How to Paint Laminate Furniture: It’s All About the Prep!

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This is a question I get a lot, and the answer is yes, you can paint laminate furniture! In fact, laminate furniture is a fantastic candidate for a paint makeover, since stripping and staining are out of the question. You just need to keep a few things in mind when you are prepping the piece for paint. No skipping steps or cutting corners! So the next time you see a piece of furniture that is all laminate or has a laminate top, know that it is a great candidate for paint!

When I first started painting furniture I really didn’t know there was any difference. The first laminate top I came across I did what I normally did and the paint scratched right off. So I figured laminate pieces were off-limits and avoided them. Until one day I was given one for free by a friend. I did some research and realized I just needed to change my prep work a little. And guess what? Success! So if you’ve had a bad experience or are intimidated, I promise you that it’s totally doable!

What is laminate anyway?

Simply put, laminate is a synthetic surface made that can be a solid color or made to look like wood. You may have heard of Formica, which is simply a brand of laminate. This surface is extremely durable and holds up to wear and tear better than traditional wood. It makes a great surface to paint over becuase you don’t have to worry about sanding out or filling any dings or scratches.

Steps to paint laminate furniture

For this project, I have a vintage Dixie “Campaigner” style dresser. The sides are wood and the top is laminate. The original finish on the dresser was white paint with matching white laminate. The process for painting laminate is pretty much the same as traditional wood furniture, you just need to really focus on the sanding and priming steps (steps 2 and 3 below).

Step 1: Clean

Just like any furniture makeover, cleaning is an important first step, Any dirt, grease, or other contaminants can cause your paint not to stick very well. I clean laminate the same way I do wood furntiure, scrubbing with a good degreaser, such as Krud Kutter. A more in-depth explanation of the cleaning step can be found here.

Step 2: Scuff sand

Again, this is a step that I recommend for all furniture projects, but it is especially important when you are prepping a laminate surface. Do not skip this step when painting laminate furniture! What is scuff sanding? Well, it’s simply scuffing up the surface with sandpaper. You want to get rid of the shine of the old finish and give some “teeth” for your paint and primer to stick to. You can easily do this by hand, but if you have an electric sander, it will make this step a whole lot faster.

For a wood surface, I will use between 180-220 grit when scuff sanding. For laminate, I go down in grit becuase the surface is harder. For this project, I sanded the base and drawers with 180 and the laminate with 120. In the end, you want it to feel a bit rough, but make sure you don’t have sanding marks left behind that will show in your paint. You can always go back up in grit if you need to smooth things out.

Step 3: Apply a bonding primer

Once you’ve scuff sanded your surface it is time for primer. Again, this is not a step you can skip! And choosing the right primer is important too. Make sure you are using a bonding primer. My favorites are Melange Paints Clear Bonding Primer, Fusion Mineral Paint Ultra Grip, and INSL-X Stix primers. For the rest of the piece I used a stain-blocking primer (there were some areas where some marker writing on the original wood was bleeding through the white, painted finish).

I did two coats of a bonding primer on the laminate and two coats of stain-blocking primer on the drawers and body I like to let my primers set overnight before moving on to the next step; I have always found letting the primer cure a bit helps improve the primer’s performance.

Step 4: Paint and topcoat

For the rest of this makeover, I treated the laminate and wood finish sections the same. I painted them in a custom color mix that is 2:1 Traveler Blue to Sonnet White (both colors by Melange Paints). Then I sealed the entire piece with General Finishes High-Performance Top Coat in Flat. Here are some additional details on how I hand paint and seal/top-coat a peice of furniture.

Step 5: Finishing details

Now for the fun stuff, those finishing touches! I lined the drawers with this beautiful peel-and-stick-wallpaper. Next, I cleaned up the original chrome hardware. After cleaning, there were some dots and splotches that I couldn’t remove, so I decided to paint them. Using spray paint, I started with a dark gold spray paint, then added a brighter gold on top and sealed with this clear topcoat.

Summary

As you can see, there is no need to be intimated when faced with laminate furniture! It makes for a great paintable surface as long as it is prepped correctly. This is a very beginner-friendly makeover, just be sure to focus on two things – sanding and primingAsas always, please reach out with any questions.

Want to learn more about each step? Check out the links below:

• Learn How to Paint Wood Furniture
• Priming Furniture: Everything You Need to Know
• Lining Drawers in Furniture and Cabinets

As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Want to learn more about all things furniture? Make sure to sign up for my newsletter to get the latest updates and exclusive content.