How to Redo a Melamine Cabinet

Melamine is an oil-based paint that can last years and even decades without showing the normal signs of wear and tear. Thrifty homeowners may find themselves sick of their 1960s colored cabinets but unmotivated to pay the cost of replacing the cabinets altogether, when the cabinets themselves are in perfectly good condition. The logical solution in this case is to repaint the cabinets.

Screwdriver
TSP
Bucket
Rag
Latex gloves
80-grit and 240-grit sandpaper
Melamine primer
Melamine paint
Paintbrush or foam brush

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the hardware from the cabinet using a screwdriver. Set the hardware and screws aside for safe keeping.
- 2
  Clean the cabinets with soapy water and a rag, and clean again with a degreaser such as TSP. Wait for the cabinets to dry.
- 3
  Sand all surfaces to be painted with an 80-grit sandpaper to rough up the finish.
- 4
  Prime the cabinets with a melamine primer. Use whatever painting utensil the manufacturer recommends, whether it's a natural bristle brush or a foam brush. Wait for the primer to dry.
- 5
  Sand the primer very lightly with 240-grit sandpaper.
- 6
  Paint the cabinets with melamine paint. Apply the paint in slow, even strokes. Melamine paint should even itself out as it dries, but you can ensure this by painting with brushstrokes going all in the same direction.

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