Quick answer
To paint melamine: degrease, sand with 180-220 grit until the shine is dull, wipe off the dust, apply a bonding primer (Zinsser Bulldog or equivalent), leave for 4 hours, sand with 320 and give two thin coats of satin water-based enamel with a foam roller, 6 hours apart. Cure for 7 to 14 days before heavy use. Seal the edges.
What you need
- Screwdrivers
- Fine sanding block
- 10 cm high density foam roller
- Fine bristle brush
- Putty knife
- Paint tray
- Masking tape and paper
- FFP2 mask and gloves
- Degreaser and isopropyl alcohol
- Sandpaper in 180, 220, 320 and 400 grit
- Filler for wood or melamine
- Contact adhesive for edges
- Bonding primer (Zinsser Bulldog or the equivalent from Bruguer, Montó, Titan)
- Satin water-based enamel (Montó, Bruguer, Titan, Xylazel)
- Tack cloth
Step by step
- 1
Check the condition of the furniture
Look at the edges, bases and edging strips. If there is swelling from damp, repair or replace the piece. Glue any loose edges with contact adhesive and leave to dry as the pack says.
- 2
Take it apart and number
Remove pulls, hinges and catches. Take the doors off and pull out the drawers. Number each piece with masking tape. Protect the floor and work with the window open.
- 3
Degrease
Clean with degreaser and a soft scourer, rinse with clean water and go over with isopropyl alcohol. Leave to dry for an hour. Hand grease is invisible but stops the paint gripping.
- 4
Fill knocks and holes
Fill knocks, chips and old pull holes with filler. Leave to dry as the pack says and sand flush with 180 grit, without pressing.
- 5
Sand lightly to dull the surface
With a 180-220 grit block, sand the whole surface with very light pressure until the shine has gone. Do not try to remove the sheet. Vacuum and wipe with a tack cloth.
- 6
Apply the bonding primer
With the foam roller, apply a thin coat of primer on faces and edges. Corners with a brush. Leave to dry for 4 hours, or as the pack says.
- 7
Sand the primer with 320
With 320 grit, go over lightly to remove specks and fibres. Wipe off the dust with a tack cloth and a microfibre cloth.
- 8
First coat of water-based enamel
Apply a thin coat of satin water-based enamel with the roller, starting with edges and corners with a brush. Do not go back over paint that is starting to dry. Wait 6 hours.
- 9
Second coat
Sand lightly with 400 grit, wipe off the dust and apply the second coat just as thin. If any areas show through, put on a third coat after another 6 hours.
- 10
Leave to cure and refit
Leave the pieces to dry for 24 hours lying flat, refit the hardware and hang the doors with care. Do not load the furniture or clean it with water for 7 to 14 days.
Why melamine is so hard for paint to grip
Melamine is a chipboard or MDF panel covered with a sheet of paper impregnated with melamine resin. That sheet is hard, smooth and non-porous: the paint has nothing to hold on to. That is why ordinary paint on unprepared melamine flakes off as soon as a fingernail catches it.
The trick has two parts. First, create a fine roughness with a light sanding, so the primer has something to key into. Second, use a primer designed for smooth and difficult surfaces (melamine, laminate, PVC, tile), such as Zinsser Bulldog or the equivalents from Bruguer, Montó or Titan. On that base, any good quality water-based enamel grips well.
There is a limit: if the board has swollen from damp (the edges and the bases of furniture in bathrooms and kitchens are the first to go), no paint will fix it. The melamine swells, comes away and the paint is left with no base. In those cases the piece is replaced, or repaired with filler and you accept a less fine finish.
| Condition of the melamine | Is it worth painting? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Good, smooth, just out of fashion | Yes | Light sanding and bonding primer |
| With knocks or small chips | Yes | Fill with filler and sand |
| PVC edges coming away | Yes, after gluing them | Glue and seal before painting |
| Edges swollen by damp | With repair | Filler and sealing, less fine finish |
| Board swollen or crumbling | No | Replace the piece |
| High gloss kitchen finish | With care | Fine sanding and specific primer |
Common mistakes when painting melamine
- Painting without primer. It is the most common mistake. Without a bonding primer, the paint peels in sheets. There is no shortcut.
- Sanding too much. The melamine layer is thin. If you go through it, the chipboard is left exposed and soaks up paint unevenly. Light pressure and 180-220 grit.
