I'm in a bit of a bind here. We recently bought a house, and the kitchen cabinets are in terrible shape. The paint has peeled off in several spots, and I can easily scratch the remaining paint off with my fingernail. From what I've learned, it seems like the previous owners didn't sand the laminate before painting, which is key for paint adhesion. I'd like to do this right, but I'm wondering if using an 80 grit sandpaper with an orbital sander is a better option than spending hours scraping the paint off. Any insights?
1 Answer
You might want to reconsider using a paint stripper. Laminate usually protects the MDF underneath, making it faster and easier to work with a stripper instead of sanding. With the paint already peeling, you could just end up clogging your sandpaper, which is a headache.

I've heard that using a stripper can warp the laminate, which is why I’m a bit concerned about going that route.