How To Paint Laminate Cabinets

The easiest way to give your kitchen, bathroom or bedroom a facelift is by painting your laminate cabinets. Whether your cabinets are starting to look worse for wear, or are the wrong color, some paint will fix it. Unlike wooden cabinets, laminate ones have a different painting procedure. 

So, before you pick up your paintbrush, here's a step-by-step guide on how to paint laminate cabinets.

Materials You’ll Need

• Laminate cleaner
• Laminate primer
• Rubber gloves
• Sanding block/sandpaper
• Latex or oil-based paint
• Paint brushes
• Roller paint kit
• Screwdriver
• Painter’s tape

Step-By-Step Procedure

Always ensure that you protect your hands from harmful products while painting. You can do this by wearing rubber gloves.

1. Remove Visible Hardware: Use your screwdriver to remove all visible hardware. This includes any knobs, pulls and handles that you wouldn’t want the paint to get onto. You can then remove the cabinet doors which will allow you to paint the cabinet face more easily. This allows you to paint both the cabinet face and shelving thoroughly without the worry of messing on the rest of the cabinet. You can cover any non removable hardware with painter’s tape to protect it.
2. Clean The Laminate Surface: Use a cloth and a laminate cleaner to give all laminate surfaces a good wipe down. Give the surfaces an opportunity to dry before lightly sanding the laminate. This will allow the paint to better stick to the laminate surface. Once you’ve sanded the surface, sweep away any excess dust off the surface.
3. Prime The Laminate Surface: You can now use your paint brush and primer to paint close to the walls and along the cutting in (or edges). After you’ve painted these detailed areas, you can use your roller kit to paint the larger surfaces. Remember to keep drawers and doors still attached to the cabinet open so the paint doesn’t dry them shut. Once the primer has dried properly, use a fine sandpaper to smooth the surface. You can do this by hand as it only needs a light sanding that won’t strip off half the primer. Follow this by dusting off the surface with a clean, dry paint brush before wiping it down with a damp cloth.
4. Apply The Top Coat: Before applying the top coat, give your chosen paint a stir. It is useful to pour half the paint into your working pot, and the other half into your paint tray. Like you did with the primer, you can now then paint the close to the walls and along the cutting in. And then use the roller to paint the larger surfaces. If you notice knocks and dents on the surface, consider a satin finish which will disguise these area. If not, you can use a full gloss paint. Once the paint has dried, you can go ahead and replace all hardware that you’ve removed. You can then rehang the cabinet doors.