How to Paint a Faux Terra Cotta Counter for Your Tuscan Kitchen

You can paint a faux terra cotta counter over your old laminate counters in your new Tuscan kitchen. If you have been updating your kitchen in the Tuscan look and trying to save some money on the counters, then try out this faux terra cotta paint technique.

This terra cotta Tuscan kitchen counter look works best on laminate counters that are outdated anyway. They can be sanded and painted, just like wood.

To Paint Your Terra Cotta Tuscan Kitchen Counters You Will Need:

Oil Based Paint

Oil Based Primer

Painter's Tape

Clear Oil Based Polyurethane

Paint Rollers

Paint Trays

Newspaper

To get started you need to choose yoru paints. I like to use a combination of three colors: Natural warm tan, sunny yellow, and a rich earthy red clay color. The combination of these three colors will create a nice textured look of terra cotta. To darken the terra cotta you can use a rich light brown in place of the tan.

Now, pour a little of each of the three paints into their own paint tray.

You will also need to prep the counters to look like terra cotta in your Tuscan kitchen. First, clean them thoroughly. Now, lightly sand them to rough the surface up and get rid of some of the shine. You do not need to sand all the shine away.

Now, roll on a coat of a tinted primer. I like to use a primer that has been tinted brown or tan. White may show through the terra cotta paint you are doing and ruin the look. You will also want to use an oil based primer.

Now, once the primer dries you are ready to start applying the paint. Tape off the edges of the counter so you get a clean line.

Take a large painter's sponge and dip it into the brown or tan paint. Dab this on in a 2 foot square area. Next, dip in the rd paint. Start dabbing this into the brown paint on the terra cotta counters for your Tuscan kitchen. The colors will blend as you dab,

Once you have the look of red brown you want you need to warm it up with yellow. I like to now dip the sponge in the yellow paint and lightly dab some of the area with the yellow.

Use the yellow springing; you are only trying to warm up the look of the terra cotta counters for your Tuscan kitchen. Continue this process working in the small 2 foot square areas until your whole kitchen counter looks like Terra cotta.

Once dry you can seal with about 4 coats of a clear oil based polyurethane paint. Let each coat dry before adding the next and your faux painted terra cotta counters will last a long time in your Tuscan kitchen.