Easy DIY Countertop Refinishing with Countertop Paint Kit

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Want to have beautiful kitchen counters but don’t want to pay for expensive granite counters or marble? Try a countertop refinishing kit and give your kitchen a new look! Check out my kitchen countertop transformation with a DIY countertop paint kit (plus a full review of Daich Coatings SpreadStone Countertop Finishing Kit).

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Well, our kitchen lasted about 6 months before I just couldn’t deal with it anymore. We fell in love with the shiplap accents and the cute chalkboard walls in the kids’ playroom when we bought our home last year.

But for some reason, the previous owners never made any upgrades to the kitchen. It was still the original builder’s grade kitchen from 2003. That meant oak cabinets and off-white laminate countertops.

I couldn’t stand it.

My husband and I agreed that the kitchen needed an overhaul. Once we started pricing out new cabinets, granite countertops, and other expenses… we realized we just weren’t ready to spend $15-20k on a kitchen remodel.

Scroll to the bottom to see my video of the entire process!

We talked about maybe doing a small DIY renovation ourselves. I had researched a few brands’ countertop refinishing kits in the past, and had seen mixed reviews. I was worried that the end result would look cheap or “fake” and would end up peeling off down the road. Painting our kitchen countertops just seemed like a bad idea… until I learned about Daich Coatings.

After using Daich Coatings products on my garage floor and basement floor resurfacing projects, I knew their products were great quality. When then offered to send me their SpreadStone Mineral Select Countertop Refinishing Kit to try, I was thrilled to try it! To be sure, I did check some other reviews online, and they all confirmed what I already knew – this project would be a success.

So we went for it! And this is how it went.

Painting Laminate Countertops with Daich Coatings Countertop Paint Kit

Materials Needed:

• Daich Coatings Mineral Select SpreadStone Countertop Finishing Kit
• cleaning spray/degreaser
• painters tape
• plastic sheeting or kraft paper to protect floors
• dust mask
• paint can opener
• sanding block (optional)
• wet/dry vacuum or broom
• aluminum foil (optional, for lining your roller tray)
• orbital sander (optional, but highly recommended)
• power drill and paint stirring attachment (optional, but highly recommended)

When I opened the kit, I found that it contained 1 can of Base Coat, 2 cans of Stone Coat, 1 can of Clear Coat, 1 paint roller handle, 3 rollers, 1 paint brush, 2 sheets of sandpaper, and a mini roller tray.

There are currently 11 color options on their website, and I knew I wanted a lighter color but not bright white. We decided on Natural White (the one outlined in the photo above), hoping it would go well with our newly-painted white cabinets and walnut stained butcher block island top.

While this isn’t true natural stone, the countertop materials end up looking like a faux granite. For us, this was a great option – especially when it’s such an affordable alternative to custom countertops (and such an easy home improvement project you can do yourself)!

Steps to Laminate Countertop Refinishing

Before starting, make sure you repair or patch any holes or deep cracks.

Step 1: Clear and Clean the Countertops

Remove everything from the counters and store in a safe place. If removing existing backsplash, do that now. (It’s ok to leave the backsplash and paint it too, I just chose to remove it.)

Then clean the countertops well to remove any oils and dirt. I used Krud Kutter since I had it on hand. It works well but it’s pretty stinky.

Step 2: Sand the Countertops

Using the 80 grit sandpaper from the kit, give the surface of your counters a good scuffing. The friction can cause the sandpaper to get hot pretty quickly, so I like to wrap my sandpaper sheet around a sanding block. It also makes it easier to hold and use, in my opinion.

The goal here isn’t to completely destroy your existing laminate countertop, but to just scratch it up a bit to help the primer adhere better.

I personally don’t recommend using your orbital sander for this step. I felt like I got better results using my sanding block and a little elbow grease – and it really doesn’t take very long to do.

(Except for this sticky residue from those rubber corner safety bumpers. Those take 84 years to peel off, so get started now.)

Once you’ve finished sanding, wipe the countertops down to remove any dust. Now’s the time to tape off your walls, cabinets, sink, etc – you don’t want to accidentally paint something that shouldn’t be painted!

Use a plastic drop cloth or kraft paper to protect your floors too. Drips happen.

Step 3: Apply the Base Coat

I used a wooden stir stick to mix up the base coat with no issues. You’ll apply this as a primer to help your stone coat stick to your countertops.

Follow the instructions to apply the base coat to all surfaces of the countertop, using the brush for edges and corners and the roller for the rest of the surface. This step is pretty quick and easy, and after about 30 minutes you’ll apply a second coat to the front, edges, and any “see through” areas. (I went ahead and applied the base coat all over, just because I had enough and was nervous that my first coat was too light.)

Once the second coat dries for an hour or two, it’s time for the stone coat!

Step 4: Apply the Stone Coat

Heyyy here’s your new countertop paint color! I can’t stress enough that I 110% recommend using a a paint-stirring drill attachment to mix up the stone coat. It’s also included in the SpreadStone instructions (and there’s a reason for that – because mixing this stuff well isn’t easy!)

Once all of the stone bits from the bottom of the can have been mixed in well with the rest of the liquid contents, you can paint it onto your countertops.

