Yes, you can absolutely paint laminate furniture! Because laminate is non-porous and slick, the secret to a long-lasting finish that won't chip or peel is proper prep work and the right primer.
Painting a beloved, but perhaps slightly dated, piece of laminate furniture empowers you to easily freshen up your space—without spending a lot of money.
To tell if furniture is laminate or veneer, look closely at the edges and wood grain. Laminate is a synthetic, printed plastic that feels smooth, has repeating grain patterns, and doesn't chip like wood. Veneer is a thin slice of real wood applied over a cheaper base; it features natural imperfections, and the grain wraps over the edges.
Tip: We recommend using latex paint when painting laminate furniture because of its durability and smooth finish.
Transforming slick, plastic-y laminate into realistic wood requires a specialized approach. You can achieve a high-end, textured wood finish using either a Liquid Wood product (painted on and stained) or a Gel Stain technique (layered over a painted base).
Yes, you can paint laminate furniture without sanding, provided you use the right primer or all-in-one paint. Because laminate is slick and non-porous, normal paint will peel right off. Instead of sanding, you rely on a high-adhesion chemical bond.
6 DIY Hacks to Make Your Old Laminate Counters Look Expensive
Before applying any paint, coat the surfaces with a laminate primer. Use a paint roller to apply the primer in long, even strokes. Once you've covered the entire surface, go over it with an empty paint roller to smooth it out. Make sure to prime both the front and back of your cabinet doors and drawers.
Common Mistakes When Painting Laminate Cabinets
One of the most common errors Simone sees is homeowners skipping the primer altogether or using the wrong type. She also warns against rushing drying time between coats or not fully cleaning grease and residue from the cabinet's surface.
Priming is really important with laminate furniture, so don't jump straight to applying the paint as this will be wasted effort. If the laminate has never been painted before, you will need to apply two coats of primer.
You can refinish laminate, you just have to sand and prime it first. I recently painted over a laminate finish with acrylic paint and haven't seen any peeling. Start by sanding the finish until all of the shine is gone.
The jar of petroleum jelly or Vaseline that you have in your medicine cabinet can work wonders to remove white water rings from furniture. The oily petroleum base penetrates the finish on the wood, displacing the moisture trapped inside, and the oils also nourish and condition dry wood.
From a distance, quality laminate flooring can look much like real wood. But at close inspection, it is easy to see that laminate flooring is not real hardwood. Also, laminate boards repeat patterns, so care must be taken to mix up the boards on installation.
Try a Faux Concrete Feather Finish
Try a feather finish for an easy and budget-friendly DIY. This technique involves roughing up laminate countertops with sandpaper, cleaning them, then applying a thin layer of a product such as Ardex Feather Finish or Henry Feather Finish with a putty knife.
To tell if furniture is laminate or veneer, look closely at the edges and wood grain. Laminate is a synthetic, printed plastic that feels smooth, has repeating grain patterns, and doesn't chip like wood. Veneer is a thin slice of real wood applied over a cheaper base; it features natural imperfections, and the grain wraps over the edges.
Kitchen cabinet colors that feel dated include stark, clinical all-white, cool minimalist grays, and red-toned woods like cherry or honey-oak. Flat, one-dimensional brown-on-brown color schemes and overly bright primary colors have also fallen out of style.
The best paint for laminate furniture is a high-quality waterborne acrylic enamel (like Benjamin Moore ADVANCE) or a bonding mineral/chalk paint. Because laminate is non-porous, a premium bonding primer is essential unless you use an all-in-one paint like Beyond Paint.
Red is universally considered the hardest paint color to cover. Vibrant red pigments are highly transparent and inherently prone to bleeding through subsequent layers. Other notoriously difficult colors to cover include black, dark blue, dark green, and bright yellow.
Painting laminate wood is a straightforward process, but because laminate has a slick, non-porous surface, the secret to success is proper preparation. You must clean, scuff-sand, and use a strong bonding primer so the paint doesn't peel or scratch.
Yes, you can paint laminate furniture without sanding, provided you use the right primer or all-in-one paint. Because laminate is slick and non-porous, normal paint will peel right off. Instead of sanding, you rely on a high-adhesion chemical bond.
White kitchens are not out of style, but the stark, "all-white" monochromatic look is. Designers are shifting toward softer, warmer whites, paired with organic wood tones, natural stone, and contrasting elements to add depth and personality.
Great adhesion on kitchen cabinets!
I bought this to try to give my laminate kitchen cabinets a new look and it worked great.
For an even simpler fix, unscrew the furniture's knobs or pulls, wash, and sand them down. Next, prop them on a sheet of cardboard, tops up; then prime and spray paint. Paint your laminate desk, dresser, or even cabinets for a bright new outlook on life.
If you prefer luxury interiors without the luxury price tags, read our tips for making your décor look expensive, on a budget.
Refinishing usually involves sanding off the top layer and applying new stain or finish. However, with laminate flooring, sanding through the wear layer exposes the image layer—or even the core. This not only damages the appearance but also compromises the floor's durability.