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We have cheap builder-grade laminate kitchen cabinetsthat are over 20 years old. The white laminate cabinet finishhas been peeling off over time. Years ago I attempted to peel the laminate on a drawerso I could see if it could be painted. It turned out ok and held up great.
Since then I have been so ready for a kitchen remodelbut no money for new kitchen cabinets. So I was ready to try the process of what I had tried on that one draweron a bigger scale this time. Since then I had also learned some new methods that I wanted to try and am sharing with you today.
How to peel and paint laminate kitchen cabinets
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Our cabinetry consists of particleboardwith white laminate glued on top of it. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was real woodunderneath? Well, that is never the case. But thankfully beside the annoying peeling of the laminate, the cabinets were in good condition.
So I took the affected kitchen cabinet doorsand drawersoff and peeled them all down to the bare MDFsurface.
Let me explain a bit more…
Materials needed for painting laminate cabinets:
- Kilz spray primer
- cabinet paint (I usedINSL-X Cabinet CoatorSherwin-Williams ProClassic Waterborne Interior Acrylic Enamel)
- paint sprayer (optional)
- fine and coarse sandpaper
- tack cloth
- Wunderfil wood filler
- spackling knife
- paintbrushandroller
Step-by-step process description:
When removing the hingesfrom the doors, make sure you put them in a safe spot so you don’t lose the screws and parts. I actually ended up replacing mine withself-closing soft close concealed hingeswhich were a bit pricey but well worth it. I believe that avoiding the cabinets from slamming shut also helps protect the finish.
Start out by peeling the laminate with your hands or a spackling knife, just make sure you don’t dent the surface. Don’t try to paint over the laminate, peeling it off is much better.
After that, I patched some of the uneven parts and dents with my favorite filler Wunderfil. It works so much better than any of the other wood fillers. This is also where you can fill your screw holes in case you want to add different cabinet hardware. (Check out myDIY wooden drawerpullswhich are perfect for kitchen cabinets and super affordable to make at any size you want.)
Now it is time to give the cabinets and doors a really good sanding. Some of mine also had some type of glue residue left on them which I wanted to remove as well as getting the wood filler leveled with the rest of the MDFsurface. Wipe everything with adamp cloth, let dry, and sand with a fine-grit sandpaper. After that wipe everything with a tack cloth to remove any remaining dust.
Then I spray primed the cabinet parts with my favorite Kilz Primer(HERE). The reason I like using sprayprimer is that the clean-up is much easier than putting think oil primer into my spray painter. I also definitely don’t like rolling or brushing this type of primeron. You get a much better finish by spraying it.
Make sure you shake the can very well and don’t get too close while spraying. Let the primerdry and sand lightly again before giving the cabinets another coat of primer. Then lightly sand again with very fine sandpaperto smooth out the grainy textureand wipe with another tack cloth.
When the primingis finished it is time to paint.
I wanted to use the same paint that I used for the cabinet framesyears ago which isINSL-X Cabinet Coat. Since then I have also triedSherwin-Williams ProClassic Waterborne Interior Acrylic Enameland am really happy with the finish.
Both paints level out perfectly and give a nice smooth finish that matches my remaining doors and drawerswhich I didn’t have to peel yet.
I used a rollerand brush to apply the paint. I would have loved to try my new sprayer for this one but it was too cold outside in the garage. And the rollerworked really well because the paint levels perfectly and doesn’t show any rolleror brush marks.
UPDATE: Since then I repainted my lower cabinetsin dark sage green paint and for that paint jobI used my paint sprayer. I actually used a regular latex paint followed by a polycrylic topcoat which also worked out very well. You can check it out in mytwo-toned kitchen makeover.
I also thought you might be interested toread my postwhere I replaced one of those basic white builder standard cabinet doorswith a new custom MDFdoor from Amazon. I used the below door from a very helpful company which you can findHERE. Or read up more about it in my powder room post.
I’m also painting the front part of my kitchen island which is actually made from drywall. Do you I’m also painting the front part of my kitchen island which is actually made from drywall. Do you remember when Icut down the wall? I just want it to match the rest of the kitchen and make it look like it is part of the cabinet.
This part only needs one more coat.
I also bought a kitchen island post/leg that I need to attach to the other side of the cabinet yet. I’ve had it for months but just never got it done.{update: you can read more about what I did with the kitchen postHERE}
You can see the leg unattached on the right side. It also needs molding on the bottom and top.
So here is what my painted doors and cabinets look like so far. Do you notice something else? I added new golden knobs from Ikea. What I like about them is that they aren’t bright gold but a subtle champagne-gold.
You can’t tell the difference, right? Some are painted and some are still laminate!
I still have to add molding to where the cabinet meets the quartz. I have also since attached the post on the cover which you can see in this postHERE.
My favorite painting tips and tricks HERE
Since this post some things have changed. I added a new backsplash and painted the walls white (HERE)
Make sure to check out my 16 painting tips and tricks for kitchen cabinets to get some more helpful instructions.
I also recently wrote a blog post about updating a kitchen without replacing the cabinets. I’m sure you can find an idea to use for your kitchen remodel.
That’s it for today.
Tschüß
(Youleeya)
