Step one is of course CLEAN! Get all the dust, dirt, grime, and soap residue off your countertops. Make sure they’re super dry, then move on to step 2.
STEP 2: REMOVE THE FAUCET (IF NECESSARY & TAPE EVERYTHING)
If you can, go ahead and remove your faucet and tape everywhere around your countertops.
STEP 3: START PAINTING!
Once you’re taped up and ready to go, grab a paint roller and some white chalk paint. I used Linen White chalk paint. Because it was a sleek and shiny surface, I was unsure of how the paint would stick, so I did a very thin coat of chalk paint first to allow the paint to fully adhere to the granite without any extra thickness that might chip or peel.
Once that first coat was done, I applied another coat, a little thicker this time. I ended up with 3 total coats of chalk paint. Make sure you allow each coat to dry fully before applying another coat.
STEP 4: TIME TO MARBLE
Once your chalk paint base is fully dry, it’s time to marble!
You’ll need a second color chalk paint (I used Aged Gray Chalk Paint), 2-3 sponges, a small watercolor paintbrush, a larger soft paintbrush, a spray bottle with water, and the same white chalk paint that you used for your base.
- Start by looking at a photo of real marble to see how the veins run.
- Then, place some of your dark chalk paint in a container, spray it with your spray bottle to wet the paint a little bit, and use your small paintbrush to draw your veins.
- Once your veins are drawn, take a damp sponge and go over the vein, allowing the paint to bleed a little bit and run together.
- Next, take your larger soft paintbrush and dry brush over top of the vein.
- Grab your white paint, and using a different sponge, dab a thin layer of white paint on and around your vein, creating a layering effect and allowing your vein to blend and create some dimension.
- Take your dry brush and brush over this layer as well.
- Then, you’re going to repeat steps 2-6 over the exact same veins until you have the exact look you’re going for!
For my counters, it took about 2-4 layers over each vein to get my desired look.
For a video how-to head to my Instagram! Sometimes it’s easier to watch than to read about it!
STEP 5: EPOXY
Once your marbling is totally dry and how you want it, it’s time to epoxy.
Make sure you cover everything because this stuff is messy! I’m talking leave your tape on, cover your sink, cover your cabinets, put something on the floor, because this stuff will drip and run everywhere!
I used this Parks Super Glaze 2-part epoxy. It comes with lots of instructions, a bottle of resin, and a bottle of the activator. When you’re ready, you’ll want to pour equal parts in separate containers, pour A into B, stir for 3 minutes to combine, pour into a separate container and stir 3 additional minutes, then begin pouring and spreading on your counter.
I started up on the backsplash when applicable and allowed my epoxy to spill over and run long the counter. Using something with a straight edge like a paint stick, you’ll want to guide the epoxy over your space so there’s an even coat throughout.
This stuff is self-leveling, so it does a lot of the work for you. Just make sure it’s going where it needs to go. You have about 20-25 minutes to work with the mixture before it starts to harden.
When going over edges, make sure you have something on your floor to catch the drips. Allow it to waterfall over, then use a straight edge to catch and stop some of the drips underneath the ledge.
When you’re finished, wait until the dripping has stopped around the edges, then take your paint off before it’s fully dry.
The epoxy won’t dry completely for about 8 hours, so make sure you leave it alone! And it takes about 72 hours to fully cure, so you won’t want to set anything on it until after that timeframe has passed!
THAT’S IT!
And that’s it! It sounds like a lot. It sounds super involved. But the truth is, it wasn’t that hard — it just took a good amount of patience! I am so happy with the result, especially after the epoxy went on. It totally looks like marble!
So what do you think? Would you give this a try? Let me know in the comments!