I ran into a little problem awhile back. We were using some borrowed dressers that the owners needed back, so I started searching for some replacements. I wanted something French country and curvy, and when I stumbled upon two dressers on KSL (Utah’s Craigslist) for $150, I was super excited. We went out and bought them, hauled them home, and then I realized that CRAP–these are not solid wood (as claimed to be by the original owners) they were all veneer! No wonder they were so shiny! I like to think that I can tell the difference, but it was dark when we got them.
I had this uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, feeling like I’d blown $150 on some crummy dressers, but after a little research, I decided to go for painting the veneer. I’ve painted veneer before–yes, with chalk paint, and it didn’t work very well. It just scratched right off. So I decided to follow procedure to the T. So follow along, and I will tell you how to paint laminate and veneer.
First, (after removing all the hardware) I lightly sanded down the surface. I have a hard time not sanding at all, after one too many bad experiences. What’s a few minutes sanding? Then I wiped them down and used a Deglosser. After that, I used an oil-based primer (Kilz brand) and rolled on 2 coats.
Now here is the crucial part which I have never taken stock in before…letting the primer dry for a full 7 days before putting on the real paint. It is tempting to skip this, but I did not want these dressers to turn out badly. I needed to redeem myself for the dumb purchasing error I’d made. So I waited. Paint takes longer to cure than you realize. I think I ended up waiting more like 10 days because of bad weather.
I lightly sanded the primer and wiped it again. Then I used my new paint sprayer to spray all those drawers and dressers. My sprayer is great–I will save that for another post.
I sprayed 3 coats and let it dry for a few more days. I then lightly distressed and sanded it again. Then I sprayed a polyethylene coat to seal it. I also decided to spray the hardware gold since the fake gold on it was flaking off pretty badly. I will probably replace it in awhile, but there are a lot of handles and that will add up $, so I’m going to wait on that.
Now for the real question: How has it held up? I didn’t really want to push my luck by taking a rake to it but so far it hasn’t chipped once. It has helped up beautifully and the fresh coat of paint looks amazing on it. Believe me when I say, this is a fool-proof way to get what you want. If you are painting laminate, don’t skip steps because it is worth your extra effort. If you take shortcuts you will end up regretting it, I promise.
How to Paint Laminate and/or Veneer:
- Sand & Degloss surface
- Oil-based Primer
- Let primer cure for 7 days (no less!)
- Paint over primer, several coats
- Seal with poly or wax
Good luck!
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Mandy @ Sugar Bee Crafts says
November 8, 2013 at 1:17 pmcan’t wait to hear about the paint sprayer
Mark says
June 27, 2014 at 10:40 amWhen I sanded, it made the surface rough. Which sand paper did ya used?
Mark
Heidi @ Honeybear Lane says
July 7, 2014 at 6:01 pmI tend to use between 80 and 220, depending on what I want. For this project I would probably use no higher than 120 but not 80. It needs to be rough so paint can stick to it!
Mary Beth Bernheisel says
August 2, 2014 at 11:32 amThanks for these tips! Did you still use chalk paint?
Heidi @ Honeybear Lane says
August 11, 2014 at 4:41 amNo, I actually painted with a regular latex paint on top of the Kilz oil-based primer.
Sallie says
March 10, 2015 at 10:58 pmThanks a bunch. I’m running into the same problem as you. I borrowed dressers from my parents when I first moved into my new home. Now they need them back and I can’t afford heavy wood yet. This will help me spruce up the veneer ones I’ve got to tie myself over until I can afford better ones.
Alison says
October 1, 2015 at 6:32 pmCan you share links to the supplies you used for this project? I would like to paint our Pottery Barn buffet that is black to a better color. No distressing just black and don’t want to pay someone $400 to do it for me!
Heidi @ Honeybear Lane says
October 8, 2015 at 8:18 pmUse an oil based primer (they sometimes are called laquer) but the best brands are KILZ or 123 Zinzzer. Paint that on and let it cure for a week. Then you can paint whatever paint you want on top.
Michelle Bruckner says
March 22, 2016 at 5:57 pmI still want to use chalk paint, if I sand and degloss, do you think it will stick?
Heidi @ Honeybear Lane says
March 23, 2016 at 3:16 pmIt should, chalk paint is supposed to stick even without sanding. You might want to test it in an area and wait a couple days. Then try to scratch it off. If it scratches off I would try sanding it. Laminate is tricky!
Abigail Tucker says
May 6, 2016 at 8:57 amThe white looks so beautiful and luxurious
Kim says
May 19, 2017 at 11:36 ama friend told be about deglosser, I thought that product could or would eliminate the sanding step?
Heidi @ Honeybear Lane says
May 28, 2017 at 9:59 pmIt helps…I think it just depends on how rough you feel it gets after using it. You have to make the call whether or not the paint has something that is gritty enough to stick to.
Genevera Hunt says
November 19, 2017 at 9:32 pmWhat type of sealer did you use. It’s such a controversy to seal over latex paint.
Heidi @ Honeybear Lane says
November 25, 2017 at 10:51 pmI actually don’t remember…I feel like I didn’t use one at all.
Keith says
May 16, 2018 at 9:21 amThank you. You have some good tips and this is the simplest, and least toxic method, that I have seen by far. Your cabinet looks amazing!
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Sandra says
March 29, 2019 at 3:11 pmWhy oil based kilz rather than water based?
Heidi @ Honeybear Lane says
May 24, 2019 at 9:11 amOil based will stick to anything forever! Laminate and veneer is such a smooth surface that regular paint doesn’t have anything to grip to.
Chris says
April 5, 2019 at 11:00 amWhat grit sandpaper did you use for the project?
Heidi @ Honeybear Lane says
May 24, 2019 at 9:10 amNot quite sure but 120 should work fine.