How to Paint Wood Laminate Furniture

Wood laminate furniture is inexpensive and can often serve to fill the gap until something better can be purchased. This furniture, that is basically wood laminate over particleboard or plywood, is limited in finishes. This leads many people to wonder how to paint over wood laminate furniture. The good news is that it isn’t hard to paint wood laminate furniture; however, it takes time and patience.

The ideal way to repaint your wood laminate piece of furniture is to take it apart and paint it piece by piece. As this can prove challenging, at minimal, remove the doors, shelves and drawers.

Now it is time to begin to sand your furniture pieces. The easiest way to sand is with a palm sander. They cost approximately $30 and can be found in hardware or home improvement stores (some stores rent them out). For the hard to reach places or if you are working on a small piece use 220 grit sandpaper. It is important that every spot on the object that is to be painted is sanded. Sand the shine of the laminate is removed and small flecks of white appear on the surface of the furniture (use care not to sand down to the particle board or underlying plywood).

Remove the dust from sanding with a tack cloth. Make certain all dust is off before starting to prime pieces. There are various brands of primer available; however, Zinssers Bulls Eye 1-2-3 is specially formulated to work on many types of surfaces, including wood laminate. It can be found at Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores.

Using a foam brush (or foam roller for large area) give the pieces a coat of primer. It is important that the pieces dry completely and cure before moving on to the next step. If you rush this step, your piece will scratch easily when you are finished. Once the primer has fully hardened it is time to start painting.

For paint choice, interior eggshell sheen paint works well on the pieces. The sheen is between semi-gloss and flat paint. For the best coverage, you need to use two coats of paint; make certain to allow time for the first coat to dry before applying the second coat.

If you plan to use this piece for a long time or it is going to get lots of wear and tear, apply a coat of polyurethane. Minwax makes a wipe-on version that is easily applied with a sponge.

Reassemble your piece of furniture and enjoy your new look. If you stopped prior to the polyurethane coat and obtain a scratch or two putting your piece back together, just touch up with paint. If you have used the polyurethane, your piece should be fairly well protected while you reassemble it.

Now, it’s time to enjoy the new look of your furniture.

Source:http://www.livingwithlindsay.com/2009/05/how-to-paint-laminate-furniture.html