Even though stainless steel surface blends exceptionally well with other surfaces, it is quite natural to get tired of the bland exterior that they have. We are pretty sure the question of how to paint a stainless steel sink went in the back of your head when you got tired of seeing an unfinished metal surface on your elegant countertop.
If that question went through your head, you might have also thought if it is feasible or not. Well, your sink is as much paintable as your car. And we are going to make the process easier for you.
We will provide you the necessary information that you need to know before you start painting and also going to provide you a step by step guide.
Things You Should Know to paint a Stainless Steel Sink
Stainless steel comes with a small amount of chromium induced in them. The primary function of the mixed material is to oxidize, and alongside that, it also creates a corrosion-resistant coating on the surface. However, the paints will not interfere with this. So, you will not have to worry about losing functionalities.
As the surface of stainless steel materials is nonporous, you will have to be a little careful in the case of choosing a paint. Even though most of them will be okay for this surface, some will give you astonishing results.
Keeping that in mind, we would recommend you to opt for two-part epoxy paints. They will offer a shiny and glossy look that will adhere to the surface easily.
Steps to Follow for Painting a Stainless Steel Sink
Enough talking, let us get to the point. These are the steps that you will have to follow if you want to paint your stainless steel sink like a pro:
Step 1: Gather Necessary Materials
To begin with, you are going to have to source out some stuff and keep them around you. The things that are going to need to carry out this project flawlessly are:
- The paint that you are going to use
- Etching primer or epoxy primer
- Steel cleanser or degreaser
- Painting brush
- Painter’s tape
- Sponge
- Fine-grit sandpaper
- Screwdriver
- Utility knife
- Microfiber cloth
- Plastic surface or drop cloth
Step 2: Taking Safety Measures
Paints are quite well-known to cause irritation when it comes in direct contact with the skin. Alongside that, your eyes are also vulnerable when you are painting.
For that reason, you should wear hand gloves and eye goggles before you decide to start the project. After you have taken these safety measures, you will be all good to begin your project.
Step 3: Remove the Sink
Removing the sink from the countertop will make it much easier for you to work on it. First, you have to dial the knob of the pipe that supplies water to the sink off.
After that, you will have to use the screwdriver that you gathered beforehand. Use it to remove the faucet and the pipeline. Alongside that, you will have to use the knife to cut the epoxy resin.
After removing all the parts, keep them somewhere organized. Find a flat surface and cover it with drop cloths or plastic. If you do not plan to paint the entire surface of the sink, cover the areas that you want to be left out with painter’s tape.
Step 4: Scuffing up the Surface
If your sink has been used for years and has blemishes on the top, you can skip this one because the paint will adhere to the scratched up surface easily. But if you have a fairly new sink that did not go through any abuse at all, you will have to scuff up the surface to make the paint adhere properly.
For this process, you can either use the sandpaper that you sourced out earlier or borrow an electric sander from your next-door neighbor who does wooden projects from time to time.
If you can not source a sander, you will not have to worry that much because scuffing up the surface will not be that hard with sandpaper. You can also use a wire sponge if sandpaper is not available.
However, you will have to be a little careful when you are scraping the surface. Make sure you do not put that much pressure on it that you damage the protective chromium coating that we talked about earlier.
Step 5: Preparing the Surface
After scratching up your new sink or getting your old scratched up sink dried up, you will have to clean the surface. Make sure that there is no dust or dirt left on the surface. For this, we would recommend you to use a closed-off space because if any dirt manages to stay on the surface, the paint will not adhere properly.
For the cleaning process, you would need a specialized steel cleaning solution or a degreaser. You will find both of these in most of the home improvement stores. After cleaning, leave it to dry for the time that the manufacturer of the solution suggested.
Step 6: Applying Primer
You will not be able to apply the paint directly on the surface. For making it adhere properly, you will have to apply primer before you start applying color on it. It will add bonding agents on the surface that will let your paint adhere properly.
We would suggest you to get the spray primers because those will make it easier for you to apply even coating on the surface. You can also use a paintbrush.
Apply a single coat of the primer to the areas that you want to paint. After that, you will have to leave it to dry for some time.
Step 7: Applying the Paint
After your primer has dried properly, you can now start applying the paint. You will have to follow the same process of applying the primer. Just like the primer, you can use a spray for even coats, or you can only use the paintbrush. If you have a sprayer at your disposal, you can use that too.
In the case of applying coats, you will have to take it slow. After applying one layer, you will have to let it dry before you start putting another layer on top of it. Multiple thin coats will ensure an even distribution of the paint.
After applying the coats, you will have to leave it to dry. Even though most of the paints will dry off within several hours, we would recommend you to wait for at least one day.
After that, you will be able to install the sink and all the parts that you took apart in reverse order. You can also apply some wax on the painted areas to give it a hazy look.
Final Words
We hope that we were able to answer the question of how to paint a stainless steel sink properly. Alongside that, we hope that we were able to keep the steps simple and straightforward that it is easy for you to follow them.
With that, we would like to conclude here by wishing you good luck and hoping that you can paint your sink flawlessly.