Quick Tip: Laminate or Paint?
When you are making items for your home, whatever it may be, you have the option to choose between buying a laminated board or painting SupaWood. But which is better?
02/02/2019
I have made a lot of SupaWood (MDF) furniture lately, as this is my preferred choice for almost all of my DIY projects. I prefer to paint SupaWood rather than buy laminated board as it allows me to choose the colour I want and add any techniques to the piece. But what is the difference between laminated or painted, and which would work out better for you?
How does a painted finish stand up over time?
Over the years I have tried a lot of different techniques to paint my SupaWood projects, and in the majority of cases the painted pieces have lasted a long time. One example is the Shaker-style cabinet that I made about 8 years ago. This cabinet was painted using a Bosch PFS spray system and Plascon Polvin, white and then sealed with 2 coats of clear acrylic sealer.
After placing the cabinet in my dining room I decided to distress the edges a little bit and add some trim to give it a Shabby Chic effect.
ABOVE and BELOW: This is the painted cabinet 8 years later. You can see that apart from the distressing that I did, the painted finish still looks good. There are no scratches or wear/scuff marks on the finish.
Another excellent example of a painted project that I made and that still looks fantastic is the his and hers bathroom vanity that I made about 5 years ago. Despite the fact that you shouldn't really use SupaWood (MDF) in a bathroom, if the piece is elevated off the floor you shouldn't have any problems. The bathroom vanity base is supported by a pine apron all round that keeps the unit well off the floor.
About 5 years ago I decided to give my built-in closets a makeover. For this project I used a paintbrush and roller to paint the cabinets and again. Despite being done about 5 years ago and still looks good.
What is the advantage of painting over laminated?
For me personally, the advantages of painting board over buying laminated board are as follows:
1. If you are painting a project you get to choose the colours you want for the finished project.
2. You can choose the type of paint you want to use. And with chalk paint being so popular at the moment, it's so easy to apply chalk paint to SupaWood (MDF) with a paintbrush.
3. Painting works out cheaper than laminated. Laminated board is slightly more expensive than raw SupaWood, but that's before you add in the extra cost to trim the edges.
4. Painting projects gives me the freedom to change the colour easily in the future. Yes, I know it's quite easy to paint melamine or laminate, but it is just as easy to lightly sand down my painted projects if I want to change the colour.
5. It is easy to do any touch ups. Laminate has a tendency to chip and can be difficult to repair, while a painted project is easy to fit is it gets scuffed or scratched.
So which method will you use for your next project?