Best Paint for Laminate Furniture
Laminate furniture can be tricky to paint due to its slick and smooth surface. So what’s the best paint for laminate furniture? A paint that has excellent adhesion, and durability! Luckily, there are specific types of paint for furniture that are perfect for laminate surfaces.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the top options for painting laminate furniture, as well as some tips and tricks for a successful and long lasting finish. Get ready to transform your laminate pieces with these paints!
What Paint to Use on Laminate Furniture
Once you prime the laminate with a primer that sticks well, you can honestly paint it with almost any paint. Some paints are better than others though!
I personally wouldn’t use regular latex (wall paint) because it’s not very durable and it doesn’t stick very well, even to primer. Update: Learn the secret to painting furniture with latex paint here.
I know there are so many different types of paint, and then multiple brands of each of those types of paint. It’s overwhelming. So today, we’ll be sharing the best types of paint you should consider for your laminate furniture makeover.
Best Paints for Laminate Furniture
I’ve tested so many different paints, and here are what I think are the best paints for laminate furniture.
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Heirloom Traditions Paint
Heirloom Traditions Paint has blown me away for painting laminate furniture! I have been able to paint directly onto slick laminate furniture, and after 48 hours, the paint isn’t scratching off!
That’s amazing! Most paint can’t stick directly to laminate without easily scratching off. Scuff sanding the laminate with 220 grit sandpaper before painting will make it stick even better! Learn more about why sanding before painting furniture is important here.
You can brush, brush and roll, or spray it on. I prefer spraying it (thin it with 15% water for a perfect sprayed finish). Here are the best HVLP paint sprayers for furniture you can use. Once the paint is dry, it has a nice satin finish that’s durable.
Price wise, it’s comparable, maybe even cheaper than other options. Their color line is a little limited though, but I’ve been very happy with the colors they do have. Learn more about painting furniture with Heirloom Traditions paint here.
Makeovers Using Heirloom Traditions Paint
- Heirloom Traditions All In One Paint Review
- All in One Paint for Furniture
- Painting Furniture Black
- Heirloom Traditions Paint Before and Afters
- Redoing End Tables
Fusion Mineral Paint
Fusion Mineral Paint is another awesome option. They have so many colors to choose from – here are the best Fusion Mineral Paint colors you can use for your next project! It has excellent adhesion, and it’s very durable. You do need to prime/scuff sand before using it on laminate though.
It dries to a matte but durable finish that doesn’t need a top coat (I like to topcoat it, though, because matte finishes get dirty looking so easily!) Check out our Fusion Mineral Paint review for more details on this paint.
It can be brushed (Staalmeester paint brushes are the best with Fusion Mineral Paint), rolled, or sprayed (thin with 10% water). Here’s spraying Fusion Mineral Paint to see how to apply this paint with a sprayer.
Makeovers Using Fusion Mineral Paint
Enamel Paint (Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel)
Enamel paint (my favorite is Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel) is another great option. You can get it tinted in whatever color your heart desires. It comes in multiple sheen options (always go up a sheen with this paint though) and once it’s cured, it acts like an oil based paint would.
It’s an alkyd paint, and I don’t understand all the chemistry, but it acts like a water based paint when wet, and then after it evaporates and dries, and produces a very durable oil-like finish.
Sanding/priming before using is a must. Learn more about painting furniture with enamel paint here, including sanding and priming for the best results.
It can be brushed, rolled, or sprayed (I like to thin 15%), and it has AMAZING self leveling technology, so even when you brush it on, the brush strokes will level out. Check out the best paint brushes for painting furniture here and the best rollers for painting furniture here.
Learn more about this best Sherwin Williams paint for furniture, including how to use Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel on your furniture makeovers.
Makeovers Using Sherwin Williams Emerald Trim Enamel
Best Spray Paint for Laminate Furniture
Spray paint works well on laminate furniture too. I tested out a few different popular spray paints, and Behr was one of the best.
