Kitchen Tweak: How to Paint Laminate Cabinets
I did a little decorating tweak in my kitchen over the weekend.
I wanted to make the kitchen feel a bit more easy and breezy for the summer months. The tweak was just that…a tweak… nothing too drastic. I simply removed 2 cabinet doors to create the look of open shelves.
This is the opposite side of the kitchen. I love what I did to the open shelves here about a year ago and thought I would expand upon the idea. The orange backdrop is removable.
- You can read about how to do it in this post: Instant Color Swap On Open Shelves
For this side, I removed the cabinet doors to create the look of open shelving. I put the cabinet doors in storage in my basement so I can put them back on someday when I tire of the open shelf look.
I chose this cabinet to expose since the contents were white plates and glasses that would look nice on display. What is hidden behind the other cabinets in my kitchen is not as orderly. :-)
When I painted my kitchen cabinets years ago, I didn’t even know about chalk paint. If I did I probably would have used it to paint the cabinets. Since I painted them the traditional way with a primer and latex, I stayed with it to keep the finish the same.
The cabinet doors are wood, but the insides of the cabinets are made of laminate. Here are the steps I used to successfully paint the laminate so it would adhere for a long time.
How to Paint Laminate Cabinets and Shelves
I painted the cabinets white 15 years ago. They have held up well so I used the same products to paint the inside of this cabinet. I used a latex “bonding” primer and a semi-gloss paint finish.
A bonding primer is crucial. I always use Glidden Gripper. It works great and is affordable. For the paint color, I used Pure White.
1. Use 100-grit sandpaper on a hand sanding block to rough up the laminate surface. You just need to scratch the surface to provide some “tooth” for the paint to grab onto. A 5 minute going-over is all that is needed.
2. Clean surface well and let dry.
3. Use Spackle or wood filler to fill holes where cabinet door hinges were attached. When dry, sand to smooth and then prime and paint.
4. Use a 2 – inch angled brush to apply a light coat of primer to the inner corners and edges of the cabinet and a foam roller to prime the flat surfaces. Let dry. Add a second light coat of primer, let dry.
5. Apply 2 light coats of paint, letting the first coat dry, before applying the second. Let second coat dry overnight.
6. So you won’t have that “icky-sticky” latex paint problem that happens when you place items on latex painted surfaces and remove them, seal the top of each shelf with water-based poly. You don’t have to do the sides of the cabinet, only the surfaces on which the items will sit. One or two light coats will be enough. Let dry for at least 24 hours before placing items back on the shelves. If it is humid, wait even longer to ensure the paint and poly are fully dried.
An easy and budget-friendly way to give a kitchen a fresh look for summer. The plant by the sink is a Lemon Cypress. It thrives in the sunny window. I have 3 of them on my counter by the sink.
The peonies are real… from my garden :-) I wish they would last forever. The dishtowel is from Walmart.
I plan to keep the back of the shelves white for the summer, but come fall I think I will add some color just as I did on the open shelves on the opposite side of the kitchen.
Do you like to change up your kitchen for the summer?
More budget friendly kitchen decorating ideas:
If you enjoyed this post you may also enjoy the easy to follow DIY Decorating Tutorials and Creative Ideas on my blog, In My Own Style.com Republishing this article in full or in part is a violation of Copyright law @2009-2015, all rights reserved
