How to Paint Laminate Furniture

2 Materials
$50
3 Hours
Easy

At Home with Ashley-- Let’s be honest- I’ve painted laminate furniture before and followed tutorials... and I’ve still had issues with the paint coming off when scratched. When my mom asked me to paint her laminated desk I was a little hesitant. Let’s look at a before picture:

Its not bad right? I actually adore this desk. But it is 10 years old and there were a TON of scratches and banged up areas. Here’s a close-up:

My trick to painting laminate furniture so the paint stays is as simple as using chalk mineral paint! I didn’t sand or anything. I started by cleaning the desk and hutch really well. Then I jumped in with the first coat of chalk mineral paint. I painted it white per my mom’s request, so its not a huge difference besides the scratches being gone. For really shiny laminate, I recommend priming with Slick Stick to make sure the paint doesn’t scratch.

I ended up doing 4 full coats of paint before I was happy with the coverage. I then went over it with 2 thin coats of Clear Coat Satin. The paint looks flawless and I think it’ll stand up to 10 more years of use.

What I love about this DIY is that it's so simple! It was a really affordable way to give new life to an old piece of furniture. I’m sure that chalk mineral paint will work as well on Ikea furniture too! Or even a laminated piece from the thrift store. It took me a few hours to do, but it was definitely less expensive than going out and buying a new piece.

Suggested materials:
  • Fluff Chalk Mineral Paint   (https://dixiebellepaint.com/fluff-chalk-paint/)
  • Satin Clear Coat   (https://dixiebellepaint.com/satin-clear-coat/)
Dixie Belle Paint Company
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  2 questions
  • Charlene Charlene on Jul 01, 2019

    Where did you get the Dixie bell chalk paint?

  • Palomino714 Palomino714 on Jun 28, 2020

    is minerial chalk paint same as just chalk paint?

Comments
Join the conversation
Next