Spray paint is oil based, but you don’t really have to worry about cleanup, except if you get it on something you shouldn’t have.
Depending on the brand you go with, there are quite a few colors and different sheens available. It produces a nice brush free and texture free finish, and it goes pretty quickly. The adhesion and durability are also excellent. But I still recommend sanding/priming beforehand. Here’s how to spray paint laminate furniture for a successful makeover.
(Check out that test I did to see the best spray paint for wood furniture and how it sticks to finished wood furniture without sanding or priming.)
Other Paint for Laminate Options that Need Topcoat
There are more paint options that can work well on laminate furniture, but they may need a topcoat to fully protect the finish. So be ready to add a topcoat if you choose to use these paints.
Learn more about topcoats for painting furniture in this post, and learn how to spray polyurethane here and how to apply polycrylic to painted furniture here.
General Finishes Milk Paint
I love General Finishes Milk Paint! It’s an acrylic paint (don’t ask me why they call it milk paint). Another very similar paint with more paint colors is Paint Couture Paint (love that stuff!)
The self leveling technology in it is amazing! You can brush it on and the brush strokes will basically all disappear. It has excellent adhesion and can stick well to finished wood furniture without scuff sanding.
The bummer is that it needs a topcoat (waterbased polyurethane or wax) when used on high traffic surfaces. And their color selection could definitely be updated.
It can be brushed, rolled, or sprayed. And I would still sand/prime before using it on laminate furniture.
Makeovers Using General Finishes Milk Paint and Paint Couture Paint
- Painting with General Finishes Milk Paint
- Painted Antique Buffet Makeover
- DIY Cedar Chest Makeover
- Paint Furniture Black
Chalk Paint
Chalk paint. I have a love-hate relationship with it. My favorite brand is Country Chic Paint. It has excellent adhesion, it’s so versatile and it dries quickly. It’s very beginner friendly.
Until you have to topcoat it (waterbased polyurethane or wax). Then it’s annoying. And you’ll definitely need to sand/prime before using chalk paint on laminate furniture. Check out my honest and detailed Country Chic Paint review here.
But there are so many color options between all of the different brands of chalk paint. It can be brushed, rolled, or sprayed (thin with water before spraying). Read through this post to learn more about how to chalk paint laminate furniture.
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Chalk paint also comes in spray cans. Check out this chalk spray paint review and comparison to learn your options!
Makeovers Using Chalk Paint
Best Paint for Laminate Cabinets
You can use the same paints for laminate cabinets as you would use for laminate furniture. Refer back to the list above.
How to Paint IKEA Laminate Furniture
You can paint IKEA laminate furniture the same way you paint laminate furniture. Learn more about painting IKEA furniture here.
Can you Paint Directly onto Laminate?
Mostly, no. Heirloom Traditions All In One Paint is the only paint I would trust to paint directly onto laminate. If you use anything else, you’ll need to scuff sand and/or prime beforehand. (More on the scuff sand and/or prime below). Here’s how to paint a laminate dresser where we sanded and primed first.
Will chalk paint stick to laminate furniture?
Nope. I would love to say it does, but I haven’t seen a chalk paint actually adhere that well. But here are the best chalk paint for laminate furniture options, with tips on how to use chalk paint on laminate.
How do you get paint to stick to laminate furniture?
You’ll need to, at the very least, scuff sand with 220 grit sandpaper, or use an excellent primer that will stick to the laminate while giving the paint something to hold onto.
Both scuff sanding and priming will give you the best results. 24 hours after painting, paint shouldn’t scratch off with just your fingernail scratching at it.
If it does, then there is a good chance that it will scratch off even after it’s cured 30 days later. If it only barely scratches off after 24 hours and you’re scratching really hard at it, then after 30 days it will probably not scratch off at all.
You can test your paint this way to see if it will stick without sanding or priming beforehand.
How to Paint Laminate Furniture Without Sanding
Can you paint laminate without sanding? You can! You will need to use either a paint that will stick directly to the laminate (mentioned above in this post) or you need to use a primer that will stick to the laminate without scuff sanding beforehand.
