I can’t tell you how many times I’ve Googled the following search terms:
“Painting laminate furniture”
“How do I paint laminate?”
“Can I paint laminate?”
“Why won’t someone tell me how to paint this piece of laminate furniture?????”
You know what those searches returned? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I couldn’t find a single tutorial out there to tell me how to paint laminate furniture.
Well, fine. I’ll just figure it out by myself and share it with my blog readers. ::sticks out tongue at Google::
Let me be the first to tell you this: With the right preparations, you CAN paint laminate furniture and it WILL look good. You just need to follow the following steps:
1. I started with a light wood laminate armoire from my son’s playroom. The piece is very heavy and solid, so it’s a nice piece of furniture despite it being covered in laminate.
2. If your laminate piece is one that can be easily taken apart, go ahead and do that. DH offered to take apart the armoire for me to paint, and it made it much easier in the long run since the piece was so big and heavy. There was no way that DH and I could have gotten it from the upstairs playroom down to the garage by ourselves. If you can’t take your piece apart, at least try to remove any doors, drawers and shelves.
3. With a 220 grit sandpaper, sand every square inch that you will be painting. The sanding will be much easier if you use a palm sander (they are about $30 at home improvement stores if you don’t have one). You will need to hand sand any areas you can’t reach with the sander.
Sand until you start to see little white flecks on the furniture and the shine of the laminate is removed. Be careful not to sand down to the plywood or other pressed wood that is underneath the laminate.
4. Next, take a tack cloth and wipe down the pieces you sanded. You’ll want to make sure you remove all of the sanding dust so that it won’t ruin your paint job. I like to wipe down each piece right before I prime it so that I don’t run the risk of additional particles getting on the pieces before I paint.
5. Now it’s time to prime your pieces. There may be other brands of primer that will work, but I specifically recommend the Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 primer for this job. It is formulated for all types of projects, including laminate. I picked up a quart of this at Lowe’s for about $9.
Prime each piece with a foam brush. I used a foam roller to paint the large pieces and then used a 2-inch foam brush to paint the edges and hard to reach areas. I gave each piece one coat of primer.
I primed one of my pieces after just sanding half of it, just so you can see how important the sanding step is in this process. Here, the left side was sanded and the right side wasn’t. The difference in the way the primer laid down is truly remarkable.
You will need to let your primed pieces completely dry and cure before you move to the next step. Zinsser recommends 7 days; other brands may recommend a different length of time. Your pieces will be dry to the touch within a few hours, but they will not be scratch resistant until the primer is fully hardened. I cannot stress this enough. Don’t rush it and try to paint over the primer before it is cured, as your pieces will scratch easily. If you wait the recommended amount of time, your paint job won’t scratch easily.
6. Now comes the fun part – the paint! Using a foam roller and foam brush, I painted two coats of paint on my pieces, allowing each to dry overnight before I applied the second coat. I chose an interior eggshell sheen for my paint, which is in between flat and semi-gloss. I paid careful attention to catch any drips, but those I missed I removed with a single-edged razor once dry and repainted.
7. Once the paint dried overnight, we reassembled the piece and touched up any areas that I missed or that got scratched during the reassembly process. We definitely scratched up the interior of the piece when we were putting the shelving back in since they are a very tight fit.
With a small foam brush, I simply touched up those scratched places with a few coats of paint and you can’t even tell they were scratched.
8. If your piece is one that is going to get a lot of wear and tear, I’d recommend applying a polyurethane coat. Minwax makes a wipe-on version you can apply with a sponge, so I think that one would be easy to apply. I will likely go back and apply the polyurethane coat to my piece when I have time in a few weeks.
9. Now it’s time to sit back and enjoy your “new” piece of furniture!
Pretty easy, huh? It just takes some patience and time, but the results would be well worth it. I’d love to know how these steps work for you (and let me know if you have any questions)! Or, are you still scared to paint your laminate furniture?
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I don't now if this will help or not. I work with laminate as part of my job and the laminate that is used on furniture is the same as the laminate used on countertops. If you add "countertop" to your search tems you should find a few paints and other product to help you.
thank you for this very thorough post. i had a general idea of how to do this but your tips are going to make the job look much nicer!
-allen
Next time use a shellac primer. You don't have to do all that heavy sanding and the finish should provide the same, if not better, longevity.
Search for "paint laminate shellac" and you'll find lots of useful articles.
I like how it turned out!
Wonderful! I told my partner it could be done. Thanks for helping me win the bet.