Here are my top tips for applying the stone coat:

• seriously, mix it up really well with that stirring attachment
• don’t gob it on, but put a really good coat on there
• use your brush or roller to smooth any excessive lumps out
• if you see a non-speckled area, add some more stone bits there
• if you see any colored streaks (like reddish-orange tint in the natural white paint), don’t freak out – you just opened up some of the pretty mineral bits. Get a little more paint and roll over it gently.
• if possible, leave a little bit of the mixture in the second can so you have extra paint for any touch-ups later

After the first stone coat has dried (about two hours), apply another coat in the same way. Again, don’t dump it on the countertop super thick, but don’t go too light either. You may end up sanding through a thin layer accidentally and will have to patch over it. (Ask me how I know.)

After the second coat has fully dried (at least 4 hours), sand it to create a smooth surface. Make sure it’s REALLY dry all over, or you’ll end up with an oops spot that has to be painted again. (Ask me how I know.)

Use the 80 grit paper first to get the hard bumps smoothed down quickly (but be careful not to over-sand any spots too much!), then switch to the 120 grit paper to get a smoother finish.

I definitely recommend using an orbital sander for this step. It makes the sanding process much easier and faster. Definitely wear a dust mask for protection! You may also want to use plastic sheeting to close off your kitchen if you have an open floor plan like I do. (Again, y’all – Ask me how I know.)

Spoiler alert – I didn’t close off my kitchen. I had dust ev-er-y-where.

Stick with the sandpaper and/or sanding block for the edges and front of your counters though. You don’t want to risk knocking off too much of the paint – but if you do, a quick touchup with some paint and your finger is an easy fix!

Step 5: Apply the Clear Coat

After 24 hours, your stone coat is ready for the protective clear coat. I used a wet/dry vacuum to clean up all the sanding dust from my countertops, then a damp cloth to get any remaining dust off the surface.

Apply the clear coat quickly and evenly without overworking the material. Once you’ve applied it to an area, move on. Rolling over it multiple times will create bubbles and a rough finish (and you probably don’t want that).

After the clear coat dries for about 4 hours, apply a second coat. It will cure for about 24 hours and then will be ready for you to remove the painter’s tape and begin use!

Be careful though – the countertop will continue to harden for about a week. Avoid heavy use or you may scratch/dent the surface.

Countertop Transformation – Before and After

A reminder of how our old countertops looked before…

And after… the finished product of our countertop resurfacing!

Obviously we’ve made some other changes as well, but I seriously can’t believe how much better my kitchen looks now that I’ve used the countertop refinishing kit! Who knew painting my laminate countertops could make such a difference?

The surface is not a totally smooth finish like you would find with granite or marble. It’s more of an orange peel looking texture if you look up close, however it feels smooth under my hands. It’s easy to clean up and it’s seriously 10x better than the ugly laminate we had!

My husband and I both commented that our kitchen looked SO GOOD even before we had fully finished all of the steps of the countertop kit. As soon as we rolled the stone coating on, we knew we had made the right decision!

Here’s a video of the entire process so you can see how it went:

(One year update): You can also see an updated video I shared on my TikTok account here. People often ask how it has held up over the past year. I’ve had ZERO issues with it peeling, chipping, or otherwise falling apart. There have been some stains (our fault), but that will happen with any countertop surface. I’d honestly rather get a stain on a countertop that cost me less than $200 than one that cost $2000!!

My Honest Review of Daich Coatings Mineral Select SpreadStone Countertop Refinishing Kit

As I mentioned before, I’d already had a good experience with other products from Daich Coatings. Because of that, I expected that this product would also be great quality – and I was right.

The directions are easy to follow and the product itself was easy to use. In comparison with other projects I’ve completed, this countertop paint kit was by far one of the easiest to do. I’d consider it a beginner level project, as all of the steps are pretty simple to follow and complete.

The only real “downside” to this is the waiting time. The actual work involved is not very time-consuming at all, and most of the time spent was just doing the prep beforehand (taping off my walls and cabinets) and driving to Home Depot when I realized I wanted an orbital sander. Because of the wait time involved, it does require avoiding kitchen use for about 3 days. That could make it a good weekend project. For us, the few days it took us to complete our countertop refinishing was totally worth it! Plus, the price of the kit vs new countertops was absolutely a win for us.

If you have kids and you’re worried about weird chemical smells – this countertop refinishing kit isn’t bad at all. Getting dust everywhere when sanding was my biggest concern, and that could’ve been helped if I had just thought to close off my kitchen with a plastic sheet. The materials are low-VOC and hardly have any strong smell at all. There’s a slight “paint-like” smell with the clear coat, but I applied it with my kids in the next room and it wasn’t noticeable at all.

Overall, I’m absolutely glad we went with this option. It was easy to do, didn’t take long, and is much more affordable than any new counters we could’ve bought – just a fraction of the cost – even if we installed them ourselves! If you’re looking for a way to make your existing countertops look new again, this is definitely something to consider.

Frequently Asked Questions

I’ve gotten lots of questions on here and on social media about the entire countertop refinishing process, so here I’m putting those FAQ’s for you to easily see!

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You can check out more of my DIY posts on the blog – and here are a few favorites!

• How to make a raised garden bed
• Awesome DIY pallet projects
• DIY pallet wall

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