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A Year in Review of How I Painted my Laminate Kitchen Cabinets with Two Methods

A year in review of our painted laminate kitchen cabinets. See how they have held up WITH primer and WITHOUT primer.

I’ve received a lot of questions over the past few months about how my painted laminate kitchen cabinets have held up. I decided that this post is long overdue being that it’s been well over a year since my first painting laminate cabinets with no prep work has been published.  So pull your sleeves up and sit down, I’m going to lay out the good, bad and ugly when it comes to a year in review of how I painted my laminate kitchen cabinets. Also, I’ll be discussing painting laminate WITH primer and painting laminate WITHOUT primer.

A year in review of my painted laminate cabinets

Let me first recap the two posts that I will be reviewing and share a before picture.

Most of you probably don’t realize that I’ve written two posts with two different techniques on how I painted our laminate kitchen cabinets.

BEFORE I painted my laminate cabinets
BEFORE

My first post on painting the cabinets with primer, then milk paint and then the top coat was a lot more expensive and time consuming than my other technique.

My second post, which included painting laminate cabinets without primer, was obviously much cheaper and less time consuming.

So which technique has held up better? Take one guess…

Should you paint laminate kitchen cabinets with primer or without primer?

The first technique I used to paint our kitchen cabinets (with primer) has held up like a champ.

Unfortunately I can’t say the same of the second technique, although it hasn’t been terrible.

Most of you are probably thinking, duh, adding primer is a no brainer. 

Well, that’s what I thought too before I started to paint my cabinets.  The first technique I used with the primer held up so well, that I thought, maybe the primer isn’t necessary.

I’ve done A LOT of research on how to paint laminate cabinets, and 4-5 times out of 10, the blogger or writer did not use primer.

So my justification was “ok, if half of bloggers who have done this before DID NOT use primer, and their cabinets look great, then maybe I’ll be ok without it.”

To understand how to paint kitchen cabinets or cupboards, you need to understand a little about laminate.

You can see a full video tutorial on how to paint laminate cabinets the right way here.

Here is the problem; the outer part of laminate cabinets (most of the time this is a  product called melamine, which is a form of plastic) are created from a thin film.  This film is bonded to the exterior surface of the pressed wood and it’s created to be resistant to anything bonding to it. So you can see why primer is very important when trying to paint over the “film,” which is practically plastic.

If you have real wood cabinets, and you sand them a little to create a rough surface for the paint to stick to, you might be able to get away without using primer.

For real laminate surfaces, always use a good bonding primer

If I had thought this through the second time I painted my cabinets, I would have used primer. I should have stuck with my gut and done the job right like I did the first time, even though it would have taken more time.

Honestly, my cabinets have been OK without the primer, but not perfect. Let me share a few pictures.

scratches from the painted laminate cabinets
scratches around the knob of the laminate cabinets

Pictured above are a few of the areas that have already “chipped” off. As you can see the child lock has rubbed the paint off of one of the cabinets. The other cabinet is frequently used so my guess is a fingernail scratched that paint off.

Of all my painted gray cabinets, those are the only two areas that have scraped off so far.  Although this is very minor and can be touched up, it is still a pain knowing that the paint will peel at the nick of a fingernail.

On the other hand, my white painted cabinets on the island are virtually indestructible.

My kids are in and out of these cabinets daily because this is where I keep their utensils. I wipe them down about every other day with a clorox wipe. I can scrape them with my fingernail and the paint or top coat doesn’t budge. If I didn’t know better, I would have never know they were painted. Seriously, the bond of paint to the cabinets is that strong.

So what do they look like today?

Painted laminate cabinet island

They look practically the same as the day I painted them.

which paint bonded better, milk paint or the latex cabinet paint?

Disclosure; this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not affect the price you pay. This disclosure statement refers to the rest of the Amazon links in this post. See more on my disclosure page.

I do believe the milk paint bonded a little better. But, that’s a hard question because I painted the milk paint on to primer, not the cabinets themselves. I was pleased with how well the latex cabinet paint bonded directly to the cabinet though.

I’ll recap my experience below:

Pros and Cons of painted kitchen cabinets WITH primer;

Method: Primer, milk paint and top coat.

Pros

  • bonded very well
  • has held up beautifully
  • no scrapes or scratch marks at all

Cons

  • expensive – the kitchen Island used almost one quart of milk paint (costs almost $40 per quart)
  • time consuming

Pros and Cons of painted kitchen cabinets WITHOUT primer;

Method: Latex cabinet paint and top coat.

Pros

  • quick and easy technique
  • bonded fairly well to the cabinets
  • cheap- I painted two coats (some areas three coats) to all my cabinets (minus the kitchen island) and only used 3/4 a gallon.

Cons

  • paint will scrape off fairly easily
  • requires frequent touch up maintenance

There it is, my full year in review of the painted laminate kitchen cabinets with primer and without primer.

If I could do it over my choice would be to prime, use the cabinet paint (the milk paint will break the bank) and at least two coats of either top coat. For more specifics, please refer to my original posts linked in the beginning of this post.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you’ve found this article helpful and if you did, I would love for you to pin the image below.

Lindsey**

A Year in Review of How I Painted my Laminate Kitchen Cabinets

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  1. Theresa says:

    I am about to take the plunge with painting white laminate cabinets. They have turned a little yellow over the past 20 years. What is the brand of primer and paint that you used that worked so well. If you use primer, do you need to sand first? Thank you so much for posting this information.

  2. Kristina says:

    Thanks for this! Quick question, how do you plan to tackle repairing the cabinets w/out primer? continue to touch up as needed, or would you strip down and restart? Look forward to hearing back!

