Can You Whitewash Laminate Furniture

It s all too possible to damage an older piece of veneered furniture if you try to refinish it.

Can you whitewash laminate furniture.

Furniture with laminate or plastic can be painted and updated. Distressing is a simple process that makes newer furniture look antique by manually adding wear and tear. It is possible to whitewash painted furniture but it takes time and the steps vary depending on the look you want to achieve. Laminate furniture isn t ideal to paint however if there was something i already have that needs a facelift it s definitely much cheaper than buying new furniture.

Whitewashed furniture is popular in country or cottage style homes and decor. This video tutorial shows the simples steps it takes to successfully paint over laminate or pl. A piece of laminate furniture that has already been painted is ready to go when it comes to giving it a distressed appearance as you won t need to prime it or give it a base coat. Whitewashing used to include the use of caustic lime to corrode the top layer of wood giving it a rustic chalky appearance.

To paint laminate furniture start by sanding down the surface using 120 grit sandpaper so that the paint will stick better. Then apply a coat of an acrylic latex paint with a brush or roller using short even strokes. The piece won t be sand able. Veneers are thin and easy to sand through and that can be a problem if the piece has dulled with age.

While the project does require paint with a chalky finish and sealing wax you can finish the rest. You can buy this ready made as wood stain or white wash pickling or make your own by mixing paint and water. You can even whitewash faux wood if you do the proper amount of preparation. You can sand prime and paint laminate as if it were a solid wood piece of furniture.

Next apply an oil based primer with a brush or roller and wait 4 hours for it to dry. These days we don t have to be that harsh to create whitewash finishes. Once it s dry gently sand the surface with a 220 grit sandpaper. Purchase or create the whitewash mixture.

It s easy to skip the sanding step because sanding is a drag but it s especially important with laminate. Because it s often somewhat glossy looking and important to sand it down until the finish is very dull before priming. You can distress wood laminate or metal easily by yourself to make your furniture unique.