How do I repair and paint laminate?
by
Elizabeth
+2
This is my dresser I’ve had for 30yrs. If you look closely you can see how the drawers are chipping on the bottoms. I would like to repair the chipping and paint the whole thing so it will still look laminate. What paint will keep the look of the dresser and stick to the laminate? Thank you.
ELIZABETH: This product will work on laminate!
https://www.anniesloan.com/techniques/how-to-paint-your-kitchen-cabinets-with-chalk-paint
https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=paint%20laminate%20dresser
i glued ( covered) silver gauze mesh on my drawers and painted my dresser silver. just sanded it lightly and spraypainted with regular silver paint. looks fabulous and has lasted 13 years now.
Its not really the paint its the prep. Most laminate is designed to repel anything that might stick to it, (hence its shiny appearance and smoothness). If you sand the surface enough to break that smooth finish and give the new paint/primer something to adhere to, almost any type of paint will work. I strongly recommend using a primer coat to insure a good hold (primer is designed to adhere to surfaces that are less than ideal for paint). As far as the chips go, when you sand, you will most likely knock these off, resulting in large chips/indentations on your edges. Bondo (yes for cars) works great as a filler (use the type without fiberglass re-enforcement) and can be sanded to match your edges for a perfect finish. Don't be discouraged that the colors don't match, it will all be covered up with your paint/primer. Just take the time to sand it well using progressively higher grades of sandpaper. Start with 60-80 grit for the initial sanding and to knock down excess bondo, then move to a 100-120 grit, then a 240 grit before priming. Also a light sanding of 240+ grit between coats will give you a better finish. If you want the shiny appearance of your original laminate I would use 300-1200 grit sandpaper between coats (finer grit = glossier finish) Good luck.
Loneagle has got you on the right track. Bondo can be purchased in smaller than quart sized cans if you look for it. Also, don't forget that the higher grit you go on sandpaper, the more important it is to wipe it down with a wet microfiber cloth to get all of the dust off. After all that work, you want your end result to be completely smooth. You will probably also want to sand with a fine grit paper between coats of paint, too. Best of luck.