Painting Laminate Furniture, Guide For Any Paint Type

Painting Laminate Furniture, Guide With Sanding Instructions

Painting laminate furniture is a great way to update an old out-dated look. It’s also great for fixing up a dresser that needs TLC. And it’s low maintenance. Sanding is the only real difference and I’ll tell you why and the easy way to sand laminate. 

Let’s quickly cover what laminate is and the different kinds you may run into. Then, easy steps for painting laminate furniture with any paint, or the quick steps for using chalk paint specifically. Most importantly we’ll talk about why you must sand, but I’ll explain the really simple way to do it.. At the very end I’ve actually popped in an alternative secret! You can also check out a few laminate furniture project before and afters.

What Is Laminate

Laminate is a man-made product designed or printed to look like wood. It’s cheaper to make but can hold up well if it’s a thicker kind, making it harder to scratch or ding. It’s also resistant to water stains. Sometimes the laminate is a very thin sheet over particle board or MDF. In that case it can chip, tear and bubble easier with excessive wear or water exposure. Either way, laminate furniture is great for painting! There’s just a few things to know first, before painting laminate furniture.

Easy Steps For Painting Laminate Furniture With Any Paint

Do a quick sanding over the surfaces of laminate that you will be painting to get it a little rough. See below for details about sanding laminate furniture. Wipe and clean it really well to remove any dirt or dust from sanding. Then prime (be sure the primer says it’s for shiny, slick surfaces!). If your prime coat doesn’t seem smooth then you can lightly sand the primer with 220 grit (before painting) to make sure your paint coats are smooth. Then you’re ready to paint the laminate furniture. Give it two to three coats of paint, and then a top coat such as polyurethane to seal it. 

Quick Steps For Painting Laminate Furniture With Chalk Paint

Chalk paint is great for when you want to skip steps, and usually you can skip sanding when using chalk paint. With laminate furniture however, it’s a good idea to NOT skip this step. See below for details about how to sand laminate furniture … and then keep reading if you have to have an alternative to sanding (but sanding laminate is so simple!). 

You CAN skip priming with laminate furniture when using chalk paint! If you are painting white, or another very light color, over a dark laminate then you’ll likely need to do three coats of paint. So- sand, then paint two to three coats of chalk paint, then seal with a top coat of wax or polyurethane.

Related Article: More Detail For How To Chalk Paint Furniture

Sanding Laminate Furniture

Sanding laminate furniture is not like sanding wood. You don’t have to sand and sand and sand (woohoo! Another plus for laminate). Some laminate furniture may have a thick piece of laminate on top, like a dresser or desk, that is more durable and harder (and may seem impossible to sand). Other laminate furniture may just be covered in a very, very thin layer of flexible laminate that overlays particle board. So start with sanding lightly until you know for sure.

Sand fairly light with a 150-220 grit sandpaper. If the surface isn’t scratching then you can push harder. If you have a dresser or desk top that is really durable then you can use a coarse 150 grit on an electric sander. 

The purpose of sanding is to make the surface scruffy so that the paint will “stick”. It creates “teeth” if you will, for the paint to grab a hold. You don’t need to gouge the surface, just scuff it up so it isn’t slick anymore. That’s all you’re doing so it should go quick and easy as if you’re wiping a countertop. Sand in circular motions across the surfaces you will be painting. 

If you are painting with chalk paint, you still should not skip this step. On wood furniture chalk paint is great because you can skip sanding. Laminate furniture is so slick and shiny (remember it’s synthetic, not wood or another painted surface) so even chalk paint will chip off if you don’t sand … unless you want the distressed look … but it may not be distressed with the look or in the place you want it to be distressed. This type of sanding is SO quick and easy so don’t be afraid of it.

White Hutch Makeover

I actually chalk painted this laminate hutch you see in this post without sanding first. I knew it was a good idea to sand first, like I warned you here, and I wasn’t even going for the distressed look … hehe … I was being lazy. Yeah! Let’s hear it for over here!! 

See the whole project of this laminate hutch to white book shelf from beginning to end here.

It’s been three years since I chalk-painted this hutch. It has held up okay (I store the kid’s toys in the bottom drawers and they play around it all the time so it takes quite a beating). I purposefully kept extra paint in a small container so I could touch up the hutch. But looking back I wish I had just sanded. The step of sanding, especially when I wasn’t just painting and I did have chalk paint and I was trying to hurry and get the project done, seemed like an extra step. But it’s such a quick thing you can do for a longer-lasting finish. Who really wants to get out the paint and touch up (let’s face it, if you’re too lazy to sand you’re going to be too lazy to touch it up later).

Charcoal Dresser Makeover

Painting laminate furniture was a great way to revive this dresser. I bought it cheap second-hand partly because the top of the dresser was beaten up and a lot of it was laminate. In fact, someone had sanded a small area of the dresser top, sanding all the way down to the MDF (medium-density fiberboard) underneath, realized it was not wood and passed it on. Since the top was in sad condition, I sanded all of the thin laminate off with an electric sander and painted over the MDF.

Sanding Alternative!

I know, I know! I just told you for the tenth time to sand before painting and now I’m telling you that there is an alternative. This Slick Stick stuff by Dixie Belle will adhere to even the shiny, slick surfaces like laminate and glass and tile! Which means you don’t need to worry about ANY sanding. If you use this product then your steps will be: wipe the laminate furniture clean, paint a coat of this Slick Stick stuff, paint a couple of coats of paint, then seal and you’re done.

Wrap-Up

Painting laminate furniture is just the same as you would with any wooden piece except you lightly sand instead of having to sand all the way down. You still have to sand, even if you’re painting with chalk paint, but it’s simple and fast.