I realize that painting thermofoil is not the ideal choice, but I believe it can be done properly. The doors were orignally white and have turned a creamy yellow color while the cabinet frame remains white.

Has anyone used the Sherwin Williams PrepRite bonding primer on thermofoil? It claims to adhere to plastic, vinyl, etc.

I was planning on the following steps:
LIGHTLY sand
preprite bonding primer (1 coat)
latex paint (1 Coat)
Glaze (1 coat)

Would you recommend a oil based paint or latex paint over the preprite primer?

If there is anything quicker or products that are better, I am all ears?

 

Your local paint store, not center at a big box, has trained representatives that can provide you with professional advice and the materials needed to complete your paint project on thermofoil.

The question of how to paint cabinets is so frequent that a Sticky at the top of the forum page has been 'stuck' to provide a ready answer to those seeking advice on painting cabinets.

You will the information here: http://forum.doityourself.com/painti...t-repaint.html

 

An oil enamel will turn yellow over time, somewhat like your original doors did.

A latex paint should not yellow. Conventional latexes are somewhat soft which is OK for walls but not so good for cabinets, shelving etc... You may want to use Sherwin Williams ProClassic waterborne enamel for this.

Clean the cabinets with something like Krud Kutter first before priming. Spray on the Krud Kutter and scour it with a scouring pad, then wipe clean with paper towel. You won't need to sand if you clean in this manner.

 

Hello - Have you painted your thermofoil cabinets? How did they turn out? I am considering painting an entire kitchen of white thermafoil cabinets - including an island. I have been researching postings since beginning of 2008 and have found varied and numerous answers to the question of "How to paint thermofoil cabinets" but I am looking for someone who has successfully painted their thermafoil cabinets. I even read a posting for someone who peeled the thermafoil off of their cabinet doors & drawers and then successfully repainted them. Any suggestions? This is my first time sending a question out...new at this site. Thanks

 

I painted my thermofoil cabinets last year and they still look great. I glued down the few places what were curling up on the edges. I washed the doors and drawers, the cabinets and the inside of the cabinets. I removed the doors and placed them on boxes in the garage, so I could paint around the edges when I painted the front of the doors. I placed all drawers standing up. I first painted everything with Kilz primer. I did the door backs first and then waited three or four hours to do the front. I figured if something wasn't going to turn out perfect, the inside wouldn't show.The next day I painted everything with Valspar semi gloss paint. I used a brush any where there was a depression in the door and then used a foam brush on all flat surfaces. I painted the next coat the following day. You probably wouldn't need to paint just one coat a day, but I was doing two bathrooms and painting inside the cabinets. By using the foam roller, there were no brush strokes. When you use a foam roller, there will be tiny bubbles in the paint, but they disappear. My cabinets and drawers did not come with hardware, but I added it and it made all the difference in world. Just make a template, so all the hardware will end up on the same place on all the doors. Look again before you drill to make sure they are all in the same place and lined up. I really think they ended up looking better than they did when we moved in. I know this is long, but before I painted I couldn't find a place where anyone talked about what they did and how they turned out. Another advantage is that after three coats of paint I don't think the thermofoil will ever peel or bubble as some people had said their thermofoil did.