Title: Revamp a laminate sideboard
TOOLS:
Sideboard
Drop sheet
Painter’s masking tape
Laminate cleaner/soapy water
Light sandpaper
Restorer finish/timber polish
Laminate Primer
Laminate Paint
Paint brush
Paint roller
Some beautiful paper
Spray adhesive
STEPS:
Step 1: Put your sideboard on the drop sheet and give it a clean over with a laminate cleaner or lightly soapy water (depending on the level of grime). I bought the laminate cleaner, but needn’t have bothered.
Step 2: Carefully mask all the areas you don’t want painted — in my case the teak timber trims, handles, and protect the base with some newspaper.
Step 3: Give it a really quick sand, by hand is fine: we’re talking about a 10 minute job for the whole thing, just really lightly.
Step 4: Apply one coat of primer with a roller. Make it a thickish coat. You don’t want to have too much of the laminate showing through. You may need a second coat. Allow to dry.
Step 5: Another really quick sand.
Step 6: Apply 3 coats of laminate paint, allowing to dry between coats.
Step 7: Remove the masking tape and carefully apply "Restor A Finish" or similar timber polish.
Step 8: Cover the inside panels of laminate: If there are magnetic door closures then remove these first, remembering to measure where they were! Measure the size of your panels, then measure again. Cut out your paper panels and check that they fit well. Protect the freshly painted sideboard with lots of newspaper. Spray panel and back of paper with spray adhesive, carefully position paper and smooth into place. Allow to dry, and reattach any hardware.
Step 9: Stand back and admire your beautifully re-vamped sideboard that you did all by yourself! Use any excuse to open the doors. Show this off to all your friends and graciously accept the compliments that follow (prompted or not!). Oh and the fishtank is actually clean, there's some weird shadow thing happening because i took the shots at night!
RESOURCES:
Howard Products These guys make the "Restor A Finish" product, it's a liquid that you apply either with a soft cloth or if there's a lot of scratches with very fine steel wool. It literally erases surface scratches — I use it on everything!
Give Celeste a THUMBS UP if you find this project helpful....
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Color me confused:
If it's a laminate sideboard - Restor-A-Finish won't do any good because that's for wood and wood veneers...
...and it it's all wood/veneer - Why would you paint over the veneered doors and drawers unless it's chipped or deeply gouged...
...and if the veneer or laminate is chipped or deeply gouged - painting won't do any good without filling in the chips/gouges first.
view bepsf's profile
The photos don't seem to load for me. Is this a me issue or can anyone else not see the photos?
view sparkle's profile
I can't see the photos either.
view girlnamedmaria's profile
I can't see the photos either and it's my project!
bepsf, it was a laminate sideboard with teak timber trims - that would probably be clearer if the photos would load. So i painted the laminate and left the timber trims. i'll try to work out who to email about the photos...
view celesteinoz's profile
Sorry about the missing photos, folks. Caught the typo and fixed it.
view Scott T.'s profile
I really love this. You did a great job. And an inspiring one. I'm seriously considering something similar. I just hope I can find the products in the U.S. (And if I can, why haven't I heard about them before...)
view kushkush's profile
This looks great! The painted doors really make the teak part stand out. Nice job. Good, succinct instructions, too.
view heather77's profile
thanks guys! i decided to do this after looking for a danish style retro teak one for years and never being able to afford one, i came across this sideboard on ebay for $20 so the $135 cost was all up! good luck with your projects!
view celesteinoz's profile
Sorry, too late to vote, but I love it and think you really did a great job!
I've been into re-purposing older furniture lately (furnishing a new house can get expensive and fun new modern pieces can be so cheaply made or really pricey!), and this just shows what a great result you can get with something so many people would totally overlook at a garage sale or on CL-- except AT readers of course:)
I bought a similar piece already refinished for a great deal off of CL from someone else whose hobby is to refinish older pieces like this and I love it as my dining room sideboard-- I never thought of doing the interior doors like you did though and I LOVE that. I think I'm going to have to try it...
FYI, we also got an old solid wood/mid-century mod dining hutch for ~$80 I think, and turned it into a TV cabinet for our 37" flat panel TV and it's perfect!
Thanks for the great post and pics.
view mckernanb's profile
Wow, you did a great job, Celeste. It actually makes me a bit sad cos there was a quite nice sideboard in an op shop that was closing down near where I work and I didn't buy it (it was only about AU$20!!!) cos of the ugly laminate which was just like the stuff on the doors of your sideboard. I love the actual wood veneer though and I did pick up a seventies wood veneer bookshelf for $50 and a cute desk for $25. Oh, well, now I know better. :D
view Julz's profile