Can You Paint Over Plastic Laminate Cabinets

Some mdf cabinets have a plastic coating and removing a plastic coating from kitchen cabinets is usually easier than removing a wood laminate.

Can you paint over plastic laminate cabinets.

Yes you can paint laminate. The right primer will stick to the surface and provide the perfect base for your chosen paint finish. First you want to degrease everything with a decent degreaser solution anything from spray nine to tsp should work. Others can be used without primer.

We did a tone of research on primers and this is the primer that we eventually used and are really happy with. So you can see why primer is very important when trying to paint over the film which is practically plastic. Then lightly sand the cabinets and prime them. To be able to paint the super smooth laminate you ll need a primer with adhesion promoting properties.

The key is to degloss and roughen the plastic surface of laminate and melamine and to use the right paint or coating products. Improperly applied paint will peel off of laminate and melamine creating a bigger mess than you started out with. Ensure that the laminate is in good condition by. If you have real wood cabinets and you sand them a little to create a rough surface for the paint to stick to you might be able to get away without using primer.

Some paints call for apply for a primer coat before applying the paint. The best way to do it is to use a heat gun to soften the adhesive and pull the laminate off in sections starting with the edging. Don t paint over damaged laminate if laminate is cracked warped or peeling that damage can interfere with the bonding of paint to the cabinet. However both are doable with patience and a steady supply of heat.