Can you stain wood veneer

I have an office desk with a black laminate finish. The laminate is very thin and wearing through in spots. Can I sand grit and prime using spray Kilz.

Then repaint it black and finish it off with water-based like Minwax Polycrylic? Yes yes! Good luck! Hi Dallas! As long as you prepare the laminate by sanding it to rough up the surface, and prime with a good oil-based primer, you can use any kind of paint! You could sand off the edges when youre done too if you want it to look rugged and aged. Love your article! I would like to paint my kitchen cabinets which are engineered wood.

They look like custom cabinets but are kits made to fit. The finish is a cream color with a brown glaze in the creases. How would I go about prepping these primer, sand and what type of paint should I use?

Thanks for your advice!! I would rough them up with grit sand paper, and prime with an oil-based primer like Kilz before painting! As for the paint, I would walk into a Sherwin Williams store and ask them what kind of paint they would recommend for kitchen cabinets.

They have super durable paint specifically for certain applications like this. I would do some google searching for tutorials! I have a white piece of furniture that is laminated and I want to simply distress it or create some vintage look! How would you do this? Just by sanding it? This is such a good question!

Then you cal lightly sand the edges and corners just down far enough that that dark color of paint shows through. If I am doing so do I still need to sand and prime the piece of furniture? You should go for it!

You can stain laminate and even without sanding and prime. Get a stain with no poly… I repeat, no poly in it. You will have to coat it twice to get it a solid color but it works as a base primer and stain. After dry then you can add a polymer over the top to protact it if you desire. I did my cabinets with a very dark color over a light-medium color with one coat and dabbed with paper towel as i went. It gave it a leather type weathered look and worked great. Hi Jason! The problem is, when something touched the prices the primer chips off.

I probably am better off throwing all the prices out than doing that. This will be my first project of this kind.

Do you have any recommendations for what kind s of primer and paint to use over laminate? Thanks for any input. I would use an oil-based primer. My favorite is the aerosol Kilz spray primer. Just make sure you shake it really good or it will have a gritty texture that will need to be sanded afterwards. Then you should be able to use ANY paint over top of that even water-based! I just purchased a dining table and bench with a veneer top.

Do I have to prime first? I would just carefully read the instructions on the label and follow them to the letter! I purchased a used headboard that I would like to restore and stain. I thought it was solid wood but after my husband got it home I see that one of the pieces has damage.

And it is not solid wood. It is I think cork board with something over it. Can I stain over this and if so do I need to sand it? The damage is just on two corners so not in the middle of the piece of furniture.

Any way you can help me? I have a mid-century 2-tier veneered side table. No damages and I would like to staying the top and painting the rest. Can I paint it without sanding or a light sanding will be all that I need to do? Thank you. But just a light sanding with grit should do the job. Enough to dull up the surface a bit.

I am refurbishing a room that has a dry wall which is made from what appears to be a plastic laminated fake wood — I want to paint it — or disguise it! Can I use an acrylic paint? Or should I sandpaper the entire wall — a bit labour intesive — any other solutions — Thankyou. Also, use a good oil-based primer and wear a mask! I use Bondo on wood veneer after all the loose pieces are pried off. After Bondo dries, you sand the heck out of it and it becomes SO smooth!!

I have a dining room table that is probably 15 years old. The top has a design on it and I thought it was wood on the top. Shows you what I know. I was told this was from leaving glasses on the table that sweat that caused bubbling. Is there any way to save this table. It has great sentimental value. I have a solid wood dining room table that I thought had a wood top. The table is probably years old. But after 4 kids the top is beginning the show wear.

It is peeling some of the finish off. You can literally scratch it off with your finger nail. But it also has some bubbling in spots where I was told that is from kids leaving glasses on the table that sweat and caused the bubbling. The table has a design effect in the top. Around the edges of the table it seems to be a different material because it has no damage.

Do you think this can be repaired? I paid a fortune for the table and would like to save it. Hi, I purchased a brand new piece of furniture with a wood veneer finish. It came in dark grey and I want to paint it white. Hey Sabrina! Hope that makes sense!! Can you help me fix a boo-boo? We bought a cheap desk for my son so he could sort out his finances. He was in a big hurry, but I wanted to paint it first.

The laminate on the top surface was badly damaged and gouged, so I sanded the crap out of it. Because I had sanded it down to the particleboard, the paint soaked right into it and the surface swelled up. I sanded it down again and repainted — which only made it worse! You can always re-veneer the table. Were you trying to stain the top?

Thanks for being here for all us newbies. I picked up a piece off the curb, very cute, but… it would be my first project, I know nothing! The top had absorbed moisture it was night time, very humid when I picked up , and at the edges was actually kind of spongy — I could dent it with my nail.

So… what is that made of, and what do I do about it? Without damaging the surface, can I put bowels of hot food or cold glasses that will sweat on a laminate table table top? I always wipe and dry it after eating. My father has just made a water stain on the veneer cabinet in the nursery, do you know anyway for me to get rid of it?

Oh man Kirsty. Is the grain raised? Could you email me at beth realitydaydream. So I have old hotel furniture that has that plastic fake Shiny looking laminate. I actually want to turn this into mirrored furniture. Should I peel off the laminate and glue mirror or just sand down the laminate and glue the mirror? Let me know how it goes!

Great post and thanks for explaining it so easily. I am in the process of figuring all this out. Would you recommend sanding this piece first or just priming and then painting? Oh yes you can paint it!

