Nothing sticks to laminate, and changing them to a different one is an expensive affair. Sometime ago, I did some experiments with different laminate furniture I had at home. The result was published on Housedelic on different ways to upgrade old laminate furniture to look modern and classy. One of the methods was to paint it, and make sure it doesnt peel off. Here is a detailed version of how to achieve that.
What you need??
- Sandpaper
- Oil primer (The magic ingredient)
- Enamel paint (I use water based enamel by Asian paints)
- Enamel roller (smaller version of the wall one) and brush
How to do it?
- Clean the laminate surface with soap water and scrub, this ensures that all grease is out. (Skipping this step means letting the paint peel after a while)
- Once dry, use a sandpaper paper and sand it to remove any glossy finish. Wipe the dust away.
- Remove any hardware that is attached, or use some tape to cover it up.
- With a brush, apply one coat of oil primer evenly. Let it sit for an hour.
- Lightly sand the surface and wipe clean.
- Apply another even coat of primer and let it sit overnight. (This step is the most important, what holds the laminate and the paint together is the primer, so make sure this is accommodated for)
- Next day, lightly sand the surface and wipe clean, apply a coat of enamel in the color that you choose.
- Let it dry. if you use water based enamel, it will dry in an hour or so, oil based enamel takes longer.
- Apply the second coat and again let it sit overnight before you start using it. If
If you follow this process religiously, the paint wont peel off untill you take a sharp object and scrape it off.
Since my cabinet has a teak wood beading, I left that untouched and painted just the laminate on it. The insides was veneer and I left that intact too.
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