How to Paint Laminate
Hello, my friend, hello again; today we come together to talk about How to Paint Laminate and hope the blog can help you.
Tired wood laminate furniture can be transformed with a coat of paint. Here’s how to get a professional-looking finish.
I recently gave my bookcases a much-needed makeover. Ever since I had painted the room a deep blue, this faux-wood furniture had been lost in the dark hue of the walls. A transformation was needed, and a crisp, fresh coat of white paint on the bookcases was the perfect solution.
Step 1: Sand the workpiece.
To begin, I gave each bookcase a good sanding with my orbital sander (hands down, my favorite power tool). These bookcases are made of a particle board-like composite with a faux-wood laminate exterior. It was important NOT to sand too much since the surface is essentially paper, but it was important to get them ‘roughed-up’ enough so the paint would absorb into the surface.
Step 2: Prime the surface.
The next key step is to prime all the surfaces. I used Kilz Primer, 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, nonporous 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.
“I’ve used Jenna’s technique to refresh several pieces of furniture. It’s effective, and it doesn’t cost a whole lot! I do have a couple of things to add from my own experience. Having an orbital sander makes the job a lot quicker, but they can throw dust everywhere. If you can work outdoors or in a garage that’s great. If not, doing it by hand will still get the job done, there’s less dust, and lower risk of going right through the laminate. Wrapping the sandpaper around a block makes life easier. Any old scrap of 2×4 or something similar will work. Before you paint, make sure there’s none of that dust left on the piece to contaminate the finish. Give it a quick wipe down with a slightly damp cloth. Oh, and always wear a mask and eye protection when you’re sanding. Fine dust can be really irritating to your eyes, nose, and throat.” —Bob Beacham, Contributing Writer
Tried-and-True Advice