Can plastic(?) coated particle board kitchen cabinets be painted?
Question:My kitchen cabinets are 10 yrs old, made by Canac and have some kind of plastic coating over particle board. Is it possible to remove this coating and paint the doors? Can the plastic be painted over directly? The plastic coating has several spots that cracked or were ripped from the particle board and I am wondering how to improve them without buying all new doors (there are 14 drawers and 21 cabinets so refacing would be very pricey) Thank you for any assistance you can provide. Elizabeth
Answers:
It is likely melamine or something similar. My husband and I have painted melamine successfully several times. First use a good glue and clamps to readhere the spots that are lifting. Then sand to remove the shine and give the "plastic" some tooth. Make sure you clean all dust off before priming. Select an adhesion promoting primer. Ask someone in the paint department. They should be able to point you in the right direction. Finally, finish with a durable paint. Oil is always durable, but you can also consider a good latex enamel (Behr makes one).
Have you considered adding molding? If the doors are flat, you can add a decorative molding (just an inch or so wide). Just make a frame a couple inches smaller than the cabinet and glue it down or use finish nails to attach it. Paint it the same as the cabinets. This will make the door look more decorative.
Of course if your style is modern, you may prefer to leave them plain and just add new stainless or chrome hardware.
If you want a more country or even traditional look, you may want to consider following your paint with a glaze.
We did my in-laws kitchen cabinets with a buttery cream paint and a coffee glaze. It looks great! And it's still holding up almost two years later.
Hope that helps.
You can paint over them as long as you have removed any grease and slick areas. Lightley sand them first,patch any uneven areas with the proper spackling paste ,sand again then use Kilz water or oil based primer.Than paint. Bye
you cannot remove the plastic coating without causing more damage.
I suggest using "water putty" or "bondo" to make necessary repairs. This can be purchased at any Lowes or Home Depot. Sand repaired areas smooth and sand the other surfaces with a high grit sandpaper as to remove any gloss and to give primer a surface to adhere to. Primer, sand and paint with oil based cabinet grade paint. Hope this helps.
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