Peeling and Painting Laminate Kitchen Cabinets
We have cheap builder-grade laminate kitchen cabinets that are over 20 years old. The white laminate cabinet finish has been peeling off over time. Years ago I attempted to peel the laminate on a drawer so I could see if it could be painted. It turned out ok and held up great.
Since then I have been so ready for a kitchen remodel but no money for new kitchen cabinets. So I was ready to try the process of what I had tried on that one drawer on a bigger scale this time. Since then I had also learned some new methods that I wanted to try and am sharing with you today.
How to peel and paint laminate kitchen cabinets
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Our cabinetry consists of particleboard with white laminate glued on top of it. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was real wood underneath? Well, that is never the case. But thankfully beside the annoying peeling of the laminate, the cabinets were in good condition.
So I took the affected kitchen cabinet doors and drawers off and peeled them all down to the bare MDF surface.
Let me explain a bit more…
Materials needed for painting laminate cabinets:
- Kilz spray primer
- cabinet paint (I used INSL-X Cabinet Coat or Sherwin-Williams ProClassic Waterborne Interior Acrylic Enamel)
- paint sprayer (optional)
- fine and coarse sandpaper
- tack cloth
- Wunderfil wood filler
- spackling knife
- paintbrush and roller
Step-by-step process description:
When removing the hinges from the doors, make sure you put them in a safe spot so you don’t lose the screws and parts. I actually ended up replacing mine with self-closing soft close concealed hinges which were a bit pricey but well worth it. I believe that avoiding the cabinets from slamming shut also helps protect the finish.
Start out by peeling the laminate with your hands or a spackling knife, just make sure you don’t dent the surface. Don’t try to paint over the laminate, peeling it off is much better.
After that, I patched some of the uneven parts and dents with my favorite filler Wunderfil. It works so much better than any of the other wood fillers. This is also where you can fill your screw holes in case you want to add different cabinet hardware. (Check out my DIY wooden drawer pulls which are perfect for kitchen cabinets and super affordable to make at any size you want.)
Now it is time to give the cabinets and doors a really good sanding. Some of mine also had some type of glue residue left on them which I wanted to remove as well as getting the wood filler leveled with the rest of the MDF surface. Wipe everything with a damp cloth, let dry, and sand with a fine-grit sandpaper. After that wipe everything with a tack cloth to remove any remaining dust.
Then I spray primed the cabinet parts with my favorite Kilz Primer (HERE). The reason I like using spray primer is that the clean-up is much easier than putting think oil primer into my spray painter. I also definitely don’t like rolling or brushing this type of primer on. You get a much better finish by spraying it.
Make sure you shake the can very well and don’t get too close while spraying. Let the primer dry and sand lightly again before giving the cabinets another coat of primer. Then lightly sand again with very fine sandpaper to smooth out the grainy texture and wipe with another tack cloth.
When the priming is finished it is time to paint.
I wanted to use the same paint that I used for the cabinet frames years ago which is INSL-X Cabinet Coat. Since then I have also tried Sherwin-Williams ProClassic Waterborne Interior Acrylic Enamel and am really happy with the finish.
Both paints level out perfectly and give a nice smooth finish that matches my remaining doors and drawers which I didn’t have to peel yet.
I used a roller and brush to apply the paint. I would have loved to try my new sprayer for this one but it was too cold outside in the garage. And the roller worked really well because the paint levels perfectly and doesn’t show any roller or brush marks.
UPDATE: Since then I repainted my lower cabinets in sage green and for that paint job I used my paint sprayer. I actually used a regular latex paint followed by a polycrylic topcoat which also worked out very well. You can check it out in my two-toned kitchen makeover.
I also thought you might be interested to read my post where I replaced one of those basic white builder standard cabinet doors with a new custom MDF door from Amazon. I used the below door from a very helpful company which you can find HERE. Or read up more about it in my powder room post.
I’m also painting the front part of my kitchen island which is actually made from drywall. Do you I’m also painting the front part of my kitchen island which is actually made from drywall. Do you remember when I cut down the wall? I just want it to match the rest of the kitchen and make it look like it is part of the cabinet.
This part only needs one more coat.
I also bought a kitchen island post/leg that I need to attach to the other side of the cabinet yet. I’ve had it for months but just never got it done. {update: you can read more about what I did with the kitchen post HERE}
You can see the leg unattached on the right side. It also needs molding on the bottom and top.
So here is what my painted doors and cabinets look like so far. Do you notice something else? I added new golden knobs from Ikea. What I like about them is that they aren’t bright gold but a subtle champagne-gold.
