Are you thinking of giving a new look to one of your melamine furniture? Perhaps it has suffered a lot, it no longer fits the style you want for your home or you have simply gotten bored of seeing it. There are many reasons to want to give it a coat of paint. But, how to paint melamine furniture?
There is not much difference between painting melamine furniture and wooden furniture, although the surfaces of one and the other are very different. So much to differentiate them? We help you with that too. If you are convinced that your furniture needs a change, know the steps to get the best result.
How do I know if the furniture is melamine?
It is normal that one does not know a priori if he is facing a wooden or melamine piece of furniture. However, it might be interesting to know in order to choose the most suitable products to treat it and change its appearance. How to differentiate them then?
Melanin is the plastic layer used in the manufacture of boards for furniture and that covers these in order to fix and protect its design and finish. It is mainly used on chipboard and fiberboard, commonly known as mdf or dm board.
Furniture made from these melamine-coated boards is one of the most popular options today to furnish homes. Not only are they cheaper than solid wood, but they are also easy to work with and can have different finishes.
Once we are clear that it is a melamine piece of furniture, How do we distinguish it from a wooden one? The following features will be key to helping you do so:
- The melamine resin makes the boards have a totally closed surface without pores, unlike wood.
- To cover the edges or bare edges adhere to these cut-to-size tapes.
- Do you remember the price? It is likely that if he furniture was cheap be a melamine piece of furniture.
Step by step to paint melamine furniture
Can melamine furniture be painted? Of course, in fact the step by step to do it is very similar to the one followed in the wooden furniture but something simpler. Disassemble, treat and paint those are the basic steps to do it, but let's go one by one.
- Disassemble and remove the hardware. Ideally, you should disassemble everything you can so that it is more comfortable to reach all surfaces. Remove doors, drawers, and of course, handles, hinges, and other hardware whenever possible.
- Clean the furniture. It is important to remove any traces of dirt and grease that it may have and for this it will be necessary to wipe the surface with a damp cloth if it is not very dirty. Have you been in the kitchen or do you have a lot of accumulated dirt? Then it can be of great help to use a neutral cleaner.
- Fix holes and scratches. If the furniture is damaged, this is the time to repair it. Fill in the cracks if you have them with a bit of putty and a spatula and also the deepest scratches so that the furniture looks like new. Do so following the manufacturer's advice and respect the drying time before proceeding to the next step.
- Protect the floor and areas you do not want to paint. It is time to protect the floor so that it does not fill with dust or paint and to cover with masking tape those areas of the furniture that you do not want to paint.
- Lija. Melamine furniture has a fairly smooth surface, so a 100-grit sandpaper will be enough to sand the entire surface of the furniture you want to paint. This will help the products you apply later to set or adhere better. Once done, remove the dust with a vacuum cleaner or a cloth.
- apply primer. The primer is a product that is applied to help the paint take hold and is not essential in all cases. It can be applied with a brush, roller or even with a spray gun, whichever is more comfortable for you.
- Sand again. Use the same sandpaper again on the surface and then remove the sanding dust.
- Apply the paint. Ask your trusted hardware store what type of paint is best for the type of surface you want to paint, let them advise you! Most of them can be applied with a brush, roller, spray gun or spray. With a brush and roller the finish will be more homemade, while with a spray gun you will achieve a more professional result. Depending on the surface you want to paint and what its volume is, it could be worth it!
- Protect the furniture. It is not always necessary, but in certain cases applying varnish or wax is convenient to protect the furniture.
Now that you know how to paint melamine furniture, will you dare to do it on any in particular?