Sanding Laminate Wood

If you paint a piece of real wood furniture or cabinetry the wood will absorb some of the paint or primer into its pores which creates a tight bond and helps the paint stick to the wood.

Sanding laminate wood. Laminate is a slick and non porous surface so it s best to lightly scruff the surface. A laminate floor may look like hardwood but it isn t and you can t treat it the same way. That means no sanding. Sand the surface lightly just to scuff it up a little to make the stain adhere better.

Laminate on the other hand does not have a porous surface so it s harder to get paint to stick to it. Then re try painting the cabinets. The best way to refinish the floor is to strip off the remaining factory shine and re coat it with a floor sealer and high gloss floor finish. A laminate floor should be treated like a no wax kitchen floor.

Wipe the furniture down with a tack cloth to remove any fine debris from sanding. Hardwood floors can be sanded stained and coated with polyurethane. Use a 120 grit sandpaper and gently sand the surface of the cabinets in a circular motion. Never sand it or the look of the floor will be ruined.

Because it s often somewhat glossy looking and important to sand it down until the finish is very dull before priming. I use 150 220 grit sandpaper to sand the laminate because it s the best way to get the primer and paint to adhere properly. Not much area is covered in the sanding so this can be done just as easily with sandpaper or a sand block. Be careful not to over sand.

These bookcases are made of a particle board like composite with a faux wood laminate. Lightly sand the entire piece. I sanded the top surface in the direction of the wood. Do not oversand which can easily permanently damage the thin laminate surface.

To begin i gave each bookcase a good sanding with my orbital sander hands down my favorite power tool. Trust me this step will ensure your paint job lasts. The hardwood design on most laminate planks is basically stamped on and coated with super hard floor finish and trying to fix it with a sander is like trying to fix a painting with an eraser. You can sand prime and paint laminate as if it were a solid wood piece of furniture.

Do sand the cabinets to create a strong bond between the paint and your cabinet you ll need to roughen up the slick laminate with the help of a gritty companion.