You can’t tell the difference, right? Some are painted and some are still laminate!
I still have to add molding to where the cabinet meets the quartz. I have also since attached the post on the cover which you can see in this post HERE.
My favorite painting tips and tricks HERE
Since this post some things have changed. I added a new backsplash and painted the walls white (HERE)
Make sure to check out my 16 painting tips and tricks for kitchen cabinets to get some more helpful instructions.
That’s it for today.
Tschüß
(Youleeya)
Wow, I never would have even thought to peel and paint an entire cabinet!! But it looks great. And I bet your kitchen feels fresh and renewed too!
Wow–I totally can’t tell the difference–good work! And love the new knobs….such a fun, easy way to give the whole kitchen a new look 🙂
What a fabulous update. Your doors look so good now. Love your new knobs. I am excited about all the products you used. I will have to remember all those 🙂 Pinned!
Thanks so much Katja!
It looks awesome, love your pretty new knobs! Ikea is one of my favorite sources for reasonable knobs. Can you believe I’ve never tried spray primer?
You did an awesome job on them!! And I love the new gold knobs. I’ve been itching to paint my lower cabinets a dark gray and make the grout in our subway tile gray…and spray our handles gold. I doubt I’ll ever get around to it, but I think the dark gray would help to hide how in-the-hurt our cabinets are.
It looks great!! I’m impressed! Love the brushed gold with white. So much more striking than silver! Great work! Never heard of that paint!
Its impressive. Looks so much pretty. Kitchen Cabinets Design
Color me surprised! I didn’t even know you could pull off the laminate to repaint. YOu are so stinkin’ smart and the finish looks great. I’m also loving those new gold knobs and can’t wait to see your holiday decor. I am itching to get started, too!
Thanks for sharing! I’ve yet to successfully paint furniture. Love those new knobs, too!
Wow Julia I can’t tell a difference! What a bummer that your cabinets started doing that, but it looks so nice! Love the knob addition, can’t beat Ikea!
this is a lot of work Julia, peeling the laminate off; good idea & then paint them; they look very nice and love those knobs too, I saw them before and really like them! 🙂 just saw your Christmas décor in your dining room too; looking nice 🙂
Looks so bright and fresh! You did great!
wow what a tedious task but so worth it! they look great! love the new brass knobs!
Wow it wouldn’t even occur to me to peel back the laminate! The cupboards look great and I love the gold knobs.
This looks like hard-core work! I’m really loving the gold hardware against white cabinets lately…can’t decide if that’s the way I want to go in the new house but I really love the way yours looks!
Wow, I would have never, ever known you could peel laminate off like that. Great job, Julia!
Love the new gold knobs, Julia! It’s like jewelry for your kitchen. And great job on the cabinets. (Kilz primer is one of my favorites, too!)
Cabinet Coat is the best stuff! That’s what is going on my cabinets after the holidays. (I got mine through our local Benjamin Moore store) I’m relatively new to your blog and just love all your projects!
Thanks so much! I bought the cabinet coat at ACE for the first time years ago when I peeled the first drawer and painted the kitchen cabinet frame. Then they stopped selling it everywhere and I don’t have a Benjamin Moore store close to me.
I’m going to have to research that paint! I was just getting ready to pull the trigger on Benjamin Moore Advance for our bathroom cabinets (also for the kitchen when we start on it early next year). Also, love the new faucet!
I love the new hardware! Thanks for the tips on painting cabinets, I might try that one of these days!
Wow. I never thought about how you could peel off laminate. Great idea and such a smooth paint job. Love the gold hardware too!
Oh my heavens above!!!! You have given me hope!!! I have thought about trying to peel off my veneer on my kitchen cabinets and was terrified I would make a disaster. I despise that stuff. I did not live in this house long before I found out my coffee maker’s steam melted the bottom edge of one of my cabinets, then the other cabinet on the opposite side did the same from my table top rotisserie oven……. GRRRR!!! I don’t have an island (no room), tiny very narrow and short, galley type kitchen, so I just don’t have extra space for a simple coffee maker. Oh well. Thanks to you, there is now light at my narrow, dark, tunnel of a kitchen. And I love the new gold cabinet knobs. I love gold, but have chrome and can’t afford to replace anything now a days.
YIPPEE!!!
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Painting your own cabinets to give them a fresh look is a good idea but if you really need to update your kitchen then you can buy cabinets online and you’ll be able to find a good deal.
we have laminate cabinets, some are peeling but some are not. How hard is it to peel the laminate off the cabinets that are not peeling? Any tools that you used or any ideas to peel off the laminate easier?
