In my experience painting interiors/exteriors I have not found a proces that will allow paint to adhere to that type surface. To make paint stick to a slick surface like that you would have to sand it down considerably. The problem with that is that the sanding process would create grooves which would show once the finished coat went on. While something like spraypaint may work, you would not be able to get a consistent and even coat of paint. Hope that helps :-) Best of luck with the remodel.

Years ago, I saw an HGTV segment that redid cabinets just like this. I wish I could remember exactly what they did because they came out great. As an "I'll paint just about anything" kind of person, I would say with the right prep work you could paint these just fine.

I'm thinking this is a laminate surface. If so, there are a couple of options here:
http://community.homedepot.com/t5/What-s-New-in-our-Paint-Aisles/painting-formica-countertops/td-p/6987

Rustoleum has a product called cabinet transformations. It's very easy to use, and you can use it on almost any surface, even melanine.

There are laminate paints - this may work for you.

This is likely a Melamine laminate, which due to its composition might not sand so well but it should have no issues taking paint meant for Melamine. I'd get the paint product first to see the process the manufacture advises for preparation! I once prepped a floor with primer, assuming primer is always good but just had peeling paint forever after :-(
A sprayed finish would be the most ideal option ( for even, smooth coats) and most paints can be loaded into a sprayer..again, check.
If you cannot spray, use the highest quality foam roller.
And ensure your laminate is not peeling anywhere, which will cause cracks in your paint.

We recently had a similar challenge and found that we could obtain great results with the right primer, it was made by X-I-M and will bond to slick surfaces like melamine. You can paint over it with water or oil based paints. The paint store salesman strongly reccommended oil base paint and using a product by Flood called Penetrol which helps smooth out the brush or roller marks. He also said to use a foam roller. I had not used oil based paints before but I am glad I took his advice because the results were beautiful and very durable and scrubable...important for a kitchen. The downsides were more complicated clean up, and longer drying time. Go to a quality paint store like Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore and they will happily give you free advice. Hope this helps.

I feel in my professional opinion that a manufacturer that specializes in a paint specifically for cabinetry would be your best option. I'm unfamiliar with the Rustoleum product mentioned above but it seems to have the right characteristics for your cabinetry. I would go to their website and see what you can find there, then check the local retailer for his suggestions regarding that or a similar product.They will also be able to guide you on the preparation process before you paint. I would strongly suggest that you use a spray finish to eliminate any brush strokes.

Good luck on your refinishing project.

Torry Manzo
Renaissance Kitchen and Home

Try RECLAIM by Caromalcolours.com
It's been quite a few months since you posted this. That is what I'll be using on the very same cabinets. I'm also adding molding to mine to give them a brand new look. I"ll be redoing mine in dark Black Brown colour by mixing Mocha and Licorice.

I've taken a before pic. I'll do my best to come back and post an after pic once the project is done after the Holiday season.

Kristi Dodson_Skinkis,
I'm doing research now on the Rust-Oleum set for my kitchen. Same cabinets here. I was wondering if you had any photos of your cabinets so I could see how they came out. And since the majority of the cabinets has no wood grain, does the glaze change the look at all? Thanks so much!

Feel free to Email me!
samanthafavreau@gmail.com

This post is a bit old, but I have the same type of cabinets and am considering using the Rustoleum kit. I haven't been able to find finished photos of how the kit looks on this type of cabinet. If anyone has any, I would love to see them!

Thanks!

My mother has the exact same kitchen cabinets. She has considered different options and decided to just replace door fronts. She didn't feel the work was worth it and worried they wouldn't turn out. She ended up finding doors online. I think it's going to cost about $2500. I don't know who she picked, but know she was checking out Barker, Walzcraft and RefaceDepot. She ordered door samples and seemed impressed. Good Luck :-)

you can paint anything if you prep it properly and use the right paint & primer. hire a professional painter who knows how to do it. i had a houseful of plastic laminate cabinets that were an outdated mauve color painted a soft sandy color. it made an enormous difference. see photos below.

Ahh the 1980 Euro-style doors.

I have had the best results with them using a modified alkyd resin, melamine paint. This paint will be washable and scrubable and lasts for years.

You must clean the doors very well prior to application other then that there is no prep. It's a bit more difficult to use then normal paint and is best applied in a well ventilated area with a small roller in long straight strokes. Use a disposable paint tray liner. Only pour the amount of paint you are going to use within 10 or 15 minutes and seal the can, stir well before pouring more. The paint roller will not be able to be reused if you are not continually working with it, have spares. Spills from painting are impossible to clean up so be sure to protect the area well and clean any spills immediately. This goes for your hands too...wear gloves to keep you from a long clean-up. These doors will need to dry for several days afterwards and gentle care should be taken for a good few weeks until they cure. Normally 2 coats with a light sanding between waiting a minimum of 24 hours for the next coat and being certain the paint is not still tacky.

In the end you will have a painted Euro door.

There is a better option and that is to faux finish the cabinets. You would get bead board, cut it and glue it to the door then nail in 1 x 3's boards around the edges. Bead board is inexpensive as are the 1 x 3 boards. Both are available in wood tones and white. As long as you can cut the wood you're good. There are two ways to do the 1 x 3's straight or mitered/angled both are acceptable.

Time commitment is less with the reface. You do need some minimal skills.

Kristi Dodson_Skinkis I would also like to see pictures of this project as i am considering doing it to our cabinets which are the same as this.. please email or upload some here if you can :) thanks!! lith1253@gmail.com

reface the things

I have these same cabinets. I would like to see the finished cupboards either using paint/primer or Rustoleum Kitchen Cabinet Transformation kit. Any recommendations is appreciated. I'm leaning towards Rustoleum kit stated above. Send what you can, with thanks & appreciation. highpriestess3@hotmail.com.

There was a post on here the past few weeks of a lady that had same kitchen-I also had the same kitchen but chose to do total reface. This lady used zinnzer 123 and then painted and added nickle pulls and her kitchen looked awesome. I will try to find the post for you.

I have these same cabinets and I'm looking to paint them as well. Please post photos, I'd love to see them! I'm probably going to hire a painter to do it, but I need help on what color would look best. There's no trim on these, so I feel it will be fairly modern looking. I'm thinking white or a soft white would look best, with fairly modern looking hardware. Thoughts?

Yes you can, but takes time. We had white melamine cabinets that had "yellowed". We sanded the surface smooth with 60 grit, then 120 grit sandpaper. We then wiped the cabinets down and used Rustoleum White Prime & Paint to create a smooth base on the melamine. When they were dry, we used a small sponge roller and semi-gloss white paint. The cabinets look new! No grooves from sanding, no roller or paint brush marks