What is the best primer for laminate cabinets or furniture? For 9 out of 10 projects, I will opt for KILZ 2 latex primer. I've used it for years and I find it the best at stain blocking plus it provides good base for that first coat of paint.
I always use Kilz primer for laminate and have had great luck with it. For painting laminate furniture, you want to do at least 2 coats of primer and let them cure completely (overnight if you can!) in between coats. You can even sand in between coats for maximum adhesion.
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!
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.
But really, the best results will come from pre-sanding your laminate cabinets thoroughly to prepare them for painting. By scuffing up the surface of the laminate, you give the primer a better, more adhesive surface to bond to.
Latex or water-based paint works well on laminate cabinets if you use a good primer. But before it fully cures, the paint remains sticky and may peel off easily if two painted surfaces bump against each other. With a water-based primer underneath.
Don't use just any old primer or paint.
If you opt for a primer, choose a bonding primer that's tenacious enough to stick to laminate, like Zinsser Interior Primer, and then top it with an oil- or latex-based paint after the primer has cured.
Shoppers looking for a primer that works well on most cabinet surfaces should consider the KILZ Adhesion Primer, which offers good coverage and great adhesion.
I like to do at least two coats of primer, and I strongly recommend you do two coats of primer for laminate kitchen cabinets (or bathroom cabinets) where you're going to subject them to everyday use.
All of the primers that we tested ended up sticking to the laminate. But some needed sanding before priming! Both the Bulls Eye 123 primer and the Country Chic Paint Bonding Primer need the laminate to be sanded before priming to really stick.
KILZ Adhesion Primer
Best cabinet surface to use on: This primer is great to use on Melamine or Laminate cabinets. It's also great for wood cabinets that have a heavy top coat or sealer.
A fast drying, low odor and very low VOC primer, KILZ 3® Premium provides exceptional adhesion and durability – ideal for high traffic and high touch surfaces including kitchen cabinets and drawers.
KILZ 2 ALL-PURPOSE Primer blocks medium stains including minor water stains, rust, grease, ink, pencil and felt marker. Enhanced hiding makes it ideal for changing colors and helps lessen the number of coats of paint required.
Shelf life under normal conditions is two years unopened. Partially used cans might develop skinning if not tightly sealed.
Oil-based primers are the best primers for kitchen cabinets. Existing cabinets almost always have a smooth painted finish or lacquered finish that is difficult for paint to adhere to. Oil-based Primer is the glue that provides a good base for the first coat of paint.
Dries to the touch in 30 minutes. Can be recoated or topcoated in one hour with latex or oil-based paint. Application at lower temperatures, in high humidity or in poorly ventilated areas will affect dry time.
Sand the surfaces of the doors, drawer faces and cabinet frame to create a smooth surface for priming. Do a first pass with 100-150 grit sandpaper then finish with a second pass of 180-220 grit sandpaper. Remember, the higher the “grit" number, the smoother the finish.
Depending on what kind of primer you're using and the state of the cabinets, you will need 1-2 coats of primer. For many cabinets, one coat is plenty, but if you're uncertain, a second coat won't hurt as long as it's not applied too thick. When it comes to the actual paint, you will need at least two coats.
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 first step is the trick to painting laminate. It's not difficult, but to create a base for the main paint to stick to you'll need to prime the furniture first. The best primer to do that is Zinsser BIN Shellac-Based Primer.
Molecules of oil-based primers can be up to 20 times smaller than water-based primers. This makes a huge difference when creating a mechanical bond between primer and surface. It is the best choice for priming laminate cabinets and oak cabinets.