Hi, I used a spackle knife to scrape and peel the laminate off and it worked really fast on my cabinets.
Good luck!
Thanks, I am really excited to see this post. I absolutely hate my cabinets but don’t have money to buy all new cabinets. One more question, was it just like particle board, or cheap wood under the laminate? That is what is under mine. I just want to make sure that it will still look as nice as your pictures
Did you have real wood under your laminate? I can’t tell. I don’t have nice wood underneath. I am not even sure what it is. Something cheap. I just want to know before I start scraping away
Hi and sorry for my lately response.
I don’t have nice wood rather just cheap MDF which was pretty smooth but I still lightly sanded it. Good luck!
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I ordered the same cabinet paint from Home Depot but when it came in the paint department at Home Depot aid that they didn’t have the cabinet paint in their system and would have to use trial and error to match my cabinets. Was Home
Depot able to match your cabinets?
Hi Millie, I’m sorry they gave you such a nonsense reply. There is no mixing necessary. I used the white it came in and if you are painting everything which is recommended anyways, then you don’t need to match the color.
Hey, Awesome job on the cabinets. Our cabinets are in the same state and they drive me crazy.. I was thinking about doing this but im not sure if our cabinets are wood and would do good with paint or if they are some cheap material (compressed wood, etc). Is there any way to tell?
Thanks
Sorry for the delayed response but I was away. They are actually wood composite but easy to paint.
We’re all your cab doors peeling? I want to do this but I’m wondering how difficult it might be to get the laminate off the fronts that aren’t peeling. Thanks, Clint
It worked great with a spackling knife for those parts. I didn’t have any problem
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Your countertops are gorgeous! Do you know what brand/color they are? Are you laminate cabinets from Ikea? Peeling really worries me when considering an ikea kitchen.
Thanks Shannon, the countertop is from Quartzmaster called galaxies:
http://www.quartzmasters.com/index.php/products/our-colors
My cabinets are cheap builder grade cabinets that came with the house, so I’m not sure where they are from.
Exactly what I was looking for! My cabinets are cheap made but are still structurally sound. I hated the idea of spending tons of $ especially with growing, rambunctious boys in the home 🙂 I’m going to experiment with it first on the guest bathroom 🙂
Thank you and good luck.
I’m in the process of doing exactly this with my very ugly green kitchen cabinets, but underneath the “wrap” remains a horrible sticky layer of glue which won’t just sand off. It’s taking me HOURS to remove with glue remover. Any ideas from more experienced DIYers?
Oh my gosh, I have no clue. Mine wasn’t like that at all. I’m sorry!
This is so great! I just have a questiom. How did you get the glue off the wood after removing the laminate front? We just bought our home and I don’t like the cabinets and would like to rredo them.
Oops…I guses you ready answered that. Sorry!
That’s ok, I hope it works out for you Carin.
I tried using kilz primer and it didn’t adhere to the cabinet. You can scrape it right off. What did I do wrong?
That’s strange Kimberly. Has never happened to me before. DO you maybe have a certain adhesive on your cabinets from the laminate? Maybe it should be sanded and cleaned better?
Hi, I am impressed with the work you done…and wish to do it in ky kitchen only question for you to answer what did youdone wih side panel and kickboard which are completely fixed cajt be removed how did you paint that areas?
thanks
Hi Sophie, I just cleaned that area, taped it and then primed and painted it.
I am planning on painting my kitchen cabinets, but would like to try and avoid all of the brush strokes and any unevenness that come with it. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Jeannine, I like using a foam roller to minimize any brush strokes and texture. Hope that helps.
Can you also peel the laminate off of cabinet boxes. I have some that are peeling near the bottom .
Hi Denise, I’m not sure why you couldn’t. It’s probably the same process especially since it’s starting to peel already. Good luck!
Hello
I was just wondering if you peeled the backs of your cabinet doors and if so how?
Hi Charly, I actually didn’t need to peel the back off the cabinets because they were in very good shape and you can’t even tell. Good luck!
Hi Julia, Like many others, I too have peeling cabinets and am grateful for what you have shared. My questions is what about the area in between the doors? Did you paint it as well? Wondering how the paint adheres to it. Thanks for being daring and patient enough to attempt this project!
Did you also peel and paint the cabinet dividers between the doors??
I am worried that if I don’t do this that the painted doors will not match the
base dividers.
If you did do them as well did the laminate here peel off as easy as the doors ???