Thanks for your tips, Lindsay! Your instructions are so easy and straight-forward.
Wonderful, thank you! I, much like many in my age group, have tons of pieces of el cheapo laminate furniture from Wal-Mart hiding out in closets and the garage. I can't wait to re-do them now!
this is so perfect that its eight months later and you're still getting cooments!!
this was exactly what i was looking for
do you think this would work with black laminate too? i have a dresser that is the perfect length/size for my room, but is not the right color at all. i want to make it much lighter (was toying with the idea of white). would that just mean a lot more primer and paint, or is it impossible?
thanks! meghan1122@gmail.com
You are my hero!! It's been on my to do list to google THIS VERY SUBJECT and I was just reading through your old posts and found this – thank you so much!! I have several pieces to redo and this is just the advice I needed!
THANK YOU for the tutorial. Thank goodness you had the patience and the forethought to get it all documented. I will try it on some shelves in my bathroom, and will redo the interior of my kitchen cabinets. I sanded and primed them, but didn't wait the 7 days you recommend, and it shows. Thank you again!!!!
Lindsay I am using your tutorial to re-do my husband's grandmother's wardrobe. I even put a link from my blog to your tutorial. Thank you so much for your help!!!
Thank you so much! This was just the info I needed for a project I have in mind — turning a super bland IKEA buffet into something fab! I'll be sure to post a picture with a link to your tutorial when I get it finished!
Thank you for this article. I just bought a laminate cabinet that I really liked knowing there had to be info on how to paint it. Sure enough came home and googled paint laminate and up popped your tutorial. Thanks!
I am so excited to to re-paint my laminate furniture after finding your article, does it matter what kind of paint you use to paint the furniture after you prime it?
Hi Stephanie – I actually just use latex paint, like the kind you buy at home stores to paint your walls. Works great!
I recently painted a cabinet from Ikea and I used the Bulls Eye primer like you suggested but used an exterior acrylic paint. It worked great and holds up much better than the pieces I have used regular interior latex on. The paint dries hard and objects I set on it dont stick like they do on my other pieces. Hope this helps!
For the last 2 days I have been looking all over the web for “How to Paint Laminate” and was getting the same problems you first had:( So THANKKKKKKKKK YOUUUUUUUUU SOOOOOOOOO MUCHHHHHHHHH!!
It looks GREAT and I have a much better feeling of how my desk will turn out. THANKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKS!!
I was so excited when I found this tutorial – I have some heinous Ikea hand-me-downs in our master bedroom just begging for a makeover. Thank you for such a detailed tutorial!
I have a question – is there any alternative to the primer that needs 7 days to dry, that will still produce a good base? I looked into the shellac primer like the anonymous poster recommended, but at the moment I can’t be around any toxic fumes like that, even for a few minutes. We don’t have a garage, so the only room I can leave the disassembled furniture in is our guest room, and I don’t think my husband will agree to a week of furniture bits on the ground. Do you know of anything that works that only needs a night or two to dry?
Thanks! Fantastic blog.
Hmmm….I actually used some spray primer today that I really liked. It’s also by Zinsser, but it’s called Cover Stain. It’s oil based and says on the can that it sticks to all surfaces (it also comes in a non-spray form). What I primed wasn’t laminate, but it is wood with some sort of shinny sealant on it, and I was too lazy to sand it all down. It dried very quickly, and I was able to bring my project back into the house in an hour. It seems like it would be worth a shot in your case. I did wear a mask, though, since I’m pregnant and didn’t want to inhale the fumes.
Here’s the product link: http://zinsser.com/product_detail.asp?ProductID=12
That same company (I’m totally not pushing their product – I just love what I’ve used that they make) makes a low VOC odorless primer. I’ve never used that one, but it would also be worth checking into in your case.
Thanks for the tips on painting. I’ll be doing a small shelf unit and this will help. Your cabnet looks great! What is the front doors – paint?, a texture material? Looks very nice and classic.
so easy to understand even a novice like me can’t wait to try it on some old bedroom furniture.
Thanks!!!
Thanks for the tips! Same as everyone else – IKEA piece that I want to paint. What did you do to the doors to make them black and white? I thought about wallpapering the inside of my cabinet (similar to yours)… any thoughts on that?
Wallpapering would probably work well. My panels are actually fabric covered foam core.
Thanks so much. I am going to try this on a headboard and nightstand. Have you ever used a deglosser instead of sanding? I have heard mixed reviews. Thanks again.
