Hello,
Six years ago, I made a naive mistake of allowing a particular contractor (HJacks - local franchise) to redo my bathroom. In essence, they charged top dollar for terrible work and low-grade materials. Unfortunately, before I figured things out it, was too late to get it fixed.

Now, when I want to paint the bathroom, I am stuck with a vanity that is molded plastic on top of particle board.

The question is, if I paint the plastic, will I be creating a problem (i.e. peel/fall off, discolor, lose bonding, etc.)? If not, is there any special prep I need to do?

Any and all responses are appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Jake

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jake7363,

When you say you want to paint your bathroom, do you mean just paint the top of the vanity?

Yes, you probably will be creating a problem by painting the top of the vanity. You see, in order to stand up well on a working surface like a counter top or shelf, paint has to dry to a HARD film. About the only paints that will stand up well will be either polyurethane floor paints or alkyd/polyurethane blends like Benjamin Moore "Melamine". Those will all be oil based paints, and I don't know that even sanding down the surface would result in those paints sticking well.

Prolly your best bet would be to simply replace the top on your vanity if you can, and if that's not feasible, replace the whole vanity. If you paint the top with an oil based paint, you're likely to end up with a vanity that looks like the top has been painted, and you're going to be kicking yourself for throwing good money after bad. Better to take a close look at your existing vanity and see if it's possible to replace the top on it, and if not, just buy a quality vanity and chaulk this one up to experience.

Now, a little knowledge is dangerous. Don't go ahead now and start painting everything in your bathroom except the vanity top thinking the paint on the walls doesn't need to be hard. Every paint has to be well suited to it's application. They make special paints for bathrooms that allow mildewcides to migrate through the paint film to kill mildew spores that land on the paint. That keeps the paint free of mildew growth. And, latex paints in North America are made of three different kinds of plastic, and one of those kinds is much better at standing up to the moisture and humidity commonly found in bathrooms. If you're going to also paint the walls in your bathroom, then use a paint made specifically for bathrooms like Zinsser's PermaWhite Bathroom paint available at Home Depot or any competitor's equivalent, like Sherwin Williams "Bath Paint".

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nestor,

Apologies for my lack of clarity...
I was not referring to the top of the vanity, but rather the door, drawers, side and front panels. I know for certain the door and drawers are capped with a plastic mold, because I can see where it is beginning to separate on the edge. I can glue it, but I don't want to completely ruin it by painting if it cant' be painted.

The walls I am OK on, I've got the right paint. I just wanted to get this clear before I started the project.

Thanks.
J

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jake7363,

so appears the vanity has a vinyl overlay or is a Melamine-spray over scuzwood unit.

I would use the shutoffs on the water supply, take the whole assembly out, and replace the vanity and sink unit. get a new faucet, too, they probably used the $19.95 stuff that fell off the ship onto the dock in the middle of the night. this can be a one-day job if you measure well and plan ahead.

you will need to cut holes in the back of the new vanity so the plumbing can pass through. many ways to get this right, including making a template sheet out of butcher paper or newspaper (many sheets if newspaper,) tape it on back of the old unit, and use marker or spray paint to tag the holes. cut them out when dry. label the back of the template BACK. remove gently, tape on the new vanity with BACK facing out to get the holes right, mark and cut.

For the $7 a tube of PL Premium is gonna cost, I would try gluing the plastic back onto the doors and clamping it while the glue cures. That should give you a few more years out of that vanity. If it still insists on falling apart, then just go ahead and replace the darn thing. Oil based paint WILL stick to laminate if you sand it down first, but you have to put some dollar value on your own time and labour. Is it worth investing your time and labour sanding and painting that old vanity or spend that time and labour replacing that old vanity with a much better quality one. I'd opt for the latter.

Probably about the strongest user friendly glue I know of is a product called PL Premium made by LePages and sold at Home Depot. It's a construction adhesive and comes in a caulking tube. Until it cures, you can clean it up with mineral spirits (aka: paint thinner). And, the opened tube can be "candy caned" and stored in your freezer for reuse later.

PL Premium cures by reacting with the humidity in the air. Not only is the humidity of very cold air extremely low, but the cold temperatures further reduce the rate at which chemical reactions takes place so that you can store an opened tube of PL Premium for months and longer in your freezer. When you want to use it again, just apply some pressure with your caulking gun while pulling on the candy cane, and the new stuff will start to ooze out. Then, just let it warm up and you're good to go again.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nestor,

You could replace the top of the vanity and then repaint it the way you want. Here's a resource where I got a white bathroom vanity, they had a wide variety of products, this worked for me. I hope you'll find it helpful.