Painting melamine surfaces with Glidden gripper

I am planning on painting my melamine cabinet doors with Glidden gripper. Can I use a regular latex paint as a topcoat or do i have to use a oil based top coat.
I am really frustrated with this problem. There is so much conflicting advise out
there.

samarireay said:

Can I use a regular latex paint as a topcoat or do i have to use a oil based top coat.

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As long as "regular" does not mean "run-of-the-mill", I believe you should be able to use any latex that will give you the finish you desire. The only serious conflict I know about that can take place between different types of coatings/paints is when lacquer (or something "strong" as to cutting) is applied over anything else that is weaker and not yet fully cured. And of course, your best result will likely be attained by spraying onto a properly prepared surface.

What does the Glidden can say about the topcoat?

Seriously consider a trip to a pro paint shop...

I'm not a big fan of Glidden gripper, I'm guessing you bought it at Home Depot or the like.

That said, it WILL do the job, but spend as much as you dare on your topcoat then. Latex Enamel will work fine but you need a paint with lots of solids and binders. That generally means expensive paint.

Alkyd (Oil) enamel will work very well as a topcoat too, but will be very expensive. It does leave a superior finish. Your best job would come from
Shellac sealer, oil primer and topcoat. But it would be timeconsuming, expensive, and stinky.

If you really want the finish to last and not chip (the main problem with painting melamine) scuff the melamine with 150 sandpaper or use a liquid deglosser, wipe it CLEAN, and use a *better* bonding primer like Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams PrepRite or another top-end product. Consider adding a little flow-conditioner ("Flotrol") to your topcoat paint to smooth the aplication of the finish.

At the risk of sounding snotty--you will save a lot of time and frustration
getting the advice of a pro-grade store if you have one in your area.

Worst case: you'll have a finish that mars, is perpetually sticky, and suffers other annoyances.

Sometimes local small hardware stores can have pretty smart paint folks too.

I'm sure you want the job to look great, and better grade paints make that easier to do.

Good advice from Zimmee.

This is not a routine job. It can work out for you, or it can be your worst nightmare. This is one job where scrimping on material costs. or prep work, will hurt you.

At the box store, they might have ONE guy working there with a strong paint background. He will be the guy on Saturday morning with 15 people lined up waiting to talk to him! Best bet as Zimmee said is go to your local pro paint shop.....around here it could be Frazee or Vista Paint or Sherwin Williams, and there a couple of others. Yellow pages will identify the shops in your area. Those guys will steer you straight.