Formica what can i do with it?

Mandles

We rent so im not spending out on a new kitchen so can anyone giv me any hints on how to do up my formica cabinets? The kitched is fantasticall well hand crafted so units are great but it is all teak formica covering units and surrounding built in hob & cooker. Has anyone else done up their formica kitchen as i dont know how to go about painting formica or if it is better covering them with something. Cupboard doors are very individual shapes so i cannot swap with some mfi one.
Any help much appreciated.

tawnyowls

Well, there's special melamine paint you can buy (I think it's International Paints), which does work fairly well. You need to be a bit careful with scratches. Another possibility is cladding them with something - I've seen stainless steel used, which looked quite good. Fablon could be used as well, but probably would also not be terribly scratch-resistant - also, there would be the difficulty of getting a nice finish on edges.

Lord_Gardener

Is this what you need?

http://www.diytools.co.uk/diy/Main/Product.asp?iProductID=37388

Mandles

does the melamine paint come out well or does it look like a cheap decor job? anyone tried it?

OddjobKIA

Just buy MDF cut it to the size of the doors you have and paint it in the colour you desire, when you leave replace old doors chuck mdf and bobs your uncle!!

tawnyowls

Mandles wrote:

does the melamine paint come out well or does it look like a cheap decor job? anyone tried it?

Yes, I've used it on a melamine desk that I turned into a dressing table. You need to use a brush with very soft bristles (a roller is better on larger surfaces), but it does come out well - like normal painted wood, but probably a bit smoother. Worth trying on an old piece of worktop or something just to get used to the consistency, as it is quite liquid and you need to work fairly fast. Stinks to high heaven - use it outside or open all the windows & doors. It is fairly hardwearing, but I have noticed small scratches where I had a TV on the table - easy to touch up though.

Mandles

I may give the paint a go then. Thanks for the help. May get some beading too.

mrs_baggins

I have used the paint to. it was sold at local b and q as cupboard makeover paint and came in about 10 different colours. at the end of the day it comes out looking like a painted cupbaord and nothings going to change that but its very acceptable. When my kitchen needed a revamp we painted the cupboards , put new handles on and a new worktop and floor. made an amazing difference and will now last for a few more years before it finally needs a total refurb