How do you refinish/restore melamine cupboards?

Are you sure they are not Formica?

I have white Formica on my kitchen cabinets installed in 1973. I am thinking about bead board wallpaper and painting. Then outlining door with a thin board. Has anyone done such a thing?

I have painted my Formica cabinets. Lightly sand surface, prime with Bin (or the like) then use an oil base paint of whatever color you want. Didn't chip and they washed easily. That was 25 yrs ago. Wow...guess it's time for a change again!!

Research Rustoleum's Cabinet Transformations. The kits come in both light and dark finishes, includes everything you need, and can be used on any type surface. There is little prep required, no sanding (unless you want to), and no warning about using in a well ventilated area. I had great success with my laminate bathroom vanity with this product.

http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/transformations

It is important to know if the type of laminate is formica or melamine. Formica is a better product and you have a better chance of getting a good durable finish. In addition to the rustoleum site mentioned by Eloise, there are other sites that can help you through the process. Here's another: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/29772-dream-it-do-it-how-to-paint-laminate/#.WUQAA-grJPa

I would suggest a good sanding and use boat paint with a water resident clear coat. Several layers of paint sanding between and same w the clear coat.

I have used bead board wall paper and used lattice boards to frame them. They look nice but the wallpaper is sort of spongy and nics easily. This is not a great pic but you get the idea

How to recognize melamine or stratified/laminate (formica is a trade mark) ? Melamine is dirctly coated on the compressed aglomerated wood panel. You can see it viewing the nude width of the panel : if you can't see any other material coating the wood panel, then it's mlamine. If you can see about 1 mm coating on the panel, or if it's a decorated surface, it's stratified/laminated. On doors, it's the same, except if you have moulding on them. Int his case it's a hot laquering (made of a powder passed in a hoven) looking like malamine.

In all these cases, if you want to cover it up, you'll have several options : paint with a special primary coating or a single resine paint, self ashésive covering paper (avoid it in kitchen or bathroom and other "very used furniture because it always finish by peeling off in a way or an other...), or an other stratified/laminate covering, but only if the primary stratified/laminate in in perfect state (but this can only be made by a qualified specialst; It csot a lot, and generally, it's better to change furnitures...). for doors, if you want to keep mouldings, you can only use one of the two paint method. Otherwise, you can fix a thin pannel on it using contact glue, and then paint it. You can also change the doors (it's generally standard dimensions...) and leave the bodies of the furniture in sate, covering view sides with an materials of your choise. For a perfect job I would recomand to replace doors, and cover viewed side with other materials. If your "on a budget", paint your doors with one of the two method, resine paint beeing the best choice.

I hope this wil help you...

Ok thanks! Wow, that's a lot of information. I will look into it more to determine what type of cabinets I have.

My next question is what product can I use to fill in the little nicks on the edges of the mouldings or on the surfaces of the cabinets?

If painting, there's paintable wood putty, but may make rough, "flat" spots under paint. Small enough to be sanded? Make sure what you're sanding is wood. If particle board, will chip/flake paint off. I like Zinnzer primer underneath paint on fake wood. Get on labeled for over shellac/varnish.

Good to know. Thank you!