How to prepare and paint laminate shelving?

Hello!!

I was going to throw out some out cheap shelves whilst also dreaming about a storage bench at the end of my bed…so thought I should attempt my first DIY project!

I am fairly certain it is laminate over chipboard, so I am wondering how to go about sanding and priming this for paint, and what I should be looking for regarding these items. I would ideally love to purchase things that can be used again on timber as I don’t plan on buying other laminate furniture - the goal is to make my own furniture 🙂

I have attached some photos which I hope helps, and can provide more if needed. I purchased my very first drill today (just the cheapest one at Bunnings) and drill and driver bits pack which was exciting! I would also love some advice on how to fix the three shelves (otherwise slotted in by shelf pins as it’s supposed to be vertical) so that it can hold weight as a bench! I hope that makes sense

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EricL

Hello @lmary

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your laminate shelving.

If the cabinet still has its original laminate cover on it, I suggest using Sika 125g Sikabond Techgrip High Strength Multi-Purpose Polyurethane Adhesive to attach all the loose laminate back onto the cabinet surface. Once the adhesive properly cures you can then begin preparing the laminate surface for painting. The general steps are to clean the surface of the laminate cabinet then sanding it down, clean the surface once again before applying the primer and then the topcoat.

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How To Paint Laminate Kitchen Cabinetry

In regards to fitting the shelves, can you please post a basic sketch of how you'll be arranging the cabinetry? I just want to know how you'll be organizing the cabinetry so that it can hold weight as a bench as you mentioned. Once our members see how the cabinets will be arranged, we'll be able to offer suggestions on how to go about it.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

lmary

Hi Eric,

Thanks so much for your reply!

I was simply planning on fixing the shelves in their original positions (you can see where they sit on the first photo as the shelf pins are still there). Of course as I’m laying it the way the picture shows, then the shelving will need to be securely fixed. I have just drawn some lines on a new picture to show where the shelves go, I hope that helps.

EricL

Hi @lmary

The shelves can either be glued or screwed into place. It would be best to drill pilot holes on the side of the cabinet to prevent damaging the panel of the cabinet. If the cabinet itself is to be mounted onto the wall, you'll need to find the timber studs in your wall and the cabinet can be screwed onto the studs of that wall.

Please note that the cabinet has been designed as a stand-up unit that uses camlocks to keep itself together. If the item placed on top of it is too heavy, it might damage the cabinets integrity and cause it to fail.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

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