bathroom cabinets/"woodwork"

[Trying_my_best]

Hi. I recently moved flat, and the bathroom has "wooden" panels that are some form of wood with a coating/layer that gives a varnished appearance. They aren't solid wood but rather some form of laminate. There has been a leak and water damage that's caused a lof discolouration so I want to paint the surfaces and freshen them up. I am thinking a light sand, some form of zinsser primer (oil based?) and then a cabinet paint? Any specific tips would be really appreciated- Photos attached of the "wood".

 

[opps]

If you are willing to live with a rollered finish, you could buy some Zinsser BIN and have it tinted to the approximate shade that you want.

It is shellac based and dries even quicker than waterbased products.

Lightly abrade the panels first. Then roll on the finish using a very short pile mini roller- do not use a foam roller- the alcohol causes them to swell and go floppy. The room will smell of alcohol for about 30 mins. Once the paint is touch dry, the smell disappears.

You will need to find a proper decorator's merchant to get it mixed. The default colour is an off white. That mean that the final tinted colour will not be exact.

Roller/brush cleaning- I use household ammonia. It completely breaks down the paint rather than diluting it. Someone else here has previously mentioned that they use bleach.

Be advised, it does dry very, very quickly.

 

[sparkwright]

If it's only that bit at the bottom that's a problem, I would suggest perhaps covering it with a steel kick board or similar, like you see on the bottom of doors in public places.

 

[Trying_my_best]

If I wanted a smoother finish, what would be the most appropriate paint on top of the zinsser bin for the bathroom? Are the cabinet paints worth it, or would a oil based gloss be better in a wet environment?

 

[opps]

Oil based finishes are more durable than waterbased, but if there isn't much in the way of natural light in the room they will yellow. If you are boing for an off white, it might not be much of an issue.

If you are going for oil based eggshell, after the initial sand, I would use Leyland Trade acrylic primer. Once dried, I would lightly sand it with 180 grit silicon carbide paper and then finish with two coats of oil based eggshell.

Note: oil based eggshell is far more forgiving than gloss. It is less inclined to show minor imperfections.

 

[GhostIntMachine]

If you are willing to live with a rollered finish, you could buy some Zinsser BIN and have it tinted to the approximate shade that you want.

Personally I'd be wary of using a shellac-based product such as BIN in a damp environment such as a bathroom without a further protective coatingbeing applied over it. BIN is basically a modified French polish and I'd be concerned that water splashes could generate white marks in the finish (depending on the colour, obviously) in the same way that wet glasses can leave a white ring on French polished table tops. The "alcohol" used is actually methylated spirits

Shellac finishes are very good at sealing incompatible finishes, so BIN followed by denibbing with a white Webrax cloth (off Amazon), masking off the sink, floor, etc then a couple of coats of a clear acrylic spray lacquer (available in various sheens from matt to gloss) would give a durable, waterproof finish.

On the other hand if the OP wants the plywood colour and grsin to show through flatting the existing lower panels with flour paper (220 to 320 grit alox sanding paper), followed by wiping off the sanding dust (well washed cotton rag doened with white spirits), a coat of white French polish applied with a brush (which despite the name is clear) then once dry a spray coat of acrylic lacquer as above should work.