Can you paint melamine cabinets?

Question

I just moved into a new home, and it has bright white melamine cabinets. Yuck. They also seem to be be delaminating. No $$ for new cabinets untinl next year. Any body know how to paint melamine??

Answer 1

Yikes, it's hard. You can sand the really good to rough them up and then paint them with oil based primer and then repaint them.
You could also look into a plastic paint- but they tend to chip over time.

A cool idea that won't damage the cabinets- CONTACT paper. They have sooo many cools one out right now- like faux steel and different textures. I have used it to cover laminate and it works great... also when it peels- it's not big deal, you can fix it or replace it.

Answer 2

White Melamine Cabinets

Answer 3

Painting Melamine Furniture

Answer 4

If they weren't delaminating, I would recommend cleaning them thoroughly with a degreaser like DeSolvit (citrus oil spray) or a good pine cleaner, then very very lightly sand them with 600 black wet/dry sandpaper so paint would stick. Then put a thin coat of white primer on and let dry for several days. Lightly sand with the 600 paper again, then paint with a very good quality semi-gloss latex enamel paint designed for cabinets.

Check with Home Depot or Lowes or another home store with a knowlegeable paint department as to what final coat you should apply.

However ,since the melamine is delaminating, the labor to do all that isn't really worth it unless you stablize the melamine on the substrate. Get a brown bottle of yellowish color contact cement (Weldwood, I think) not the blue stuff. Put a light coat on the substrate and the underside of the laminate, wait a few minutes for the solvent to evaporate, then join the pieces. Use masking tape to hold the pieces together until the the next day.

There are companies that advertise putting new cabinet doors on your existing cabinets. A lot less expensive than new cabinets. I'd take a hard look at your cabinets, though, to see if they are worth putting money into. I have that kind of cabinet in my laundry room, and they are not designed for heavy duty use.

Good luck! You have a job with a lot of elbow grease in front of you, but they can be made presentable.

Answer 5

Of course you can - it just takes prep-work. There is a very detailed link below. You could also take the House Invaders tip and use contact paper or any self adhesive wallpaper - don't cringe. There are a myriad of solids and interesting textures and very modern patterns. All you have to do for this prep is TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) the surface and apply careful to not leave any bubbles. I have seen this used in many ways and with lovely results. It also has the added benefit of being inexpensive and easy, you could tackle several projects in 1 day.

Answer 6

All the other responses give good advice except no one mentioned that you can buy melamine paint. After all the gluing, sanding, priming, etc., it might be a good choice.

Answer 7

yes, some people do a light sanding to make it rough so the paint will hold and yes a good quality primer is needed. Best of luck :)

Answer 8

Sand it with fine grit sand paper, prime it, and paint it. Ask at the place you are going to buy your paint (hopefully not Walmart, lol), tell them what you want to paint and ask them to recommend a good quality primer.

Answer 9

It won't last but you can deglosser with MEK (methyl-ethyl-ketone) .. Caveat!! Protect your skin and wear a respirator.

then paint with an enamel paint.

Buy new cabinets.

Answer 10

Woodworking is a more general term than woodcarving. Anything you build, make or carve from wood is called woodworking. Woodcarving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool held in the hand, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine or in the ornamentation of a wooden object.
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