Painting - Bathroom counters

Can you paint a bathroom counter? It's so ugly and either I paint it or tear it out which isn't financially the best bet (plus it's in my apartment, which I don't own). If I paint it will it look ugly? What kind of paint?

If it is not your counter.....

Benjamin Moore has a do it yourself article at its web site describing such a process for painting high pressure laminate such as formica. I have read some posts that supported it for its success. I have not done it. To read the article, it looks like a snap.

Last December I decided I couldn't live with the lime-green countertop in my bathroom.

I sanded to raise a tooth, then primed with Kilz (applied with a small roller).

I used artist tube acrylics, applied with sponges for a rust effect.

Finally, several thin coats of a water-based polyurethane, also applied with a sponge to avoid brush marks.

So far I have had no problems with it.

This is something I have done on bath and kitchen counters which has worked quite well and held up to cleaning and moisture.

I applied contact paper to a cleaned and sanded surface. Then I applied several coats of varnish or polyurethane on top of the contact paper. Add new caulking to appropriate areas and you are done.

In the past I have found painting a design, sponging or using a contact paper under seveval coats of varnish works better than straight paint. It goes a long way in hiding imperfections in the surface and it is hard to get a completely brushless appearance with just paint. Of course this is mostly a matter of taste and painting skills!!!!;)