Can You Paint Laminate Wood Shelves

These bookcases are made of a particle board like composite with a faux wood laminate exterior.

Can you paint laminate wood shelves.

With wood exposing the grain is vital for the paint to adhere to. Avoid the pitfalls of. Remember to wear an appropriate mask while working with paints stains and finishes. C ommon concerns when painting laminate furniture are.

Unlike wood laminate is a smooth non porous material so it really needs something to grab onto primer will do the trick. When attempting to paint laminate bookshelves often the paint peels from the surface or moving even a light object across the bookshelves creates unsightly scratches. With a high grit sandpaper and an oil based primer you ll be ready to paint over the laminate on your furniture so it looks updated and new. Laminate and melamine are designed to repel kitchen spills like food oil and water so they naturally repel paint also.

After scuffing the surface prime the laminate just like you would a wood surface. Unlike wood laminate and melamine cannot be sanded down to a natural grain because they have no natural grain. Rinse thoroughly with water and allow to dry. The primer you choose will affect the final quality of the paint job.

And here s how to paint laminate wood shelves. Several specialty companies make primer. You ll just need to do some extra preparation before you get started. Follow the directions and warnings from your particular brand step 1.

Laminate is a man made shiny smooth non porous material that is like a print or photo of wood grain. Applying in a well ventilated area begin painting at the top of the shelving unit holding the can of satin ivory 6 8 inches from the surface and paint using a sweeping side to side motion with slight overlap. I d still recommend that orbital sander but regular ole medium grit about 120 sandpaper will be fine. Laminate can be painted but it can not be stained.

If you re painting straight on the laminate as in the furniture doesn t have a coat of paint on it in need of removal then you don t need to do as much sanding. It was important not to sand too much because otherwise the surface would get ruined since it s essentially paper but at the same time it was important to get them roughed up so the paint would absorb into the surface. Using an all purpose cleaner degreaser wipe down the shelves to remove all dirt and grime.