Yes! It's easier than you think to transform your laminate kitchen with paint. If you use the right products and follow this step-by-step guide you'll end up with a durable and long-lasting finish that will look great for a long time. Even after years of daily use, our cabinets still look perfect.
'If you prefer not to sand to rough up the surface before you paint, you still have options that will work great. One option is to use a product called liquid sandpaper. It will chemically interact with the surface of the furniture to dull it and make it ready to paint.
It turns out you can paint laminate cabinets, but you need to do a little prep work and use a special primer to get the best results.
When painting over laminate cabinets, the first thing you have to do is choose a quality paint. The right type of paint will leave a chip-resistant finish that's easy to clean with a damp cloth or sponge. Paint with a satin finish will yield the best results because it will help hide the cabinets' imperfections.
Laminate is a picky surface, so you'll need a high-quality laminate-specific primer. If you aren't sure which one is best, consult your paint store professional. A good primer will prevent future peeling or lifting in the paint.
And, with that final layer of topcoat dry, you've given a fresh new look to an old laminate countertop. The painted surface is durable, but not quite as resistant to water and scratches as the laminate, so be sure to wipe up spills quickly and avoid scratching the paint as much as possible.
A couple things to note for the laminate cabinet makeover; You could get away with 1 coat of primer, 2 coats of paint, and 1 top coat and it will look great.
Tip: Latex paint is recommended for laminate surface painting projects because of its durability and smooth finish.
The BIN shellac-based primer, Cover Stain primer, and clear shellac primer mentioned above all come in aerosol spray paint cans and are SO good at getting paint to stick to laminate cabinets or furniture.
One is to look for a paper or plastic film on the front of the cabinet. Another is to check if the cabinet is lightweight and has a smooth, shiny surface. If you have any questions, you can always consult one of our design professionals to help you determine if your cabinets are made from laminate.
Proper cleaning, deglossing, and using good-quality cabinet paint are key to painting cabinets without sanding. What happens if you don't sand cabinets before painting? If you don't sand cabinets before painting, at worst the paint will chip or peel. At best, the paint will remain solid and durable for years.
Because laminate isn't as porous as real wood, paint doesn't absorb or create as tight a bond to its surface. This makes laminate a breeze to wipe down and keep clean, but relatively more difficult to paint.
However, like latex paint, 1-2-3 Primer is water-based, so it won't adhere as well to laminate furniture without first sanding, and a longer cure time is also recommended when painting laminate.
The least expensive option is painting laminate cabinets. Laminate is not an ideal surface to paint, but it can be done. If you consider the paint job a temporary solution until you can invest in new cabinetry, you'll probably be more satisfied with the results. Follow these steps to get the best finish possible.
So long as your laminate cabinets aren't falling apart, they can be refaced just as well as any other cabinet. “The wood my cabinets are made from is soft/low quality, can it be refaced?” For a cabinet to be refaced, it must be possible to clean and sand the surface of the cabinet, producing a smooth, firm surface.
I used Kilz Primer (view on Amazon), which blocks, seals, and preps the surface to which the paint will adhere. Primer is important, especially when painting over laminate. Unlike wood, laminate is a smooth, non-porous material, so it really needs something to 'grab' onto—primer will do the trick!
Although professionally painted cabinets should last 8-10 years there are a few factors that can drastically impact your cabinet's lifetime, requiring repainting only 3-4 years later. How long your kitchen cabinets will last depends largely on the way the paint was applied, and with what tools.
On average, painting kitchen cabinets costs between $3 and $10 per square foot, or between $30 and $60 per linear foot. This price typically includes all the supplies, materials, and labor you'll need to get the job done.
You can sand, prime and paint laminate as if it were a solid wood piece of furniture! It's easy to skip the sanding step, because sanding is a drag… but it's especially important with laminate. Because it's often somewhat glossy-looking, and important to sand it down until the finish is very dull before priming.
Go for a self-priming paint that's formulated for use on glossy, laminate surfaces. This cuts out the need for special primers, reducing both expense and time.
White Knight Tile & Laminate paints can both be used on a variety of surfaces including interior laminate, melamine or ceramic surfaces. The key difference between the two products is that Tile paint provides a gloss finish and Laminate paint provides a satin finish.