So you have a piece of laminate furniture.  Maybe it’s from IKEA, maybe it’s from college, maybe it’s one of those French Provencal bedroom sets from the 90’s that has a laminate top (I had that entire set as a kid).  No matter what piece you have, it may be time for a new look.  This post is all about how to paint laminate furniture to get the look you love.

I’ve been updating older posts (and video tutorials) and this one was one of my most popular videos on YouTube, I painted this desk which had a laminate top.  If you want to see one of my original video creations, you can watch here.  Here’s the thing about this desk though, it was given to us by a friend, I painted it and it’s now my daughters desk.  She has used it since the makeover in summer of 2016, and she is HARD on it.  It’s held up great!  The top (which was the laminate) hasn’t peeled, chipped or even scratched.  So I can vouch for this being a tried and true method for updating any piece of laminate furniture you have around the house (or garage). 

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Okay, on to today’s piece.  This is a sewing table, not much for functional storage space, but great for a cute accent table or bedside table.  The top is laminate and the bottom is wood.  It really wasn’t in bad shape, but I wanted to give it an updated color.  

How to Paint Laminate Furniture

Supplies:

• 120 grit sandpaper
• 220 grit sandpaper
• denatured alcohol
• spray bottle
• paper towels
• Purdy XL Cub
• General Finishes Milk Paint
• High Performance Top Coat

Here’s the video tutorial:

Step 1: Sand down the laminate with 120 grit sandpaper.  Sanding by hand is fine, but really scratch it up well.  This will give the paint something to stick to.  Sand the rest of the piece with 220 grit sandpaper. Your laminate will look something like this:

Step 2: Clean your piece with a mix of denatured alcohol and water.  Get all the dust off, all the dirt and cobwebs too. Let it dry for just a minute.

Step 3: Start painting! I’m using General Finishes Queenstown Gray Milk Paint for this piece. I love this dark charcoal gray, it’s a really pretty color.  Just paint like you would any other piece, section by section until you get full coverage.  I’m using a Purdy XL Cub to paint this laminate furniture. 

Step 4: Let dry, and repeat.  Two coats are usually all that’s necessary.  I’ll be honest, I only did one coat on this table.  I liked a little of the grain showing through.

Step 5: Top coat it with High Performance Top Coat if you think it’s necessary.  I like to topcoat the darker colors to help keep it dust free and give it a little shine.  I also think for a side table it will help it last a bit longer.  

What a difference a little paint makes!  So, which laminate piece of furniture are you going to paint next?  

Thanks for stopping by!! Be sure to share this post with a friend who may need a little encouragement when it comes to her laminate furniture!!  Remember, you can paint just about anything 😉

Until next time, 
Jenni