To successfully restore melamine or laminate furniture, you must know the properties of these materials and carefully follow certain work steps. There are colors specially designed for these decorative coatings. You also need to have the right equipment.
Why paint over melamine or laminate?
In general, when it is a question of having a good coat of paint on a piece of furniture or a support, it is because it is aging or damaged. Sometimes it’s because you got tired of its color and want to change it. Is this the case with your TV cabinet or the sideboard in your living room? Whether it’s for financial reasons or just because you don’t want to throw it away and buy a new one instead, there may be times when you want to repaint laminate or melamine. Because the furniture in your living room, like the rest, does not tend to rejuvenate on the contrary! They may seem old-fashioned to you. Now is the time to give them a facelift. Thanks to new colors and a little elbow grease, it’s now child’s play to give a second life to your old furniture. Ideally, completely repaint your furniture to give it a new look. You can of course leave the interior of your in its original state, as this part is not visible anyway. It is entirely up to you. Make sure you choose the right color, because melamine or laminate coated furniture cannot be painted more than once.
Important steps for painting on melamine or laminate
- Preparation of the melamine or laminate support
- Primer application
- Sanding
- Paint
- Drying
- Removing masking tape
Which material to paint on melamine or laminate?
Like all painting jobs, you need paint brushes and rollers, a color mixer if necessary, sandpaper or emery paper for sanding and a tarp to protect your site. For your safety, you need gloves, a mask and protective glasses.
Melamine or laminate: prepare the surface to be painted
Surface preparation
Clean the furniture and remove any grease. Preparation is essential. Old furniture is always covered with a very thin layer of dust, not to mention the grease residues that often settle on kitchen cabinets or cupboards… These deposits of dirt and grease must be removed before painting. The process is simple: you take a sponge and a degreaser, scrub thoroughly, wipe thoroughly, and let everything dry. You can finalize the cleaning with a clean, dry cloth to remove all the dust. Then protect everything that should not be painted. If you are unable to remove the handles of your furniture, for example, hide them.
Application of the undercoat
It is not absolutely necessary to apply an undercoat. It depends on the color you have chosen for the restoration of your furniture. There are many colors and paints that already incorporate this primer or undercoat, which saves you this step and shortens the process. The application of the primer is done in the same way as the application of the paint, described below.
Sanding the undercoat
If you want to achieve a perfect result, you should definitely apply two coats of paint and proceed in the same way in both work steps. In addition, you must respect the drying time between the two coats specified by the paint manufacturer. Make the surface you applied the primer smooth before you start painting. This way the color will last better. Then remove the dust from the surface to be painted.
Painting melamine or laminate
Paint application
Mix the paint with a paint mixer, then add it to the paint tray. Start with the edges and corners, applying the paint with a round brush.
Continue with a small paint roller and swipe crosswise, first vertically, then horizontally, to evenly distribute the paint. Make sure you apply the paint evenly. When applying the second coat, you start over with the same steps.
Drying and removing masking tape
The drying time between the two coats will vary depending on the type of paint used. On average, it takes about 6 hours before you can apply the second coat. Then, remove the masking tape and clean any areas that accidentally received paint. When you restore your furniture to personalize it, the options are endless. Whether it’s a kitchen or bathroom cabinet or living room furniture, you can also redesign the interior of the furniture with the help of various accessories.
Which paint to paint on melamine or laminate?
To repaint kitchen furniture, shelves or even a laminate or melamine table without breaking your head too much, opt for a specialized paint that already includes an undercoat and that is dedicated to this type of material. This type of paint has the particularity of being endowed with a high resistance to shocks and scratches.