Repainting the Bathroom Sink

Update: A fellow Argosy owner reached out to me with their experiences and asked us to try again so we did! We even painted the outside of our Argosy with Topside paint!

….we even painted the Outside of our Argosy with Topside & it came out great!

UPDATED!! Freshly Painted with Top Side Paint

Ok, so I totally misunderstood which “foam brush” to use for this project. I thought I could use a big flat foam brush like you use for crafts. Nope! That will NOT coat properly and create nothing but streaks. You need an actual roller…. foam roller.

Look closely to see slight “pebbling.”

Topside Paint is a good quick solution to freshen a Vintage Camper but there are tiny downsides:

1. I highly recommend thinning this quart of paint with a couple of tablespoons of mineral oil. It is just too thick straight out of the can.
2. Thinning does take a bit longer to dry. Wait at least 24 hours before putting another coat on.
3. It will take at least two coats to do a good coverage.
4. If you do not lightly sand in between coats, you will have some “pebbling” but it is not significant. We did not sand and it turned out fine.

NOTE: This is a 28ft Argosy with side bath.

I love our Argosy but I absolutely hate it’s bathroom. It’s old, gross and mis-matched. When we bought the Argosy, the tub was not even in working condition. The tub was a cheap replacement that doesn’t even fit the space properly. We had to do a lot of re-fitting to get it in working condition.

Rust-oleum Top Side White Gloss Paint

I left redoing the bathroom until last because I just could not find any inspiration to “fix” it. I can only see a total gut and start over. Time and money keep getting in the way of a total gut. While browsing Pinterest, I noticed a picture of a redone sink using Rust-oleum Top Side paint. The picture had the caption that it was so easy and forgiving. Obviously, I am gullible because I ordered a can of Top Side paint from Amazon.

Top Side paint is sold at Home Depot and Lowes but in a case of 4. I only needed 1 can and Amazon offered that option.

On a lazy Saturday, I got to work….

From Almond to White!

The instructions recommended a roller but with such tight space and corners, I used a foam brush. I loaded the brush up with lots of paint (this stuff is thicker than normal paint) and “streaked” it on. I am not sure that I agree with the “forgiving brushstrokes” because even with a thick layer, it did not go on thick.

1st coat is looking streaky

As with anytime I paint, I know that more than one coat is needed. I let the paint set up for two hours. When I went back to see if I could do a second coat, I noticed that the paint was sticky-tacky. This is going to require a full 24 hours to set up.

Since I can not stand this bathroom and I really dislike “almond” colored bathrooms, I decided to paint the entire cabinet with the Top Side paint. This was probably a mistake. The paint went on the sink part easily but not the funky Airstream cabinet board material. The tambour is now pretty messed up too. I knew it would probably not turn out decent but it was truly a last ditch effort.

Painting the Tambour = big mistake

The good news is that after seeing how bad it looks painted, I found inspiration on a re-do. I’ll do a 2nd coat of Top Side paint. If it doesn’t come out looking great, then we are going to remove the sink & tambour sections. The base will stay but we will fabricate a wood countertop if I can get my hands on enough teak.

Hints – Tips – Notes:

• This paint is tough to get off hands. Use gloves!
• This paint was impossible to get off clothes.
• The smell was minimal but I would still ventilate.
• The paint is super thick. I used a foam brush. The instructions suggest a brush or foam roller.
• I barely used much paint…and I put it on thick. One quart is more than enough for an entire bathroom. Don’t be tempted to buy 4 quarts because it’s sold that way.
• I am seriously considering painting the outside of our Argosy with this paint. I love the glossy color. The instructions say that it can be diluted and used in an air sprayer.
• Never fully trust Pinterest!

Sourcing:

Topside Paint from Rustoleum.

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