Can my cupboards be painted?

Hi Mary Beth,

If it looks like wood, it's probably veneer. Here's an article about how to fix veneer:

http://salvagedinspirations.com/how-to-fix-peeling-or-chipped-veneer/

Once the veneer is repaired and sanded smooth, you can start the rest of the paint job. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/paint-veneer-cupboards-48826.html

Hope that helps.

I think that Linda has overestimated your cabinets Mary Beth. If you say that the material looks like Contact Paper it probably is. I had a manufactured home that used particle board for everything but the doors and they wrapped it all with a plastic film like Contact Paper. The doors were a really nice solid oak.

You can paint but I would expect that perfection will remain elusive. It's the same procedure as painting anything -- sand, sand, sand, clean, prime, paint. What I think will happen is some of the plastic wrap will come loose easily and some will hold on for dear life. Best you can do is remove anything that wants to come off and try to sand smooth anything that doesn't. Best of luck to you and let us know how it goes.

https://homesteady.com/how-5507137-repair-veneer-cabinets.html

It could be that you have thermofoil cupboards. The best solution is to remove the thermofoil and paint the mdf underneath. Here is a link for removing the thermofoil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ueq3I7QiGfk

Sand the places that are peeling and if necessary add plastic wood to make an even surface...I would use a chalk paint product with a polycrylic sealer.....other than sanding to repair blemishes and/or hardware holes, no other sanding is required...

You remind me how fortunate I am to be living in southeast PA where weather events seldom threaten the house structure.

I like to be thinking about upcoming projects and planning the process while still working on other things. It's good to have a plan. I actually bought the tile saw I used for my bathroom over three years before actually using it.

If I had stayed in that house I really wasn't sure how I would handle a kitchen redo. I dislike particle board more every time I encounter the stuff but the kitchen design was efficient and reasonably attractive so it was tough to justify replacing everything. Loved the oak doors so I probably would have kept them and did a refacing of the frames with real oak, replacing shelves and sidewalls with oak plywood as needed.