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! It's suggested that primer takes seven days to completely dry.
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.
Latex paint is recommended for laminate surface painting projects because of its durability and smooth finish.
INSL-X STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer is one of the best primers for laminate furniture. This primer is made specifically to bond to surfaces that are hard to coat, and will give you a smooth, level finish.
Zinsser BIN Primer – This primer is shallac based and sticks to all surfaces – including laminate furniture – without sanding. This primer goes on in smooth, thin coats. It drys very quickly, and it works with any top coat, including water-based latex paint.
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.
The KEY to having the paint stick is to use the proper primer. I recommend using Zinsser Oil Based Primer. This stuff sticks like glue! I love their water based primer too, but when painting laminate, just go for the oil based, I feel it adheres better.
If you're planning to paint the laminate a dark color, you can skip the primer altogether and paint on one of these enamel paints. Beware that painting over damaged laminate will not result in a perfectly smooth surface.
Once the cabinets are primed, you can paint them with oil-based paints, acrylic paints or melamine paints. Melamine paints are specifically designed for painting laminate surfaces, as the moisture-resistant materials in the paint make them just right for the moisture and steam so prevalent in kitchens.
So yes! You can paint laminate furniture without sanding! Keep in mind though, if you have any scratches or spots of nail polish (like I did), you'll want to sand those areas so you have a nice smooth surface for your paint.
Carefully fill and sand any dents, bashed corners or chipped edges with a wood filler. After that, apply two coats of our Multi Purpose Primer. This will give your MDF and laminate furniture a really good base and help the paint to stick.
Do use a powerful bonding primer like INSL-X® STIX®, which offers powerful adhesion properties to any surface, even shiny ones like laminate. Do use sandpaper that is finer than 220-grit. Do sand the shiny surface down to a dull finish before applying paint. Don't try to stain it.
If you want to make a big impact in your kitchen without a big investment, consider priming and painting your laminate countertops. Your local paint store can supply you with the best type of paint to use in this project. Many recommend a water-based acrylic primer, paint and top coat.
KILZ 2® ALL-PURPOSE Primer (Previously KILZ 2 Latex) is a fast drying, water-based, multi-surface primer-sealer-stainblocker with excellent adhesion, mildew resistance, sealing properties and very mild odor.
INSL-X® STIX® Waterborne Bonding Primer is an acrylic primer-sealer engineered to bond to hard-to-coat surfaces, providing the ideal base for top coats. Its tenacious adhesion creates paint-ready substrates, saving you valuable time and money.
It doesn't have to be a specialist primer and a 2 in 1 paint and primer will work too. Our Furniture Paint goes one better and is a 3 in 1 primer, paint and finish. So you just need one product for your job.
Valspar cabinet paint is readily available and can be used for painting cabinets, laminate cabinets, wood trim, and more. Using a brush can often result in brush marks but it does work well with a roller or a sprayer.
Unlike wood, laminate is a smooth, non-porous material, so it really needs something to 'grab' onto—primer will do the trick! It's suggested that primer takes seven days to completely dry.
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. latex paints may take one to four weeks to cure.
Chalk paint is a great choice for painting laminate cabinets because it “hides” brush strokes. If you're using chalk paint for a project, you pretty much can't mess it up.
Laminate doesn't play well with all primers and paints, only those specially formulated to adhere to its picky surface. If you opt for a primer, choose a bonding primer tenacious enough to stick to laminate (view example on Amazon), and then top it with an oil- or latex-based paint after the primer has cured.
With a paint roller, prime the Formica with a coat of bonding primer intended for glossy surfaces. Bonding primer tends to be thick, so for the smoothest application, a foam roller is best. Once it has fully dried, apply a second coat. Let the primer dry according to the manufacturer's directions.
Veneer is a decorative wood layer that's overlaid on a different surface. Veneer can be primed, painted, stained, and treated just like any other wood surface. Painting veneer surfaces is a great way to spruce up furniture, make older pieces look newer, or make an original piece match a new décor scheme.