The most common question about painting laminate and Formica furniture is, “Will the paint stick to it?” I always get this question from prospective buyers, and there is generally a bit of a concerning tone to it.
Some people think laminate is an inferior product compared to wood, so they are concerned about the overall quality of the furniture. We have painted hundreds of pieces over the years, so let’s settle this once and for all.
In all the years of painting furniture, we have not had a single complaint about paint adhesion to laminate or the overall quality of laminate furniture being inferior.
There is absolutely no need to fear vintage pieces made of these materials. Why?
Laminate and Formica Tops Were Ubiquitous
Back in the day, laminate was a popular product for many furniture manufacturers. Almost every piece of vintage faux bamboo furniture, like Bali Hai, Thomasville, and Dixie Aloha furniture pieces, has laminate tops. Vintage faux bamboo dressers, nightstands, and armoire tops almost all had laminate tops.
Many mid-century modern (mcm) pieces have formica tops, especially the mid-grade vintage mcm pieces have formica tops.
Laminate is Indestructible
Laminate ( and Formica) is a tough, almost indestructible material. Remember, we used to use it in kitchens till recently. It’s still the countertop material of choice for landlords and apartment managers. When you see laminate countertops in dated kitchens, they don’t look bad for the abuse they got.
In terms of durability, in my opinion, for furniture tops, there is no better material than laminate, so much so that we have incorporated laminate in some of our newly made furniture.
Painting Laminate Requires Good Prep
Sanding is essential for adhesion. Laminate and Formica’s surfaces are slick. They are not porous like wood, so the paint doesn’t sink into the grain like it would if it were to be wood.
Sanding creates “teeth” for the primer to adhere to, and primer creates the surface for the paint to adhere to. Neither sanding nor priming is optional, in my opinion.
Our prep for every piece of furniture – wood, laminate, vintage, antique, new, and everything in between, is precisely the same. It involves thorough sanding and priming (and more sanding), so we don’t have to worry about longevity.
We use Professional Grade Products
We don’t use and have never used, latex wall paint for painting vintage furniture. Our products are made for professional cabinet painters and furniture refinishers only.
Nitrocellulose pre-catalyzed lacquer is the product of our choice. It is also the preferred product (in matte sheen) of many professional kitchen cabinet painters, if that tells you anything. It is used for factory-made kitchen cabinets and most commercially made lacquered furniture.
Final Thoughts
With proper prep and the use of professional quality materials, your laminate top furniture paint finish will last as long as a solid wood piece of furniture.