apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Anything can be painted. Just make sure you sand down the shelf with some fine grain sand paper, and use a spray paint that indicates it can be used on plastic. Gloss paint should probably be avoided (will highlight any and all surface imperfections).

We just painted the Expedit shelf (the single one that just came out from Ikea). The Expedit is the same material as the Lack shelf. You can't really sand the surface because it's not wood, also, the surface is already nextremely smooth that paint doesn't stick to it very easily. We painted 3 coats of orange paint and also used 3 coats of polyurethane. We turned it on its side, added some Capita legs and two Expedit inserts (kept those white, used the drawers for one and the cabinet door for the other) to make an interesting credenza. The paint seems to hold fine, if not I guess it's my $120 experiment! Maybe if you primed it first the paint would adhere better.

Oh by the way, I would not recommend spray paint unless you have a sprayer. It doesn't go on very evenly at all. That was the first thing we tried--hence we needed 3 coats of orange to cover up that mistake :P

I don't have the references, but I have seen on TV paint systems for laminate and melamine, which is basically what things like the LACK are clad in. I would do some internet searching. A good paint system will likely involve a primer, a finish color coat.

you can totally paint the shelves. Im a set designer and have painted mine about 5 different times. Primer is the key.

I painted the lack shelves that I have in my store and I used a good quality primer, and a HIGH quality paint. I used a Ralph Lauren Metallic. I would also use a nice roller and use full strokes....Should come out smooth.

Yes. But, DO NOT SAND. The secret is the primer. You must use a shellac based primer. B.I.N. by Zinsser is a common one. It is even used to paint laminate. After the primer dries, you cna use any kind of paint you like. I definitely recommend spraying the paint for a nice even finish. A sponge brush or roller will work too.

Most of all allow plenty of drying time for the paint to fully cure. Cure times is one of the most understimated facrots in paint durability. And the companies rarely talk about it. I would dry the primer overnight and leave the painted shelf empty for at least a week, two if I could.

It really is easy. Have no fear!

Damn, I spell badly. Hope you can translate....

The Ikea stepstool I bought specifically said "do not paint". I had planned to paint it a jolly yellow. It is a smooth wood -- rubber wood?

I would so like to hear that it can be painted.

quiltmaster: great post, thanks for the info!

monarda - if the step stool is the bekvam, it is beech. The ikea site say "Solid wood; can be sanded and treated with oil or glazing paint if needed."

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90098634

If the stool isn't the bekvam then I have no idea what to do. :-)

I have painted many an IKEA item. The absolute key is primer as quiltmaster indicates! I would qualify though and suggest using "high adhesion" primer. It's designed for use on plastics and other surfaces and this will create a nice smooth surface for paint to adhere.

It is the bekvam. I have no idea why it said not to paint.

I want to echo what quiltmaster said - Primer! And let it dry for a long time! We painted some Ikea bureaus a few years ago and our downfall was that it was humid when we did it and it took too long to dry.

Good primer and plenty of time to dry, and you should be all set!

Speaking of painting IKEA items, I was wondering if anyone had any insight on painting the Trollsta items:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50137920

I love the shape, but yellow or black don't quite work for me...

I suppose Ikea is worried that painting will make the wood of the Bekvam slippery, the owner will fall, and maybe sue.

However with dry feet there should not be a problem. It takes paint very well, though it is wood and is not easy to get really smooth.

I noticed my bekvam stool says do not paint too, but then I was walking around the store and they had a painted one on display... if the store doesnt follow their guidelines, why should I?

I painted a set of Billy bookshelves and a rolling file cabinet. They started out as standard issue old-school Ikea Beech and are now a fabulous black. Required light sanding to rough up the super smooth veneer surface, a high adhesive primer, and three coats of paint. The end product looks great (no one even guesses that it was a DIY-job).

One comment though--perhaps I'm missing a final step--objects, when placed on the painted surface, tends to stick ever so slightly. Makes me wonder if I should have topped it off with a clear coat or lacquer....

haha monarda - sounds like their small rugs: "Do not wash. Do not dry clean." but...but...!?

i am planning to paint my 5 year old white vika amon tabletop soon with krylon fusion (spray paint made for plastics). that table has seen better days, but might see them again soon in a glossy black - wish me luck.

mdunlop: the sticking is called blocking and is an unfortunate result of latex (as opposed to old school oil/alkyd) paint. Here's some advice from a preliminary googgling:

from ask Metafilter:


The behaviour you are describing is called "blocking" and is a known issue with latex paints. For years, that is why windows and doors were painted with oil-based paints but now there are latex paints with good blocking resistance on the market. Sherwin-Williams has a page on the problem here. This page suggests talcum powder.
posted by TedW at 8:14 AM on January 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

I've never had any problem sanding spray painting the plasticy coating on Ikea items without a primer. In fact, my attempts to brush them have been horribly frustrating and uneven. Perhaps it's the type of spray paint others have used?

monarda - my guess is the ones on display were stained, not painted. IKEA sells several vibrant colors of stain. I would also think they would advise against painted because of the slip factor as suggested. That could be prevented by using non-slip grip tape strips. I think IKEA sells those as well in the Kids section.

I painted a PAX wardrobe from beech to a dark chocolate brown and it looks GREAT! Despite a lot of internet research, i made some mistakes:

- i took the instruction to "lightly sand the surface" too literally, afraid that i was going to wear through the veneer, and wound up not sanding enough
- USE PRIMER! i skipped this step, since i've never used primer for anything and never had a problem... until now. I figured that since the paint was sticking as i was painting, all was good. But i have to say that without primer (and proper sanding apparently) the paint is very fragile and likes to chip easily. This is even worse with the "blocking" problem mentioned above, which tends to take pieces of paint with it when you lift an object off a surface. :(

Other than that, regular Benj Moore paint and a roller worked fine for me!

I have been wanting to paint a fibreboard bookshelf (not from IKEA). All the research I did on the internet specifically say not to cut fibreboard as the dust might be toxic?
Wouldn't sanding have the same effect? I'm interested to know what your everyone's views on that are....