Concrete – Can water-based paint be applied to a concrete countertop

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I recently cast a concrete countertop using melamine moulds. Overall, I'm happy with the cast slab but the colour turned out different than what I was aiming for. I was using white cement, aiming for a white-ish finish but the sand I used caused more discoloration than I expected so it ended up looking brown-ish.

I'm thinking of trying to make it much darker now and am going to try and make it a black colour. Can I use a water-based paint and let it soak into the concrete before sealing it?

Best Answer

Can you paint it? - Yes. Will you regret painting it? - Probably.

A concrete stain will get into the material and darken it, and then a concrete/stone sealer will reduce the porosity of the surface.

Paint sits on top, and in countertop service will almost certainly get scarred, scraped and generally dinged up - so repainting may be a frequent task. It's not impossible (painted countertops are not unheard of) but it is annoying (painted countertops are not common these days.)