How to Paint Your Bathroom Sink

Bit by the creative bug one day, I decided to paint my bathroom sink. This is not as crazy as it may sound. I had recently returned from visiting a friend in Tucson, Arizona who has lovely painted sinks in her bathrooms. Living near the Mexican border, she was able to purchase them inexpensively. Not wanting to pay for shipping a sink to Florida, I decided to paint my sink myself.

What Paints To Use

I needed to choose the correct paints to use on my porcelain sink. Perusing the paint section of Michael's arts and crafts store, I was overwhelmed and confused by all the choices. Fortunately for me, a seasoned artist was there picking out paints for her own project and offered her assistance. She advised me to use acrylic paint specified for glass and ceramics. Not having a large area to paint I chose a 32 color sample value pack. (see photo 1) I also purchased paint brushes of varying sizes and stencils because my drawing ability is limited to stick figures.

Technique

Because of the curved surface of the sink bowl, I traced the outline of the stencil designs onto the sink using a pencil. Living in Florida, and because I was painting a sink, I decided to go with an underwater theme. After the designs were penciled on the sink, I could be creative with my choice of colors. I had a wonderful time with this. Once I finished my project, the paint box directions instructed me to either bake the painted project in the oven or let it air dry for 21 days. Fortunately we have a second bathroom, so I didn't have to use my sink. To speed the drying process up a bit, my artist friend from Michael's suggested using a hair dryer on the painted surface. I used the hair dryer and let the sink dry for 21 days.

Conclusion

Was I pleased with the results, you might ask. Yes I was. I did have to touch up a couple of spots where the paint chipped, but over all I was satisfied with my efforts. It has been two years since I completed this project and more of the paint has chipped. (see photo 2) I am ready, however, to remove the current designs and either paint new ones or return to a plain white sink. Will the paint remove easily and how will I do it? That's for another article.

Sources: Personal experience.