After cleaning your laminate piece, use a high quality primer designed to adhere to slick surfaces like laminate. This will provide a good base for your paint to stick onto. You can use any type of paint on top of the primer, but the paints in this post will give you the best results.
Here’s how to paint laminate furniture without sanding for a detailed guide to painting laminated furniture but skipping sanding. And here’s how to spray paint laminate furniture without sanding if you’re using spray paint.
These are great for saving time and effort but keep in mind that scuff sanding and priming will be better in the long run.
Best Primer for Laminate Furniture
We keep mentioning priming when painting laminate furniture, but what is the best primer for this type of project? Check out this list of the best bonding primer for laminate furniture and pick the one that best fits your needs.
BIN Shellac Based Primer
BIN shellac based primer is the best primer overall for laminate and wood furniture. It is shellac based, so it is stinky, but the shellac helps the primer stick to laminate furniture (it has the best adhesion out of all the primers out there!) It’s thin, so it’s easiest to roll it or spray it on.
You can clean it up with ammonia or denatured alcohol. It dries quickly, and when you sand it, it sands into a fine powder instead of gumming up like oil based primers do.
Clear Shellac
Clear shellac is mostly known as a topcoat for wood. But it’s the base of BIN shellac based primer.
The only thing is that it’s clear instead of white, and it’s not quite as good at sticking to some things as BIN is. But I know it sticks well to laminate and wood very well. (It struggles to stick to plastics though.) And it doesn’t create as good of coverage as BIN does (because it’s clear.)
But I love to spray it on my laminate and wood furniture from the spray can. It’s so easy to spray on, and when it’s dry, it feels smooth.
STIX Primer
STIX primer is a waterbased primer with amazing adhesion. You can use it on laminate, ceramic… etc. Since it’s waterbased, cleanup is easy with soap and water.
They do say to scuff sand before using it though. I wouldn’t be surprised if it sticks to laminate without sanding. It’s white, and you can brush, roll, or spray it on.
Aqua Lock
I love the Aqua Lock black primer (it comes in white too). I used it on laminate, but scuff sanded beforehand. And it stuck well. It’s waterbased, and it can be brushed, rolled, or sprayed.
How to Tell if Furniture is Laminate or Veneer
Laminate is a plastic-like material. It can look like wood (wood color and fake looking wood grain), or it can be just a solid color.
The best way to tell if something is laminate is to look at it where you can see light reflecting off it. You’ll be able to see that it’s shiny or glossy looking (more than wood is.)
Most of the time laminate is completely smooth, with no wood grain texture that you can feel. Sometimes they put marks in the laminate to mimic wood grain, but it isn’t natural looking or feeling.
Wood veneer is a thin sheet of wood. So it has very similar characteristics to real wood. It has a wood grain texture that you can feel, and it usually isn’t shiny or glossy. It has either a matte or satin sheen usually.
It feels like wood. But if you look underneath or at the side of it, you’ll often see a thin line, usually 1/16” thick, on the outside or top edge. That’s the wood veneer that has been glued on top of something else (wood, particle board, or MDF, usually.)
You can typically see a thin line on the edge of the laminate as well.
If your furniture has veneer or particle board, you can learn about the basics of painting veneer furniture here and how to paint particle board furniture here. If you’re working with wood, check out this guide on what paint to use for wooden furniture.
So if you want to give your laminate furniture a beautiful new look, make sure to use one of the best paint for laminate furniture options in this list, along with a good primer. Whether you choose to sand or not is up to you, but always remember to clean and prime your furniture before painting for a lasting and durable finish.
More Paint for Furniture Resources
- Fusion Mineral Paint VS Heirloom Traditions Paint
- Beyond Paint Review
- Beyond Paint VS Heirloom Traditions Paint
- Benjamin Moore Advance Paint Review
- Best Acrylic Paint for Furniture
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