I have used deglosser on painted and varnished wood, but I don’t know how it would work on laminate. I think I’d go for sanding, since laminate is basically plastic, but I really don’t know.
Great tutorial! Just wondering if you ever heard of “gripper” primer instead of sanding? My husband swears this will work. I don’t want to skimp…but thought of sanding then waiting 7 days is daunting. I have a cabinet, table, wall mounted shelves, and a few frames to do. Have you ever heard of this or used it? Is it the same as the Zinsser 1-2-3? Thanks!
Hi Geneve-
Yes, the Gripper is essentially the same thing as the Zinsser, just a different brand (Glidden, I think). They are both high-adhesion primers. I’ve only used that brand once, but it wasn’t on a shinny surface like laminate.
I have found recent success with another Zinnser primer called Cover Stain. It’s oil-based so the clean up is more difficult, but I painted a changing table for my nursery without sanding or anything using it. I only waited 4 hours between priming and painting, too. I’m not positive it will hold up as well as the sanding/painting, but it seems to be doing so as of now.
Good luck!
Hi Lindsay,
Great information-thank you. I have a similar situation- I am redoing a little girl’s room on a $500 budget while she is out of town for a birthday present (her mom is helping me surprise her) and we have to paint her furniture- we have a laminate cabinet and we only have 3 1/2 days til she returns. How is that changing table holding up, because I am going to use your tip -the Cover Stain and this is a robust little girl, I want to make sure that I am doing the right thing. Did it work okay without the sanding and 7 days?
Thanks again,
Khristy
Hi Khristy – The changing table is holding up perfectly…but baby’s not here yet so it’s not getting much use! LOL We have moved it from room to room and banged it around and it seems to be holding up with absolutely no problems, so I’m thinking the Cover Stain is a pretty good product. I’m sorry I don’t have a “final” answer yet.
Thanks so much for the feed back! I did experience some problem with the adhesion but overall it was a great solution. Laminate is just so difficult. The room came out great-if you want to see the pictures let me know and I will get them to you. Congratulations on the new baby and best of luck!
did you end up putting the minwax wipe on poly on your piece? i applied the wipe on poly to a piece of wood furniture that i painted a few months ago. the finish is very tacky. i called minwax and the grumpy customer svc rep said it’s not made for painted surfaces…. i need to find something that is since i have lots of painted furniture.
Hmmm…I’ve used that on tons of painted surfaces and have never had a problem with it being tacky or anything like that. I haven’t gotten around to using it on my armoire, but that’s only because I’ve just been too lazy to do so.
great tips….
any experience with after painting the laminant….sanding the edges for a distressed look? or am I asking too much and should just be happy I am able to paint it….
I have no idea, Sandy! It’s worth a shot, though. The worst that could happen is that you have to repaint the edges. Maybe try it on a test area (and let me know how it goes!)?
Another way to get the distressed look is to wipe on just a smidge of wood stain. Maybe this would work?
Thank you so much. I’ve googled about how to paint laminate, and found nothing either! This is a wonderful tutorial!
I will have to try this! Thanks for sharing the detailed steps.
I cannot express enough how great it was that you took the time to post this tutorial. It is definately an issue that is hard to research. I have a project I want to do and will let you know how it turns out.
Thanks again!!! ~Kristina
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I have some unattractive laminate furniture that really needs some freshening up. These steps sound really simple. I can’t wait to get started!
AH i am so glad i found this blog! i have been searching everywhere for a correct way to paint my lam coffee table~! thanks so much. i will follow your advice to a T and hope it turns out as beautiful as yours!
I am now so excited to paint my bedroom set, it is from 1960 and is mahogony covered with laminate. I could never afford to replace it with something as sturdy so the next best thing will be a nice new paint job.
Do you think this would work with stain instead of paint?
I’m not sure stain would work because with laminate, there’s no actual wood grain to stain. The laminate is basically just plastic, so that’s why the paint works so well.
Thanks so much for your post. I hope this works for my son’s bookshelf but you did miss a step. #1 Scrape off all the paint that is peeling because you thought you could just slap a coat of paint on it like the wall. (A pampered chef nylon scraper is very useful for this step.) LOL. Sigh, an afternoon of my life I’ll never get back…
Wonderful! I’m so glad I found this! I too was wondering if a stain would work. Anybody try staining instead of painting? TY again!
I’m not sure stain would work because with laminate, there’s no actual wood grain to stain. The laminate is basically just plastic, so that’s why the paint works so well.
Is there something I could use as a topcoat on a kitchen table that would make it safe to eat on? I have a table that I’m dying to redo!
