How to fix and paint water-damaged bookcase?

Question

After a flooding in the kitchen, my bookcase got water damaged. I’d like to fix the damage and paint it to a different colour.

I need advice about fixing the damage and what to use for paint preparation. I heard that painting furniture is not easy and I’d need special preparation.

diyerau · Answer

hi Jacob,

Thanks for your help . 5 *****

JacobZ · Answer

Hi @diyerau,

If you're looking to paint the whole bookcase, you'll want to cut off the lifted section, like @EricL mentioned in his original response, then apply a filler such as

https://www.bunnings.com.au/uni-pro-500g-multi-purpose-interior-filler-500g_p1210281

over the exposed chipboard to smooth it out and make it even with the section that still has the melamine covering it. You can then sand the filled patch smooth.

You'll then want to sand the rest of the bookcase to scuff it up. Scuffing up the surface is essential to aid with the adhesion of your primer and paint. Use some 120-grit sandpaper.

Once the patch has been sanded and the melamine has been scuffed up, brush the surface down to remove any sanding dust as it will affect adhesion if left on the surface.

As melamine is a slick surface, it is tricky to bond paint to, which is why I'd then recommend using a high adhesion primer such as

https://www.bunnings.com.au/dulux-1l-precision-white-maximum-strength-adhesion-primer_p1400848

, allowing it to dry as per the instructions, then painting with the

https://www.bunnings.com.au/british-paints-white-semi-gloss-h2o-enamel-paint-500ml_p1420575

that Eric mentioned above.

It is super important that you take the time to scuff up the surface, and use a high adhesion primer with melamine. If you skip these steps, there's a good chance the paint will struggle to stick and will peel away prematurely.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

diyerau · Answer

Hi Eric,

Now I understand my own confusion. I didn’t tell you that I want to paint the hole bookcase to green, a light , minty shade . Sorry, I missed to mention a crucial part.

After cutting off the water damaged part, I want to paint it to green colour. And I wonder how it is going to look?