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Design Dilemma: Painting Laminated Furniture
Design Hole reader, Diane, asked me to help her with some Do-It-Yourself advice on painting her grown daughter’s childhood furniture. She wants to redecorate the room now that her daughter is gone and paint the furniture possibly using a glaze.
The dilemma? How do you paint furniture, in general, and how do you paint furniture with a mix of materials? In this case that combination is pine and a laminate top. Laminate can be tricky to paint and needs special preparation and sealant.
While this is more of a how-to than a design issue, I’m happy to help. It’s an interest of mine, since I recently had a similar issue involving sealing a newly painted counter.
Glaze or No Glaze?
Diane also asked about using a glaze. Here I can put my creative opinion to good use. Don’t do it. Glazes are nice on kitchen cabinets and furniture when used to give a more dimensional, lived-in look. But it can be tricky, since the glaze is applied only in certain areas. So, unless you have experience I’d suggest keeping it simple.
Oil v Latex
I’m an oil-based paint girl. It smells, but you get a smooth finish. I even add a paint conditioner to slow down the drying time for an even smoother finish. (Oil paint can get gummy.) It wears longer than latex. I even prefer the clean-up. It’s faster and better than with latex, the thinner is disposed with the paint (latex included - check with your city for the right method). Latex gets washed down the drain. The down-side with oil is that it yellows over time. If you’re painting anything white, you’ll have to take that into account, and latex may be preferable.
Painting Laminate
There isn’t a great secret to painting laminate except to prep the surface carefully and seal it with polyurethane once it’s painted. You can even paint your kitchen counters with great results.
How To Paint Wood & Laminate Furniture
Here are step-by-step instructions. Diane, ask your paint dealer for any special tips regarding covering the pine knots. In my experience, one coat of primer isn’t enough. They’ll bleed through after a few months. Also, use quality, natural bristle brushes designed for oil or latex. Finally, use good quality paint.
- Sand with 100 grit sandpaper and use a tack cloth to remove all dust.
- Wash with TSP (trisodiumphosphate). Then rinse clear water and allow to dry completely.
- Paint surface with one layer of Kilz primer with a foam roller or brush.
- Using a good quality brush paint the furniture with two coats of latex or oil based paint. Allow plenty of drying time between coats.
- If you desire, apply a glaze following the product’s directions.
- Now you’re ready to apply the polyurethane to the laminate. Prep a fine quality, natural bristle brush by soaking it in mineral spirits. Remove the brush and wring it out lightly, just so it’s not dripping wet.
- Apply the polyurethane. Go with thin coats; do not over brush and slow down your brush strokes a bit. Apply 4-5 coats of polyurethane, letting each dry overnight, and sand with 000 steel wool between each coat. It will look very dull. The last coat of poly will not be “sanded” with the steel wool.
- Tip: When using polyurethane, do not shake or stir the can of polyurethane before application. Shaking a clear sealer like this may create unwanted bubbles in the finish.
- Allow final coat to dry at least 2 days before using.
Diane, I hope this helps you with your project. Don’t forget to send me photos of the finished furniture. (I should offer a prize to the first person to send an After photo. :))
In the meantime, If anyone out there has advice of their own to offer, please leave a comment. I have never painted with a glaze, so I can’t help out there. Can someone else?
7 Responses to “Design Dilemma: Painting Laminated Furniture”
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Posted by Anonymous on March 25th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Dear bronxelf,
I don’t think I will use glaze although a professional I spoke to suggested it as an option. Right now I am planning on paint solid color (after priming of course - Zinzar has been suggested by professional) of soft teal/green and then going over the pieces with raw umber stain to pick up the details. If I don’t like that look I may try painting the details on the pieces in a darker color. I have two nightstands to experiment on as I will not be using them in the room. I am also planning on using Latex (as I am an impatient person) rather than oil, then using several coats of polyurethane; flat or satin finish? Any suggestions? What do you think about latex versus oil? Diane
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Posted by Jennifer at Design Hole on March 25th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Hey Bronx Elf,
That door looks amazing. But, since there’s no “before” I’m sorry, you don’t qualify for the lounge suite I have in my prize room. :)
I guess I had better go get some T-shirts made!
Also, I’m interested to know your opinion of oil v latex. I’ve already made my opinion clear. Feel free to weigh in with yours.
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Posted by bronxelf on March 25th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Hi Diane,
Dead flat varnish is kind of a pain in the neck to find (though Modern Masters makes an excellent one.) Satin is easier. Stir, do not shake.
My best suggestion to you is to get some scrap pieces of wood (or little disks or something at your local craft store) and practice and compare looks until you get something that you’re happy with.
Always be sure to lay on your polyurethane in thin coats, with each coat going perpendicular to the one that came before. Sand in between each coat with silicon carbide sandpaper (wet) at 400grit for the first two coats and at 600 for the last one.
Get good tape. Make sure you have the right brush for the right job.
Make sure to use adequate ventilation (a respirator is not out of line) and a tack rag between each coat.
You *have to* learn to be patient. Have to. You cannot rush a job like this or you will hate the results. Go slowly.
Jennifer-
Great. Now I have to scare up before and after shots.Anyway, I tend to agree on the paint issue. Unfortunately, the reality of the industry is that oil paints are being phased out faster and faster due to environmental concerns. I do think they give a nicer finish, though.
Hey, I also work with lacquer, so I totally lose the Earth friendly sweepstakes.
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Posted by Design Hole Online » That’s Tight! » Design Dilemma: A Living Room Focal Point on June 24th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
[...] hot pink. Then, paint the entire desk dark brown. (See my post on how to paint laminated furniture here). Then, sand off the brown to reveal the red. [...]
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Posted by Diane on July 4th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Hello everyone, the job is completed and I have sent “after” pictures to Jennifer. I cannot take any credit though. I had a professional do the job and he surpassed my expectations.
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Posted by Design Hole Online » That’s Tight! » Design Dilemma Revisited: Painting Over Laminate on July 29th, 2008 at 11:09 am
[...] Last March, Diane asked me for help. She wanted to paint her daughter’s furniture and was looking for instructions. The tricky part was that the tops were laminate, while the rest was wood. She was looking for special instructions for painting over a laminated surface. You can read the entire post here. [...]
I’ve painted a lot with glazes.
The question really is what kind of look you’re trying to achieve here. Glazes are the basis for any professional faux finish but unless you’re looking for something specific, I’m not sure why they’re needed in this case. That being said, I’m used to making my own glazes, not using premade ones.
If I knew what kind of look was the goal here, I could be of more help. (I did faux finish work for nine years. I know from painting with glaze.)
Oh but since you’re asking for after photos of painting with glaze…
Do I get a prize? :)