Paint

08.05.2021

How to Paint a Faucet

Have you ever wondered if you can paint a faucet? Our house was built in the ’90s. The ’90s = shiny brass. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the budget to replace the faucets, so I decided it was worth a try to paint them…

I used Rust0leum’s Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover paint in Metallic oil rubbed bronze, and this bathroom project barely put a dent in the can.

To begin, you will want to prep your faucet and/or fixtures. Make sure to clean the surface you will paint and rub it down with steel wool or 220-grit sandpaper. The steel wool and/or sandpaper will roughen the surface so the paint has something to stick to.

I realized after I had started to tape off my faucet that I didn’t have a primer. I was too excited to stop my project and run and get a top coat. Now, although I strongly recommend that you use a coat of primer, I didn’t. I will be the guinea pig for this little experiment, and we’ll see how the faucet holds up without a primer.

I figure it’s a win-win situation. If it holds up – great! I now have an oil bronze faucet instead of a brass faucet. If it doesn’t, I guess I will “have” to buy a new faucet for the sink. I know which scenario my husband is rooting for…

Now, it would have been SO much easier to spray paint the faucet (Rust-Oleum also offers the same product in spray paint as well as a spray primer), but I did not want to have to remove the faucet. So, I taped it off with painters tape and got to work.

The key to oil-based paint (canned and spray paint) is to avoid heavy coats. Too much paint will drip and take forever to dry. Also, make sure the first coat is dry before adding the second coat of paint.

It took around three light coats of paint and the drying process was VERY long. I painted the faucet and drain over a course of 2-3 days. I also had to pull out q-tips to paint some of the hard-to-reach crevices.

You can add a clear topcoat, but I opted not to.

I haven’t had much experience using oil-based paint, and it is a pain! It is SO hard to clean off anything – your hands, brushes, the sink. I went through a lot of mineral spirits.

When I pulled off the tape, the paint had seeped through some areas of the tape – especially at the base of the handles. I actually used the chiseled end of a wooden kabob stick to scrape the extra paint off (but a razor blade would work as well).

Overall, I think the project went okay. I’m not sure how it will hold up, but I do like the way it looks! It was MUCH more time-consuming than I had expected, but I know a can of paint and time is MUCH cheaper than a new bathroom faucet.

I’ll keep you posted on how it looks in a few months and may attempt painting our other brass bathroom faucets.

UPDATE:

In my experience, painting bathroom fixtures is a temporary fix. If you’re looking for a less expensive solution to switching out the faucet, this is a great way to buy some time until you’re ready.

To see how the faucet looks 3 months after the transformation, click HERE, and for an update 2.5 years later, click HERE.

Have you tried painting bathroom faucets?

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Painting a Faucet – 3 month update

Painting a faucet – 3-month update

It has been over three months since I painted my bathroom faucet and wanted to share a 3-month update on painting a faucet. Here is a picture of what it looks like now:

There is slight wear on the handle, and a little paint has chipped away on the base of both handles.

It was really easy to touch up with a small brush, and overall I am pleased with how well they have held up. This faucet sees a LOT of use. It’s the bathroom on our main floor, and our family and guests use it. Also, I don’t mess around with germs, so this faucet has seen lots of Scrubbing Bubbles. Now that I feel confident about how the paint has held up on the faucet, I painted the faucets in our master bath and my boys’ bathroom. This time, I did use a primer.

It is Rust-Oleum and easy to use. Now, I know you’re not supposed to spray paint inside, but it makes it SO much easier. You MUST make sure you prep the faucet/sink area before you prime and paint.

If you look through the pics above, you can see the before. Next, I taped around the faucets with Frog Tape and used bags to protect the sink. I also completely encased the sink area and mirror/walls with a drop cloth. I did a couple of light/quick coats of primer and then I painted three coats of oil bronze paint. As you can see in the last pic, I did have a bunch of touch-up work despite all my prepping. The excess paint I scraped away with a small flathead screwdriver and/or a rag with mineral spirits. It really was only a 5-10 minute clean-up. It looks MUCH worse. I used a small brush to paint the areas that need a paint touch-up. My only complaint about using the primer (besides an added step) is that the paint did not go on as smoothly as it did the first time I painted a faucet without the primer. I’m curious to see if the primed faucets hold up better than the original unprimed one – I’ll continue to post updates as time goes on.

Hopefully, this 3-month update on painting a faucet was helpful!

*UPDATE:

Unfortunately, the primer wasn’t very helpful. My faucet without the primer has held up just as well as those I used primer on. The Rust-Oleum paint is pretty amazing on its own!

I did eventually replace all the painted faucets in our home (after 2.5 years). It was a great way to buy time before buying new faucets, but painting a faucet (in my experience) is a TEMPORARY FIX.

To see more about how to paint a faucet click HERE.

Go create something!

Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home.

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