Re-Finishing a Laminate Table Top

Advice on prepping and spraying laminate surfaces. May 17, 2010

Question
I have a customer with a big wrap around desk that wants it either re-veneered or painted. This desk is a laminate with a printed finish to look like wood. I know I'm going into treacherous waters with adhesion here. Does anyone know of a product they think will stick to laminate and hold up? Only the sides need to be done not the top.

Forum Responses
(Finishing Forum)
From contributor B:
I have done this many times. Scuff sand with 120. Wipe with lacquer thinner. Prime with XIM. Wipe with tack cloth. Topcoat with two part epoxy. Make them stay off of it for 48 hours. You will have no problems.

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From contributor R:
I've done this several times as well. Not quite sure about the other process suggested here. What I have done in the past is scratch it with 120 sand paper, prime with lacquer based primer and top coat with normal lacquer.

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From contributor P:
Do not thin it at all even though the directions say it's okay. If you let it dry overnight, you can use pigmented lacquer or catalyzed poly over it with excellent results. For a painted finish over laminate, I've had a lot of success using Zolatone SP-97 waterborne primer.

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From the original questioner:
Here is a picture of the desk.

Click here for higher quality, full size image

Contributor P - Thanks for the reply to my question about finishing over laminate. What basecoat material would you recommend using over the wb primer you suggested, to create the color in between the primer and the top coat? I currently use mostly general milk paints wb. I don't want to get some weird reaction.

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From contributor P:
You can have any good quality acrylic paint matched to these colors and get the same results. That's not to say it's not a good paint, just that it's not actually milk paint. I think you're saying you use s-and-pigmented-topcoats. These are an acrylic paint that come in colors that resemble/match milk paint colors. You can have any good quality acrylic paint matched to these colors and get the same results. That's not to say it's not a good paint, just that it's not actually milk paint.

Once the Zolatone primer dries, you can sand it lightly to smooth using 220 or 320 grit and apply the GF paint right over it. It may take 2-3 light wet coats to achieve good hiding, but that's pretty routine. You don't need to use a tinted primer most of the time - usually when the paint you're using has poor hiding characteristics.

Do a test in the shop on a good size sample of laminate (e.g., an old door) using the primer and GF paint (and a clear coat if you usually add one over the paint). Let it dry for a few days and do a cross-hatch adhesion test to see how it holds up. If everything looks good, you should be able to paint the desk without any problems.