How to paint a laminate bookcase without sanding

Follow along as I show you how I painted a laminate mdf/particle board, old piece of furniture without sanding! In this post I explain how I made the paint stick to the entire piece, and how I got a smooth finish. I know it seems like nothing will work well enough to paint a laminate bookcase without sanding. But, it’s easier than you think!

Can you paint laminate furniture without sanding?

Yes, I’m here to tell you it is possible to paint laminate without sanding! You don’t have to accept your ikea laminate furniture as is, or whatever kind of laminate furniture it is. If it’s an older piece that needs some love or a good thrift store find, painting it will make it look like new and suit your space. For the absolute best results, select a good bonding primer that offers the best paint adhesion to the slick surface of laminate ikea furniture. This is the key to a long lasting finish that will withstand the scratch test. 

Why I wanted to paint our laminate bookcase with acrylic paint

We’ve had this piece in our home for years. It was actually purchased for our first home and didn’t really work with the features of our current home. I love the location of it in our current home – in the basement rec room area – however, the colour was way too similar to our flooring. With everything I thought to store and display on it, I thought it looked too busy. This is why I thought it would be a good idea to give it a simple paint job in a solid color. A lot of the water-based primers and paints on the market today are quite durable. The technology is getting better and better with water-based paint products and I trust them quite regularly to do the same job as an oil-based primer or oil-based paint. 

Why choose water-based paint over oil-based?

VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds)

Acrylic paint products are water-based and tend to be lower in VOCs than oil-based (alkyd) products. Some water-based paint products are even zero VOC. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds. VOCs can be harmful to your heath and the environment. Most paint products available to the public are low VOC. That said, I would still mention any concerns you have, especially if you have respiratory problems, allergies, or are pregnant to the sales person you are purchasing from. 

User-friendliness 

Not only are water-based paints low/no VOC, they are more user friendly. Acrylic paints dry faster, and clean up with plain tap water. Oil-based products require minimal spirits to clean up your hands and brushes…which is another chemical. It’s safe to wash your brushes and hands in the sink when using water-based paints. However, mineral spirits must be disposed of properly, by being taken to the dump. They are typically quite flammable as well. This is why I think using a water-based paint where you can is a great option. 

Where to start with painting over laminate furniture

The first step would be to clean the furniture piece and make sure it is free from any dirt, grease, and dust. I used a rag and clean water in a bucket to wipe mine down, and then let it dry. That said, if your piece has had a lot of use, I would use a degreaser or a product like krud cutter first, and then proceed to wipe it down with a damp cloth and let it dry fully before moving to the next step of priming. I made sure to lay down a drop cloth under my bookcase before starting even this step. See I promised, you can paint laminate with no sanding!

The best primer for painting over a laminate surface

The laminate water-based primer I used was Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer. It cost me less than $20 Canadian for 1 quart at Home Depot. Make sure they shake up the product in a paint shaker at the store when you purchase it. If that’s not an option then you will have to mix it by hand with a stir stick for a long time to make sure it’s all fully incorporated. 

I love this primer because it’s easy to work with and does the job well. It’s a white primer, and it will save you the prep work of having to sand your piece before priming. There’s many different primers out there so using the right one for this application is very important. If you can’t find this primer where you live here are some things to look out for when trying to find a primer for laminate surfaces:

1. Look for the words “bonding primer” or “high adhesion primer” in the product name tag. These words mean the primer is designed for use on smooth surfaces, such as laminate. 

2. Make sure the primer is recommended for use on smooth surfaces. Sometimes it will say it on the front, or in the description on the back of the can. Asking a sales associate is also a good way to go, to make sure you’re purchasing the correct product. 

3. Check the label on the back clearly says for use on laminate. Often, people forget to red the fine print. It usually states what surfaces the primer is will have good adhesion to right on the can!

The best way to apply primer

I applied one even coat to the whole piece with a 4” foam roller kit. Foam rollers are fairly cost effective. However, I wouldn’t recommend them for every paint application. As you’ll see when I applied the paint I used a different roller all together. You can experience bubbling sometimes with foam rollers. Bubbling is when means you roll the paint on to your project and then see little bubbles popping up in the paint or primer on your furniture. Not ideal! To avoid this I used a scrap piece of cardboard. Push out any bubbles by rolling them out on the cardboard. Load up the foam roller with primer, making sure it gets into every little bubble in the foam roller. This ensures that no bubbles will show up when you start rolling primer onto your furniture piece.

The best tip I can give you is that you only need one coat of primer. It doesn’t need to be a thick coat either. It’s totally normal to see the old finish through the primer. Think of primer like more of a “glue” instead of a “paint”. Full coverage isn’t the goal. The goal is to properly coat the surface evenly so that paint will stick to it. One coat is all you need and two coats of primer would be excessive and unnecessary. Save yourself the time and the extra primer!

Best latex paint for laminate furniture (no top coat required)

I’m a big fan of Benjamin Moore paints. I have had a lot of experience with their products because I used to work for two different Benjamin Moore retailers. It was a dangerous place to work! Helping customers with all their fun diy projects gave me too many ideas and inspiration for my own! I got to help with fun new projects everyday, and test out new products all the time. This is why you can trust me when it comes to my paint recommendations and tips. 

