Painting - painting kitchen "laminate" cabinets

My kitchen is about 12 years old. The cabinets are white and the material has a coating on it--over time some places have yellowed or I have small cracks. Can I sand these type of cabinets down and repaint them. Unfortunately I don't know the exact name for the type of material but they have a finish. I had one kitchen seller tell me they can't be repainted but hopefully she is wrong. I have "heard" they have to be resprayed. Can anyone help me?

Its not often I come across a surface that can't be painted, but to determine how, I need to know what it is. Its makes it tough by not being able to see it. Any info on what the laminate is? Wood, plastic, metal, etc.?

The kitchen seller is trying to do what they do ---sell kitchens. :wall: Given the age of the kitchen If it is not formica that is covering the cabinets then it is probably RTF [ridgid thermo foil]unless it is real junk .RTF is A thin material that is sucked down onto the mdf door to produce a very durable product. It is probably this if the doors have any kind of pattern in them.RTF is much better than melamine which is thinner and cheaper but still paintable.

Sanding them lightly would be ok I think but may be unnecessary if you used a product lik BIN or bullseye 123 both from zinsser [please search for particulars of these products] after thoroughly cleaning and degreasing them. Filling in the cracks with bondo would be a better idea.IMHO

The cracking and or yellowing usually occurs near the stove and are probobly caused by heat produced by the oven during every day use and especially when they are self cleaning. The doors on the cabinets around the stove should be left open to minimize but not eliminate this problem.

When it comes to painting kitchen cabinets there is much information already on this site just use those 3 words in the search window at the top. More than likely the answer is there. If you have any questions after searching this is the place to get them. You may find some ideas you haven't even thought of there too.

The 2 primers mentioned above will stick to glass so I can see no reason that your cabinets cannot be painted using either one as a bonding primer. I prefer the bullseye 123 it is water based and goes over all finishes. Bin is shellac based and the fumes produce are explosive. When in doubt hit the bullseye It is also important that your doors are 1 solid piece and not raised panel doors with a floaring panel in the miiddle and moving joints at the corners. These don't paint well and will crack pretty soon after painting. I an sure you don't have them but I thought i would mention it anyway.


Spraying will produce the best finish, but using melamine[self leveling] type paint will produce a finish that rivals a sprayed finish and is more durable than ordinary oil or latex paint.Using foam rollers and brishes of different sizes and makes quick work of painting cabinets. Spraying is not worth it besides if you are not painting the inside you have to protect that along with everything else in sight :wall:

how do you determine the material from which your cabinets are composed? mine are from the late '60s. dark faux wood. is this laminate. rounded over edges and a groove around the inside edge of the door face.

the mfgr is a local company, but I think they went out of biz decades ago. i found a sticker inside one cabinet, but no other info. the drawers have a bottom that resembles cardboard or that stuff that they use to make pegboards. kinda looks like string on one side.

can this be painted? how long to cure before re-installing for functional use?