What are my countertops made out of?


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Old 01-09-10, 03:20 PM
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What are my countertops made out of?

I've been trying to change the color of my countertops, but I'm not so sure I know what they're made out of. I bought vinyl dye, but that didn't seep into the material. I tried spray paint for plastics, but I can scratch it off with my fingernail. Tried Polyurethane over the spray paint, but can still chip it off. I'm looking for a do it yourself solution to change the color of these countertops. Some kind of stain that won't chip off like paint does. Below are some pictures to see if anyone can help me solve this mystery!

View from Underneath



Closeup shows how it scratches



Wide
 
  #2  
Old 01-09-10, 04:04 PM
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Counter Tops

Looks like cultured marble. Have no idea how to color.
 
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Old 01-09-10, 04:08 PM
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My guess, 1. gelcoat polymer. It is pretty much impervious to anything, except stains you do not want. Cannot be sanded or refinished, not overly expensive. 2. Solid surface material, color goes all the way thru, and is renewable by sanding, with increasingly finer sandpaper.

Since this seems to be in a large scale developement or bldg, I go with #1. You cannot easily change the look, get a new one.
 
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Old 01-09-10, 05:24 PM
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this would be known as a cultured marble lavatory (or counter top if the bowl is not an integral part). It has a polyester resin based gelcoat as the surface material and the main material is a mixture of polyester resin, marble dust, and colorants.


so, how to refinish? don't really know but I do know if you are going to coat it with something like paint, you need to prep the surface properly which would include cleaning very thoroughly and sanding the surface. Once sanded thoroughly, wipe it down with acetone to remove any sanding dust.

whatever paint you use would have to be compatible and adhere to polyester resins. Maybe an epoxy but not sure of that.
 
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Old 01-10-10, 07:58 PM
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Looks like a 24" - 30" vanity top. Probably easier and better in the long run to replace it with one in the color of your choice. Shouldn't be too expensive.
 
 

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