Thread: Removing melemite from kitchen cupboards

Gooday Stinky.

Shee I hate that nick.

Melamine I would think is nearly impossible to remove without a lot of sanding on large flat surfaces. Edge banding comes off with a bit of heat (it melts the glue).

I would be giving the Melamine a light sand to break the glaze and paint straight on it. It is easier to paint that than chipboard and looks better. I have heard that painting melamine is next to impossible but check with paint suppliers as there may be some new stuff that I haven't heard of.

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Ian () Robertson
"We do good turns every day"

[This message has been edited by (edited 04 February 2002).]

I've painted hundreds & hundreds of kitchen doors, panels etc with a two pack poly-urethane. The laminate or whatever ya wanta call it needs a damn good sand and thats it.
Mind you, they were all new componants. But I agree with Stoppers last comment though.
Cheers.

G'day
I agree. The choices are to re melamine (make sure you get the right grade), or rip it off and make a new bench top. I have painted (a/c lacquer) over mel, no probs, but not for horizontal surfaces.
Cheers
Rod

Hey thanks for the replys.
I just need to clarify a few issues if I may.
I will only need to paint the verticle cupboards as the benchtop is being replaced all together.
It will not be economical to re-cover the cupboards as if this was the plan I may as well replace all together with the desired colour finish. That is an option in the future but not just yet.

So to clear things up ... can I sand the verticle stuff off to a gloss free surface and then paint over this with the desired colour? I do not have any spray equipment so it will be all roller or brush.
Shane you have mentioned that you have done many of these before so they must stand up to some heavy treatment, correct?
Ok in plain english what paint should I be using. Please provide links to manufactures web sites if you can spare the time.

Thanks

Stinky - take the time out to go and visit your local paint specialist & not bunnies or mitre 10. Go to a trade supplier.

The stuff I paint is sprayed & as I mentioned before is a 2-pack paint. Almost automotive grade, infact I have indeed used auto 2pack in the past, but its too expensive really for just painting kitchen doors etc. So yeah its hard wearing, but look at your car - you get stone chips etc don't ya?? Well, think what will happen to your paint work in the kitchen....

I know there is a brushable paint on the market that is supposed to have been developed for just this purpose - but I cannot remember who the manufacturer is. So really again your best bet is to go see your local... & not the pub Thats after...

G'day O'Smellyone - Give Haymes a ring at Ballarat they will tell you if there is a paint to do the job or not. They certainly know their business. I'll probably get shot for this but, ring the head office and ask to speak with the chemist.

Cheers - Neil

Its almost as cheap to build new kitchen,its only a box with doors,,as you are to replace bench tops any way its worth a look at,,you have all exsisting sizes of melamine as a cutting list,,pop down to local cabby and get a price on a precut.

Mick

Stinky,

Just found this thread and wondered how you made out. I am getting my house ready to sell and want to revive the kitchen and change its colour.

Hi David,
I ended up using White Knight laminate paint .....
I was very impressed with the finish as there was very little involved. I had the paint tinted to the chosen colour, used the cleaner, then primer and then top coat. So far it has held up well (over a year). As it is just a quick cosmetic makeover that you are after I would go for it ... the change it makes for less than $200 will certainly more than pay off at sale day.

Stinky.

Thanks Stinky I will give it a go. A couple of ??? Is it readily available? Did you spray or brush? Did you have to sand first?

I got everything from Bunnies so it is easy to find.
It was applied with a brush, roller or spray if you have the equipment. Spray would be best but I used roller.
From memory I think it was a light sand to remove the gloss of the old laminate then a quick wipe with their cleaner .... then the primer and finally a few top coats.
For the entire kitchen I used half a bottle of cleaner, 1 tin of primer and a few 2-3 top coats. I applied a few topcoats as I kept getting dust on the surface.

Stinky.

If the doors are just plain slabs of board it would probably be quicker & cheaper just to cut new ones & sink the hinges thnn to fiddle.

Presently doing the same thing to our kitchen.....
The cupboard doors and trim around such is malamine.....

The guy at Dulux put us onto ESP "Easy Surface Prep" by Flood. Available at Dulux or Bunnies (a bit cheaper).

http://www.floodaustralia.net/brochures/5216esp.pdf

The label says "No more Sanding" Firmly bonds to any surface...even glass. Wipe it on! Wipe it off! paint after 90 minutes". Just paint on enamel paint after the ESP dries.

Evidently it's the stuff that they use when they paint the tiles on the outside of pubs, so I'm hoping it does a good job. We asked the guy about WhiteKing and he chuckled and said he wasn't legally allowed to comment.

As for the benchtop we are getting them replaced, too hard wearing for a coat of paint.

Each to their own ..... does the guy at Dulux sell the White Knight????? could be a case to bagging the other to try and get a sale.

I would agree not to use paint on the bench top .... we replaced ours.