    • Hey Kristina,
      We don’t live in that home anymore, but at the two year mark (when we moved) I only had to touch up a few spots. Those spots that I had to touch up were because my kids had scraped them pretty hard with toys. They definitely didn’t need to be stripped. The cabinets held up really well regardless of the fact that I didn’t use primer. I hope this helps!

  3. Donna Owen says:

    What do you use for a “top coat”? I know you said primer, cabinet paint and then “top coat”.

  4. […] seen this a few times when people paint kitchen cabinets a lighter or white color. They seal it with poly urethane because historically it was the strongest and most durable top […]

  5. […] Side note: I used two different methods to paint the gray and the white, and I’ve given my two cents on each method in my post HERE. […]

  6. […] (If you want to see more non paintable surface tips and tricks see another post HERE). […]

  7. Hi Diane, I would suggest painting them and then adding at least 2 coats of a Polycrylic top coat. The old polyurethane top coats caused the yellowing, which is probably what you are seeing. Honestly, I wipe mine clean with a clorox wipe still (I have two kiddo who like to spread germs everywhere) and I have not seen any yellowing yet! I hope this helps.

  8. Pam says:

    Thank you so much for taking the time to post a follow-up! It’s great that you tried two methods and could compare. We are buying a new home that has 80’s melamine cabinets, and we’re researching our options. I hadn’t seen mentions of milk paint before! Your before pics look more like wood. I guess I just haven’t seen the darker ‘wood look’ melamine. Ours are those awful almond color with a wood look trim…so ‘mod’ in the 80s I guess.

    • I’m so glad you found my post. My melamine cabinets are fairly new, so that’s why they might look a little different than yours. Even though they are new, they are still cheap looking and the paint really transformed them. Good luck with your kitchen cabinets. Let me know if you have any questions.

  9. K.Rupp says:

    Thanks so much for sharing the result! pinned this for later;) Saw your post at the pin junkie party:)

  10. Mary-The Boondocks Blog says:

    And there you have it. There are no shortcuts when it comes to kitchen cabinets. They are a high traffic area and need to be taken care of. Thanks for your honest review.

  11. You have done a brilliant job with these even with the peeling paint issues! It all looks great! #stayclassymama

  12. […] 2. Painted Laminate Cabinets // Repurpose and Upcycle […]

  13. I can’t believe how amazing they look. Great job. Thank you for sharing with #StayCLassyMama and hope to see you back next week

  14. I’ve seen so many posts about Cabinet painting across blogland, it’s nice to see a follow up with the test of time. Thanks for sharing your project at #fridaysfurniturefix !

  15. Sheri K. says:

    These are amazing! I love your honesty too. Thanks for joining us at the TO GRANDMA’S HOUSE WE GO – LINK PARTY #58 this week! Your project has been pinned. Would love for you to join us again this Wednesday! Cheers!

  16. Looks gorgeous! And thanks for linking up at Friday Frenzy Link Party! I hope you link up again next week 🙂 PINNED!

  17. These look brilliant. So interesting to see the results of both techniques here. I would love to give my kitchen a facelift but can’t afford to replace the lot. This looks like such a great way to improve your kitchen yourself. Thanks for sharing with #fortheloveofBLOG

  18. harropaj says:

    The cabinets look so fresh and I love how bright it makes the kitchen

  19. Teresa says:

    Your cabinets are beautiful! I would love to paint mine, but keep putting it off out of fear of messing them up and finding the time to do it. This was very helpful! Thank you for linking up to Party in Your PJ’s. I pinned to my DIY Projects board!

  20. playdatesparties says:

    So many bloggers write about their experiences painting cabinets, but not many actually follow-up on the experience. Thanks for sharing the truth not only about the process you used, but how it’s held up and thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!

  21. Yes, it can be done easily if you know the right way! Good luck.

  22. Heather Keet says:

    I’m tackling my first wood painting job soon, we have a new deck with wooden rail. I will use primer! #ThatFridayLinky

  23. Sylvia D. says:

    Lindsey, I just painted the center panel of my kitchen cupboards. It lightened the room so much because I don’t have natural light in there. I went the time consuming way so I hope that it will last for years. Two coats of primer and final one of wall color paint. You can check it out here. https://smdgreetings.blogspot.ca/2017/10/kitchen-reno-reveal.html Thanks for the review. Have a great week. Sylvia D.

    • Judy says:

      I’ve heard that you can remove the laminate first. But some is already coming off on my cabinets. Can I remove some or glue it back on, or remove all of it?
      Also just an opinion, what color is good for a kitchen that is not open to any other room except for the doorway. I want it to be a little brighter than it is, but not white.

    • Oh awesome! I’m sure if you primed and then painted it will hold up well. I’m heading to check it out now.

  24. Susan Shipe says:

    Great post. What kind of paintbrushes do you use?

  25. Wow what a transformation! It’s a shame the easier/cheaper method doesn’t last quite so well! x #SharingtheBlogLove

  26. Jann Olson says:

    They really are beautiful!! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

  27. Wow they look great. I am so glad for the breakdown on the paints so i know! Glad to find your post at the homemaking link up

  28. You’ve encouraged me to jump in and paint something I haven’t wanted to tackle.

  29. I have been thinking of painting my kitchen cabinets so this will help immensely. Thanks for sharing your posts.

  30. mommyhomemanager says:

    I wish the couple who lived in our home before it spent a little more time with your technique when painting our cabinets. It looks like yours held up pretty great!

  31. […] post.  I have written a full review of both of my techniques. It would a good idea to refer to this post about the review if you are getting ready to dive in head first to painting your […]