What type of paint do I use?

Question

I have white formica (I guess) cabinets. If anyone is familiar with Lowe's, they are the white Colonial brand Lowe's stocks. I am looking to possibly paint them. I know I need to sand them lightly and prime them. Latex is easier to clean up, but oil-based will give me a better finish. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Don't use paint on the counter surfaces.

Answer 2

It depends on the color you are going to paint them.

First, they don't make oil-based paints anymore. Thank the EPA. They are now alkyd based. Same properties as far as finish, slow-drying to minimize brush strokes, smells horrible, etc. However, if you are painting it a lighter color, it will yellow over time and look like a**. If you have experience w/ oil / alkyd you will also know that it can't be painted over easily. Keep this in mind when making the decision.

Water based paints have come far. I never suggest the use of a latex paint. They aren't as durable, and don't get as nice a finish.

I would suggest a good, high-quality acrylic paint. 100% acrylic, not an acrylic / latex blend. The higher the gloss, the easier to clean. It will hold it's color. It can be thinned with Floetrol to minimize brush strokes. The only thing I can think is it may not be so resilient when splattered with hot grease, but for anything else it should be fine.

Answer 3

You need to Clean them well 1st. Then lightly sand. Then go to a Paint Store and get a product called XIM , its an oil based primer that will stick on anything (EVEN GLASS). You need to sand lightly after priming . I would then suggest a Good Latex paint 100% acrylic. It won't yellow as quickly. Oil Based paints are more durable though, You can use either one once you prime with XIM. Be sure to use a good quality brush, it makes a big difference. Just take your time and you will get a good job.

Answer 4

These are like the cabinets I purchased from Lowe's and they are not Formica. It is a vinyl or a very paper thin plastic coating on the doors. I know this because my cabinet door next to the oven must have gotten to hot and popped loose. And the sides appear to be laminated. But to be on the safe side, you could call Lowe's and speak to the cabinet guy and ask him what the are made of and if they could be painted.

Answer 5

Hi there,

A great primer for odd surfaces is "BIN" primer and will stick to literally anything including tile.

I re-did my white Formica counter tops to look like granite. I used latex paint over the primer then sealed with two coats of polyurethane. Minwax puts out a good one. The counter is exquisite and it's holding up beautifully! Hard as a rock, easy to clean and great finish results.

Answer 6

I'm certainly no expert or pro, but I do love to paint and tend to be a perfectionist.

In my opinion, oil will almost always give a better finish and is has a better "feel" when working with it. I prefer the finish of oil when used with a quality brush. It spreads and fills better than latex.

The downfall to oil based paint is the cleanup and drying time. Also, if fumes are an issue, latex is probably the better option, although neither are perfect in that regard.

Hope that helps!

Answer 7

The oil will give you a slightly more durable finish, but both latex and oil are going to be very brittle in this situation. You might want to consider putting an additional topcoat on top of the paint (you can get some good epoxy based coatings to improve the durability).

Answer 8

I'll probably get many thumbs down, and I'm not at all intimidated,,, but I offer my opinion, and refuse to rate others negatively.

I've been in the trades a long time, and I have to tell you, painting mica, no matter your methods of prep will end being a dissapointment.

First of all it isn't designed to be painted, so primers won't do much better than a finish coat. Certainly that will be true of latex. I'll give you an analogy. Paint a piece of plastic with latex paint. Soak it in water. What you'll end up with is a peeled skin in whatever color the paint is.

To best accomplish a job that shouldn't be done in the first place you can buff them, and spray them with an epoxy based paint. At least the bonding agents in the epoxy will give you more durability.

If you absolutely have to roll, use a foam roller cover. The finish will be far smoother than even a 3/8 or 1/4 nap material on any other fabric of a nap.

As one other top contributor states Paint and a surface that comes in contact with food products is a bad idea.... You may not have that intent however.

Steven Wolf

Answer 9

There is a Melamine paint that imitates Formica and Arborite. That's the ticket!
See label for application details. It is expensive, relative to your regular latex, but it is a specialty product, and personally recommended.

Answer 10

I would go with a melamine paint, because this type of paint is specially designed for use on cabinets. It is an oil-based product, but will give you a great looking finish.

Answer 11

i've had some success by covering the latex finish in a clearcoat, like minwax polycrylic, just remeber to get one thta does not yellow as it ages (i've made tat mistake) also check out:

http://www.refinishfurniture.com/finishwood.htm

remember to clean the cabinets w/ something like trisodium phosphate (available at lowes and such)