How to Paint French Provincial Furniture With Plastic Drawer Fronts

Make a dated and poor-quality French Provincial dresser, cabinet or desk work for your modern home with a fresh coat of paint. While top-quality French provincial furniture is real wood, you may have a vintage piece of your own, a thrift-store find or a hand-me-down with plastic laminate drawer fronts. With proper preparation, you can paint plastic laminate to give it a more stylish lease on life.

Phillips or flat-head screwdriver
Chemical-resistant gloves
Respirator
Solvent-based cleaner
150-grit sandpaper
Cleaning cloths
Bonding primer
Paintbrushes or small foam rollers
220-grit sandpaper
Oil or latex paint

Instructions

- 1
  Remove all knobs, handles and hardware from the piece with a screwdriver.
- 2
  Wipe down the entire piece of furniture with a solvent-based cleaner on a cleaning cloth.
- 3
  Sand all surfaces with 150-grit sandpaper. Wipe with a soft, damp cloth or tack cloth to remove the sanding dust.
- 4
  Paint all surfaces with a bonding primer designed for plastic laminate, using a paint brush. Allow 45 minutes to one hour for alcohol-based shellac primers to dry or two to three days for an oil-based bonding primer.
- 5
  Sand the dry primer lightly with 220-grit sandpaper. Clean away all sanding dust.
- 6
  Paint the entire dresser, desk or cabinet with two to three thin coats of oil or latex paint. Allow the paint to dry completely before replacing the hardware.

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