I painted my guest bathroom vanity last year. While the front was solid oak (pickled - ugh!), the side panel was really flimsy veneer, which may or may not be the same material you're dealing with.

Without even thinking about the composition of that side panel, I took a solid wood drawer front to the Sherwin-Williams store to ask how to paint it. The salesman directed me to a particular primer and then paint. I treated the side the same as the front -- slightly scuffing it with sandpaper, priming and painting. The primer and paint adhered without a problem. And so far, the paint looks fine.

If I were to find that the paint didn't stick, rather than applying new contact paper (why make ugly uglier?), I would think about maybe tacking on some beadboard and painting that the same as the solid wood.

I think your key here is primer. Remove the contact paper if possible, then prime over the plywood. That not only covers it but also makes the next coat of paint really stick.

Scarlett, I don't think it is a contact paper. I have the same thing on my cabinets - thought I was getting quality --grrrr --- anyway, I do not think it is something that can be removed. I would rough it up first --- but I definitely agree with you - the key is the primer.

It's more likely to be a think veneer. We painted ours as callaloo described, but I also added 3 coats of low sheen poly so that the cabs would be scrubbable. I could clean them down with a scotch brite and didn't harm the painted finish after the poly.

I believe the cabinets in my house are similar to what you are describing. I have painted all the vanity cabinets in the bathrooms, but have yet to tackle the kitchen. What I did was clean them really well to remove residue, scuff them slightly with some fine sandpaper, paint them with Gripper primer, and then apply two coats of high quality latex paint. I'm not sure if Gripper primer is the best, but I saw it at my local Home Depot and it claimed to stick to anything. It was a little difficult to apply as it is very thick, but it seems like it has worked well so far. I will say that the cabinets have only been painted for a few months. But I've gotten lots of compliments and no problem with paint flaking off yet. It seems pretty durable to me.

Thank you for all your help! I knew I could count on you guys for some great advice. I can't wait to give it a try!