#TuesdayTipsWIthFallon

This is a pretty common question that I get, so I thought I would show you how to paint laminate furniture today!

First, let’s start with understanding what laminate is. Laminate is a smooth, non-porous product that is made to mimic the look of real wood. It is basically a “picture” of wood that is been glued to particle/board or MDF with a clear protective layer on top of it. Since laminate has a shiny surface and tends to be slick, it can be hard for paint to adhere correctly, so people tend to shy away from painting laminate because they are afraid the paint won’t stick. Don’t worry though, you can make it work, just make sure you follow these steps before you paint over it.

Step 1: Wipe down your surface with TSP.

Step 2: Sand your surface, with 120 to 150 grit sandpaper. Since laminate is non-porous, sanding breaks up surface and gives the paint the opportunity to adhere well by giving it something to grab on to.

Step 3: Vacuum or wipe off your piece really well to get all of the sanding dust off.

Step 4: I like to go the extra mile and clean my surface with Krud Kutter Gloss-Off just to make there is no extra shine, dirt or grime on the surface. I like to wipe off any access Gloss-Off to help speed up the drying process.

Step 5: About 10 minutes after the Gloss-Off has dried, add a bonding primer. There are a lot of different primers out there, but it’s hard to beat Zinsser BIN Shellac Primer, in my opinion.

Step 6: Once the primer has had ample time to dry, go ahead and start painting! Make sure you use a high quality furniture paint and a nice paint brush! After that, finish the project with a few coats of high-quality poly so that your finish will last for many years.

Thank you so much for stopping by for #TuesdayTipsWithFallon! Make sure you tune in every other week for a new tip! If you want to save this blog post, just pin it to your Pinterest page and/or feel free to share it elsewhere. Thanks again! Happy painting!!

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