How to Paint French Provincial Furniture With Plastic Drawer Fronts

Curvaceous French Provincial furniture can add storage to your home.

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.

Things You'll Need

• 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.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider oil-based paint in place of latex-based paint for hard-wearing pieces of furniture, especially those that will be used in the kitchen or bathroom.

• Solvents, primers and paint can cause skin and respiratory irritation. Wear a respirator and sturdy, chemical-resistant gloves. Work outside if possible.

References

• This Old House: Painting Over Plastic Laminate
• Washington Post: If You Can't Love Your Laminates: Paint 'Em