Hmmmm…I know people use the wipe-on poly and varnishes for kitchen tables, so I would think that using poly would be okay.
You can use a clear Shellac for surfaces that will have food on them. It’s also safe for childrens’ furniture.
Thank you so much for your detailed post! You’re helping me save some money as we move into a larger place and other “big” things need to be fixed first.
I’m wondering if the paint you used is going to yield a sticky surface. Reason is the handyman that painted my current home used a white shiny latex paint to paint my bench too. It’s very sticky and when I put something on it, the paint either comes off and sticks to the object or the object’s colour/paint sticks on to the bench.
Thanks for your tips.
Kerry
Hi Kerry-
My armoire isn’t sticky at all. I guess it all depends on the humidity and paint used, but mine has absolutely no tact to it. That’s a bummer that your bench is so sticky!
Lindsay
What about items laminated with the wood looking paper? Is there any way to paint those? I am assuming, after reading these posts, that the only laminate people are painting is the plastic coated kind.
What an awesome tutorial! Thank you so much. I have been trying to paint a headboard with a foam roller and foam brush, but the finish is far from smooth. What is your secret to getting a smooth finish?
my first search on this subject and I hit a home run. Thanx to all the comments before me I feel confident in doing the small counter top in my bathroom. I just don’t have the funds to replace the formica so paint was my only option. Now I’m really excited to get it done. Isn’t the internet wonderful?
Great tutorial.
Help please…
I am having a problem with my laminate furniture that I painted this week. I initially painted it w/o primer and the paint did not “stick”. So, I removed the paint with a stripper, sanded, primed with Kilz primer for latex paint and then painted with latex paint. Two days after completion, the paint feels a bit tacky and I am able to easily scrape through the paint and remove it with my finger nail.
I don’t know what to do at this point and I am very disappointed. I can’t imagine removing the paint again from an entire chest of drawers and bed.
Can you please tell me what I could have done wrong? I do live in a humid environment and I did not allow more than a day for the layers to dry even though they felt dry…. When I used this exact painting method on real wood during the same week I did not have this problem.
Do you recommend something I can put over the paint (polyurethane)?
Home Depot told me to use a fine steel wool over the paint to get it to dry or something. I can only visualize the paint tearing to shreds…
Thank you for your advice,
Jenn
There seems to be an explanation of this problem in this article about painting laminate in the Washington Post. Hope it helps!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/21/AR2005092100593.html
I would like to crackle glaze a laminate table that I bought from Ikea does anyone know how to do this? IS IT POSSIBLE?
I am getting ready to paint some cheap laminate bookshelves. Two are white–kind of a plastic-y material–and one is more of the face wood grain. I am wondering if anyone has tried the spray paint that’s made for plastic? I read several posts that said laminate is basically plastic, so I’m wondering if that paint would work?
Great column. 2 questions. When you talk about “laminate” furniture, is this the same as the Sauder “wood grain” type furniture – which I always thought had a “paper” finish? Would it work the same? Also – we have some old black lacquer furniture from the 90′s. Would this method also work for it?
Hi Kathy!
Yes, the Sauder furniture is generally laminate from what I have seen. I would think that the technique would work the same way for lacquer furniture, too. You just want to cut down that shine and put on a good primer so that the new paint would stick.
Good luck!
This is perfect timing. I am so glad that when I googled “how to paint on Laminate” I got your blog. I have a piece of furniture in my Kitchen on a tarp right this minute that I have been sanding. I will have to see if I have sanded it enough and what the weight is. Your cabinet turned out sooo nice, I hope mine will look as nice as yours. Thanks for your tutorial. I will post my process on my blog and put a link to you on it as well. Thanks again.
Well, you have fixed the problem of Google not returning a good aswer to painting laminate. I googled it and your site popped right up with all the answers I needed. Now my “many different shades of wood” laminate furniture finally has a chance of matching. Thank you so much!
You are so right…I have wasted far too much time searching for this. Thanks for your brilliant blog.
I was hoping you’d be able to help me…I want to paint some bathroom counter tops and wardrobes and have bought some melamine paint (I assumed that melamine is the same as laminate??). This doesn’t mention a primer. Have you used this/ any thoughts?
Thanks
Thank you SOO much, I’ve been looking for days for something like this!
I am going to follow your steps to the T, my furniture is part real wood and part laminate, my only question is do you think a heavy duty spray paint would work over the primer? I was just thinking it would cover better and not be as thick especially when I coat it with the polyurethane….
Thanks so much again!
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