Can You Sand Laminate Wood

Never sand it or the look of the floor will be ruined.

Can you sand laminate wood.

If you don t know whether a surface is laminate or wood try sanding a small patch. Sand the surface lightly just to scuff it up a little to make the stain adhere better. Hardwood floors can be sanded stained and coated with polyurethane. A laminate floor should be treated like a no wax kitchen floor.

You can sand prime and paint laminate as if it were a solid wood piece of furniture. It s easy to skip the sanding step because sanding is a drag but it s especially important with laminate. If you see wood grain it s not laminate. You can buy polyurethane based paints online or from most home improvement stores.

Do not oversand which can easily permanently damage the thin laminate surface. Sanding the laminate gives something for the primer and paint to stick to and a primer meant for laminate will bond to it and give a more durable finish. With a high grit sandpaper and an oil based primer you ll be ready to paint over the laminate on your furniture so it looks updated and new. Laminate can t be stained but it can be painted.

You ll just need to do some extra preparation before you get started. Even though it s not solid wood you can still update your laminate furniture with a few coats of fresh paint. If you just paint the laminate you can usually just use your fingernail and scrape the paint off. Wipe the furniture down with a tack cloth to remove any fine debris from sanding.

Unlike hardwood flooring which can be sanded or buffed laminate is difficult to repair when scratched chipped or otherwise damaged. Laminate on the other hand does not have a porous surface so it s harder to get paint to stick to it. Do sand the cabinets. As much as you may find prep work annoying there s no better way to a good finish.

Laminate is not wood but rather plastic printed to look like wood. Laminate flooring can feel hard and quite slippery underfoot. You must install padding under laminate floors to reduce noise and even so it sounds hollow when walked on. Pick laminate paint that mimics the desired finish cherry maple or honey for example for a strong color that s similar to wood stain.

Because it s often somewhat glossy looking and important to sand it down until the finish is very dull before priming. If you paint a piece of real wood furniture or cabinetry the wood will absorb some of the paint or primer into its pores which creates a tight bond and helps the paint stick to the wood. For a richer color than laminate finish you can paint your laminate flooring instead.