The product I used was Benjamin Moore’s Aura in the Satin finish. The paint color is simply called “black”. Aura has such amazing coverage, and I was able to get this solid black finish with two coats. Black paint is notorious for having terrible coverage, but not this brand. It’s so durable it doesn’t require any top coat. I applied it with a 4” velour roller. I worked from the inside of the bookcase out, again applying thin coats. Multiple thin coats will give you a smoother finish over one thick coat. It also helps you avoid and drippy messes. 

The type of roller you use also plays a huge roll (no pun intended) in how the paint finish turns out. Velour rollers have a really fine nap (thickness) and help the paint roll out more evenly than a thicker nap roller, which can leave more of a texture. I didn’t have to sand between coats. So this project required 0 sanding whatsoever! Which, I love because I really don’t like sanding. I can’t be the only one.

Here’s how it looked after just one coat!

Why paint finish is important

The first thing that is noticeable about paint finishes is how shiny they are. The higher sheen a paint has the more durable it will be. Sheens range from flat – matte – eggshell – pearl/satin – semigloss – gloss – high gloss. Flat, matte, and eggshell finishes are typically used on walls and ceilings, and are less durable but still washable. Having less shine hides the imperfections which is why it gets used on walls and ceilings. Chalk paint is one of the only truly matte paints strong enough for furniture. If you would like your laminate furniture to have a matte finish I highly suggest chalk paint. However, for laminate surfaces I would still recommend priming before chalk painting. I have other blog posts where I guide you on how to apply chalk paint to furniture. I will link one here.

Pearl/Satin, semi-gloss, gloss, and high gloss are very durable finishes and used for high traffic areas of the home. These sheens are typically seen on baseboards, doors & trim, cupboards, and furniture. These finishes are scrubbable and resist a lot more wear and tear than less shiny finishes. However, consider that the higher shine you go, the more imperfections will be visible. Sometimes, higher gloss paints can be hard to work with because they can show brush strokes more easily. A softer brush or a fine napped roller – like the valour one I used – help minimize brush strokes.

High gloss isn’t necessarily more durable than pearl or satin finishes, it’s just more of an aesthetic choice. I went with Satin because I like the less shiny look, but you could do whichever you like on your laminate furniture. Just avoid flat, matte, or eggshell because they tend to scuff easily on furniture, unless advised otherwise by a retailer or using chalk paint.

How it turned out

I’m so happy with how this bookcase turned out. It was a simple DIY that took hardly any effort. I completed it in a matter of hours (aside from letting the paint dry between coats). It was easy to clean up and I didn’t create any dust because there was no sanding!

Tips for styling bookshelves

If you have a large book collection then go ahead and show them. That said, consider mixing in some décor or sentimental items to break up the bookshelf visually. Some items I love decorating bookshelves with are collected items from travel or gifts, candles, plants (real or faux), vases, figurines or small sculptures, bookends, and seasonal décor. Consider laying some books out horizontally and vertically to create interest. Sometimes I use books horizontally and then place a décor item or greenery on top of them. This creates different heights across your bookshelf and can create a dynamic look.

How to decorate bookshelves without books

Use décor items

Vases and bowls look amazing on bookshelves. Sometimes you don’t even have to fill them with anything, they often look great empty on a bookshelf. I try to mix the heights of each decorative item to create visual interest. Also, spacing them unevenly looks more natural and organic. Try to avoid lining up items in a row across a shelf. When they are lined up this way, your eye doesn’t know where to focus. Also, play with the depth of the shelf. Some items can be pushed more towards the back of the shelf while others pulled forward.

Think about color, light, and dark

Pick a color scheme for your shelves to make it look consistent. If you love the color royal blue, for example, make sure to space that color out throughout the entire furniture piece. Color can play a huge roll in controlling how our eye travels across a shelving unit. If the same color is bunched in just one area of the shelf, it can look awkward. Maybe you enjoy neutrals and don’t want any color. In this case, try balancing light and dark décor items throughout. 

Think about negative space

Utilizing negative space is another good tip. The good news is that it’s the best way to save money when it comes to decorating your shelving. Negative spaces are the areas of the shelf that you leave empty. Empty space can be just as important as the space you fill with items. If there’s no empty space then a shelf can look very cluttered an unintentional. Remember to leave at least one third of the décor display area of your shelving for negative space. 

Store other items in plain sight

Use your bookshelf as storage instead of for books! Things like extra electrical cables, or sentimental items you don’t necessarily want to display can be stored here. Get yourself some decorative boxes and baskets. They look amazing and add a lot of detail to shelves, without making them look cluttered or overwhelming. I purchased my baskets from Ikea. 

Cube storage baskets and bins

Since my bookcase is technically “cube storage”, the ikea cube baskets fit perfectly into them. I like this style of cube basket. However, there are lots of options at ikea and on amazon. What I like about cube storage baskets is that they fill the vertical space of a shelf, maximizing the storage. They are also really easy to pull out and access whatever you need inside. 

Be patient with yourself

It will take some time and shuffling items around to nail down your perfect bookshelf decor. Remember that decor areas like this are always evolving. They house different items as your needs change, and as you collect treasures over the years. If you enjoyed this post and found it helpful please leave a comment and share it to your socials! Thank so much

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