- Not degreasing. Kitchen or bedroom melamine carries hand grease and airborne grease. Clean with degreaser and isopropyl alcohol.
- Forgetting the edges. PVC or ABS edges are not sanded, but they need primer. If not, the paint lifts right there, which is where there is most rubbing.
- Thick coats. On a non-porous surface the paint does not soak in: it sits on top. A thick coat sags and never cures.
- Using wall paint. It does not resist rubbing. Use a satin water-based polyurethane enamel.
- Using the furniture before it has cured. Painted melamine needs 7 to 14 days to harden. If you load it earlier, it takes marks.
How to deal with edges, hinges and IKEA furniture
The edges are the delicate part. If they are well stuck down, clean them and prime them like the rest. If they are lifting, peel them off completely, glue them back with contact adhesive and press them for a few minutes. If they are broken, fill with wood filler and sand flush.
IKEA furniture (PAX, BILLY, MALM, KALLAX) is melamine or laminate and is painted in the same way. Take off the doors and drawers, remove the pulls and hinges and paint the pieces lying flat. On a wardrobe that is already assembled, paint the carcass in place with everything protected. Paint with the piece taken apart if you can: it avoids drips and brush marks.
Hinges and pulls always come off. If you change the pulls and the holes do not line up, fill them with filler and go over them. See how to paint kitchen cabinets without taking them apart if what you have is a melamine kitchen. If the furniture is going to be anchored to the wall after repainting, go over how to anchor furniture to the wall.
When to call a painter
If the piece is big (a wardrobe with several doors, a whole kitchen), if the edges are swollen, if the finish is high gloss or if you want a smooth factory-looking result, a painter applies with a spray gun or fine rollers and controls the drying. Send us photos and we will give you a fixed price.
We have no set price per piece of furniture. As a guide, painting a 12 m² room costs €180-300 and walls white cost €6-8 per m². A small piece or a few doors are done at the handyman hourly rate: €35-45 for the first hour and €28-35 for each hour after that. If the piece is simple and cheap, compare with buying a new one and having us assemble it.
You will find more in painters in Valencia, Alicante and the Costa Blanca and in how much it costs to paint a flat. For solid timber furniture, see how to paint wooden furniture and for lacquering white, how to lacquer doors white.
Coastal climate: damp, heat and melamine
Melamine suffers on the coast. In windowless bathrooms and kitchens of flats in Benidorm, Torrevieja or Santa Pola, damp gets in through the edges and the bases and swells the chipboard. If you are going to paint a piece in those conditions, first seal the edges and bases with filler and paint, and improve the ventilation, because otherwise the problem returns within a year.
Paint with the window open, between 15 and 25 degrees and humidity below 75%. In damp levante weather, paint takes twice as long to dry and stays tacky. In summer, at 30 degrees and in direct sun, it dries too fast and leaves roller marks. Paint in the cool part of the day.
If you have a second home in Torrevieja or Alicante with melamine furniture in an outdated colour, painting it is one of the cheapest ways to update the house before letting or selling.
Frequently asked questions
Can you paint melamine furniture?
Yes, with the right preparation: degrease, sand lightly with 180-220 grit to take off the shine, apply a specific bonding primer and give two thin coats of satin water-based enamel. If you skip the primer, the paint peels off in sheets at the first knock.
What primer should I use on melamine?
A bonding primer for smooth and difficult surfaces, such as Zinsser Bulldog or the equivalents from Bruguer, Montó or Titan, sold at Leroy Merlin and Bricodepot. It is what gives grip on melamine, laminate, PVC and tile. An ordinary wall primer is no use.
Do you have to sand melamine before painting it?
A light sanding with 180-220 grit to dull the shine. You do not need to remove the sheet; if you go through it, chipboard is left showing. Some bonding primers let you paint with minimal sanding, but you always have to degrease thoroughly beforehand.
How long does painted melamine take to cure?
It is touch dry in hours and takes another coat after 6 hours, but full cure takes between 7 and 14 days. Until then, avoid loading the furniture, resting heavy objects on it or cleaning with water. With the high humidity of the coast, count the 14 days.
How much does it cost to have you paint melamine furniture?
We quote from a photo at a fixed price, depending on size and condition. As a guide, a 12 m² room is painted for €180-300, and a small piece or a few doors fall under the hourly rate: €35-45 for the first hour and €28-35 for each hour after that.