How to Make Your Sink Shiny and New Again

It may come as a surprise to you, but you can paint your old bathroom sink and make them look new again.

Were you lucky enough inherit a sink from the past homeowner that they left you with greenish-brown water stains?

Or does your sink have paint stains from when someone thought it would be a good idea to clean their paintbrush in your white sink?

Or is your sink from the era of when pink and blue sinks were actually cool?

Well, have no fear! You can have the bright white sink again without having to purchase a brand new sink.

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO.

Here is what my sink looked like before painting it. You can see the lovely greenish-brown water stains along with the orange paint chips that dried on the bottom of the sink.

 

Materials: 

Epoxy Paint Kit

Paint Brushes (1 per paint coat)

Green Painters Tape

Gloves (Included in the kit)

Tile Cleaner (Included in the Kit)

Sanding Pads (2 Included in the Kit)

Respirator

Bucket

Cleaning Sponge

Step 1: Sanding & Scraping

In my case, due to the paint chips, I had to start by scraping the paint chips before I was able to sand.

The Epoxy Painting Kit also comes with two sanding pads. Sand the entire sink where the new paint will be going. Then rinse and dry completely.

Step 2: Cleaning

If you purchased the Epoxy Paint Kit it comes with a cleaner solution. Follow the directions to prepare the cleaning solution. You will need a bucket to put the solution in and a cleaning sponge to clean the sink with. When you’re done cleaning the sink be sure to let it dry completely.

Step 3: Taping 

Grab the green painters tape and place is around the entire sink and around the faucets so that the paint does not go on any surfaces you don’t want it to get on.

Step 4: First Coat Paint

Now comes the fun part! Paint the entire sink. You will need your respirator for this step as the paint has a very intense smell. If you have a window or ventilation you will want to use that too.

TIP: Do a very thin coat of paint. Don’t worry if not everything gets covered because there will be more than 1 coat.

TIP: Do not brush over an area after you have painted it. This paint has a “glue” like texture and brushing overtop of an area you already painted can cause smudges.

TIP: The thin layer of paint will also help you to avoid the paint dripping down. If your paint drips and dries you will have to sand that area and paint it again so you really don’t want this to happen!

Allow the paint to dry according to the directions. There is a small window of when you can apply the 2^nd and 3^rd coats so pay close attention to those time frames. Otherwise, if you miss that window you will have to wait multiple hours before you can apply the next coat.

Step 5: Second Coat

Apply the 2^nd coat within the 2^nd coat painting window outlined in the directions. You should really start to see the difference now. Be sure to paint in a thin layer again and not brush over an area you just brushed. Also, catch any drips that start to form. Allow paint to dry according to the directions. Again pay attention to the window of when you can apply the 3^rd coat if your sink needs a 3^rd coat. Remove the tape if your done painting after the paint dries.

TIP: Due to the “glue” like texture of the paint I used a new paintbrush for the 2^nd coat.

Step 6: Third Coat (Optional)

During the time window when you can apply a 3^rd coat check
your sink to see if it needs a 3^rd coat. The directions say if your sink was white, to begin with you most likely only need 2 coasts and if your sink was a color, such as pink or blue you will need 3 coats. My sink needed 3 coats even though it was white, to begin with, however, the green/brown water stains were too dark and they were still showing through after a 2^nd coat. Remove the tape once the paint dries.

TIP: Again I used a new brush due to the “glue” like paint I didn’t want the brush to ruin all of my hard work!

TIP: Again apply a very thin layer and don’t brush over a just painted area. Be sure to catch any dripping paint as well.

Show Off your New Sink:

The art of refinishing a bathroom or mudroom sink may have come as a surprise to you, but fixing up your old sink can save you hundreds of dollars compared to completely replacing the sink altogether.

You can now confidently go and rescue your sink.