Can you paint 70’s style wood grain laminate cabinets?

Lisa
by Lisa
These cabinets have good boxes or frames they are just ugly. The doors are plain with no molding.
  6 answers
    • Lisa Lisa on Nov 25, 2017

      Perfect! I really like the colors and texture of chalk paint.

  • 2dogal 2dogal on Nov 25, 2017

    I'd remove the pulls and update them. Putting molding on them a couple inches inside the edge of the cabinets would dress them up. Then I'd prime and paint them. When you take off the doors, make sure you number them to get them back in the same place.

  • 27524803 27524803 on Nov 25, 2017

    What Sal said.... you need to do a light scuffing with 120 grit sand paper and use a really good primer and paint... spraying would give the smoothest result

  • Deborah Deborah on Nov 25, 2017

    I had those same cabinets! Here is what I did. I scuffed up the glossy, slick finish with sandpaper. I bought some furring strips and just outlined the door's frame. I sanded again--just the strips and filled all the cracks with wood filler. I then coated all surfaces with Zinzer primer. The oil based one. Yes, it stinks, but it held up wonderfully. I then coated with a good quality cabinet paint, twice. Then, because I am such a messy cook, I put two coats of polyurethane in a semi gloss over top. That was twelve years ago and only one nick in all these years! It really has held up.

  • Lisa Lisa on Nov 25, 2017

    Thanks everyone! Since I probably do need to use oil based primer, I’m going to wait until summer so I can go outside on my covered patio. I love the idea of furring strips to give character. I will let you know when it is complete.

  • Patricia Berg-Smith Patricia Berg-Smith on Nov 25, 2017

    You would be better off refacing these with new laminate. A cabinet maker can help with this. Laminate cutter, Spray glue, a router is about all you need.