I would lightly sand it with grit sandpaper… just enough to take the shine off the finish. Then prime and paint! Just be sure to follow the instructions on whatever primer and paint you choose to use. Can you stain a veneer after you sand it? Also what brands of paint, and primer would you recommend? Anything on top of the paint? As for primer and paint recommendations, I love Kilz primer the oil-based one!

You truly get what you pay for. Because oil-based poly yellows over time. My uncles kitchen cabinets made of I believe thin, plastic, faux wood laminate glued to particle board. Can these be sanded and painted? Would the process be the same as with veneer? Denyce, this depends if youre planning on painting the piece?

Does this help at all?? Can this surface be painted, too? Or should we scrape off ALL the paper? So glad I found this blog! So I just bought a table today from the Habitat for Humanity store. It really is a gorgeous table! Wish I could show you! The veneer has a small chip in the corner, and it looks like a kid tried to carve his name in the top. It also has some buckling in it, possibly from heat. The rest of the solid wood part of the table has some scratches, normal wear and tear.

I bought this table for bucks, hoping I could make it into something my own since I have 4 children and desperately needed a table we were eating on the floor.

Wood stains change the tone or color of the wood veneer. One drawback to using stains is that they tend to dull down the luster of the wood. You can use a brush or a clean rag to apply the stain. Do some testing ahead of time. Wood stains usually darken the wood more than you expect. First, sand your wood veneer surface smooth.

Note: most of the veneers sold on this website are pre sanded at our factory and you may not need to do any additional sanding. Next, apply a coat of stain to the wood veneer using a rag. Let dry for a minute or two. Wipe off the excess stain with a clean rag. The longer that the stain stays on the surface of the veneer, the more it will darken the wood.

Solvent based stains might penetrate through a paper backed veneer to the glue layer. If you are using contact cement for your glue, this could loosen the contact cement.

Let the stained surface dry for 24 hours before applying a finish. It is impossible to address all of the different types of finishes that can be used to finish a wood veneered surface. For the purposes of this article, we will stick to wax, penetrating finishes, shellac, lacquer, water based polyurethane varnish, and petroleum based polyurethane varnish. Our two top choices for finishes: First: petroleum based polyurethane varnish.

Second: Water based polyurethane varnish. Regardless of the finish, the wood veneer surface must clean and free of dirt, dust and contaminants. The surface should be sanded smooth and free of scratches and defects. Most of the veneers sold on this website have been pre sanded at our factory and further sanding of the raw wood veneer surface may not be necessary. Note: When using a brush, don't skimp! Use a high quality brush when applying finish. Use a NEW brush. After all, you have put a lot of work and effort and pride into your veneering project.

Its important to pay particular attention to the finishing process. Types of brushes: Natural bristle brush - Use a natural bristle brush for solvent based finishes. Synthetic brush - Synthetic brushes should be used for water based finishes.

Sometimes you will use a rag, such as when you apply a stain. I even use a rag to apply my first coat of finish, first coat only, when applying a finish. Finishing wood veneer with wax is easy and you get a good looking surface quickly and easily. Apply second coat of stain, if needed, once the 1st coat has set up, usually 2 hours. Wait at least 3 hours before applying a sealer coat if desired.

If I want to stain something darker, do I go through the same steps as the bare veneer? Nope, just add the stain to darken it up. You'd only start from scratch if you wanted to go lighter, which you don't because it's veneer. Yes No. Not Helpful 4 Helpful 4. I want to use veneer tape on the edge. Do I put it on before or after I stain my shelf? You put the edge banding on before you stain, then you stain the shelf and the edge at the same time. This makes for a more uniform color.

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 3. You can use a torch or heat gun, but that might release the veneer glue. Any stripper from Home Depot or Lowes would work, but make sure you rub the surface with ScotchBrite and lacquer thinner. Then, scrub the surface with a new ScotchBrite and Naptha. If the Naptha doesn't flash off evaporate immediately, you must repeat above steps. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1. I was staining my cabinets and I sanded the veneer on the sides with grits sandpaper, but the surface has become so rough.

How can I fix it? Try knocking down the rough with grit or steel wool. You may have to live with it IF your shellac or poly can't be thick enough to be sanded between multiple coats to bury the roughness wax and varnish will do nothing. It is a thin layer of real wood. Wood veneers are part of many very good quality antique pieces. Wood veneer is a thin layer of real wood. Laminate is not wood but rather plastic printed to look like wood. To figure out if you have veneer or solid wood, take a look at the back.

If you can see pressboard or what looks like different substrates, it is not solid wood. Start by hand sanding a small section to see if you can remove the old finish without sanding through the veneer. If your test patch is okay, you can continue with the rest of the piece. Sand lightly, by hand if necessary, or using a palm sander. If the veneer is too thin to remove the finish, consider painting some areas and sanding and staining other areas of the piece that are solid wood.

The mixed paint and wood look can be quite striking. You can read more about our technique for getting a near perfect paint finish here. There are no special rules for staining a veneer and you can use your favorite oil based, water based or gel stain as you would on solid wood. We used this one here. We hope this has cleared up some of the confusion about what veneers are and whether they can be refinished.

It might seem tedious to have to sand so carefully but the results are almost always totally worth it! Below is refinished wood veneer on a waterfall dresser we refinished for my sister, which you can read about here. Have you successfully sanded a veneer?