Can i paint laminate cupboards

Your email will be used only to confirm your request and to provide free kitchen information. By submitting your info on this form, you are agreeing to be contacted regarding your service request by means of email. Start Designing. How to Paint Laminate Cabinets in 10 Steps. Last Updated: July 9, Jump to Section. Well, the good news is that you can indeed paint laminate cabinets. In fact, it's pretty easy. So, without further ado, here is how to paint laminate cabinets in 10 steps!

Sand your cabinet doors to get them prepped The first step towards your kitchen makeover is getting it prepped. DIY Network 2. Clean your cabinet doors thoroughly Kitchen cabinets are naturally exposed to a ton of dirt, crumbs, grease, and moisture in their everyday use, so you need to give the kitchen cabinet doors a very good clean before you paint them.

It's also just hygienic! Unhinge the cabinet and remove fittings if possible If you're able to, unhinge the cabinet and remove any fittings such as door handles and hinges that you don't want to paint. Protect your precious kitchen! Apply primer Some people like to apply primer before painting laminate; others prefer to prep the surface and then go straight in with paint. It's better to be safe than sorry! Apply the first coat of paint!

Time to start paining kitchen cabinets! Now leave this to dry for at least hours before doing anything else. Apply a second coat if you want to If you've got the time, I would recommend applying a second coat of paint.

Lacquer and sand down the final coats When your final coats are dry, consider lacquering the kitchen cabinets if you want to give them a really nice glossy finish and help to protect them from damage and chipping in the future.

It shouldn't look too much like paint, if that makes sense. Leave your painted laminate cabinet doors to dry! Now that's more for if you're not just painting cabinets but painting an entire room… Let's say you have 2 cupboards to paint.

The first is 3 feet x 2 feet, and the second is 4 feet x 2 feet. So the two cupboards have a combined square footage of 14 feet. If you had one gallon of paint, you could do 25 coats of paint on these 2 cabinets! What type of paint do you need to paint laminate kitchen cabinets?

If in doubt, go for paint designed for these surfaces specifically. How can I paint laminate cabinets without sanding? Do you need to prime laminate before painting? How long does laminate paint take to dry? How do you tell if your cabinets are laminate? Can you paint fake wood cabinets? Bottom Line The best paint jobs for laminated surfaces take time, so set aside a couple of days and don't rush too much if you can avoid it!

Dino Paccino. Related Articles. Browse by Topic. Get Kitchen Newsletter. Subscribe Now. Follow Us. Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube Pinterest. Home Decor. Home Improvement. Home Products. Appliances Bathroom Products Kitchenware Lighting. Cleaning Organization Storage. Company Info. About Us Contact Us Advertise. Disclaimer Site Map Privacy Policy. Download Free Chart Now! Get Free Chart. If laminate is cracked, warped, or peeling, that damage can interfere with the bonding of paint to the cabinet.

Ensure that the laminate is in good condition by repairing minor laminate damage or re-facing cabinets before applying paint. Remove knobs, pulls, and other visible cabinet hardware before painting laminate cabinets for smooth paint application without obstructions.

It may be tempting to eyeball your cabinets and decide that any dirt is minimal enough to conceal with a paint job, but your dirty secret will get out when the color fails to adhere well to the laminate. Before you start painting laminate cabinets, gently wipe away settled-on grime and grease using trisodium phosphate.

Then, rinse with fresh water and dry the cabinets completely. For better coverage of a large surface area, consider upgrading to a motorized orbital sander.

Your upper body will thank you. Thoroughly scuff the surfaces of the cabinet with grit sandpaper—enough to get a dusting, but not so much that you tear through the paper-thin laminate surface—and clean up any dusty remains with a handheld vacuum and a damp cloth. 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. If you select a paint that can be applied directly over laminate view example on Amazon , you can skip the primer—just know that this qualification may limit your color choice.

Use a tack cloth to make sure the doors are dust-free. Use a high-quality paintbrush to minimize stroke marks as you cut in on cabinet edges or in hard-to-reach spaces. For the doors themselves and any other large surfaces, use a roller to get a smooth, brush stroke-free finish. Once the primer has fully dried, give everything a light sanding again.

Clean off the dust with a tack cloth. It dries to the touch in one hour, features a tough, chip-resistant finish, and cleans easily with mild liquid soap. We recommend a satin finish that will hide any minor imperfections. Don't love your plain flat-front doors? Turn them into paneled cabinets with wood or composite moldings. Find moldings in various widths and designs at your local hardware store, then have them miter-cut to your specifications or do it yourself using a miter box and handsaw.

When they are dry, use wood glue to adhere them to the door fronts. With the proper prep and some hard work, you can transform the look of laminate cabinets.

Keep in mind that any DIY painted finish will be more susceptible to damage than factory-finish cabinetry. Eventually, you may need to invest in changing out your cabinets altogether.

Painting laminate cabinets will buy you some time and provide an updated look. Caitlin Sole headshot.