You can sand, prime and paint laminate as if it were a solid wood piece of furniture! Because it’s often somewhat glossy-looking, and important to sand it down until the finish is very dull before priming. We recommend using 120 grit sandpaper for this. And, unlike real wood, it’s unnecessary to sand with the ‘grain’.Click to see full answer. Also question is, how do you paint over fake wood? The 2 Best Ways to Paint Laminate Furniture ~ Method #1 Clean the Surface. This dresser was dusty so all that was needed to clean it was a soft cloth dampened with warm water. Lightly Sand the Entire Piece. Yes SAND! Prime. I used B.I.N shellac based primer. Paint. Protect with a Sealer/Topcoat. Additionally, what kind of paint do you use on pressed wood? You have a few paint options. Due to fumes and overall cleanup from oil-based paints, you may want to stick to water-based paints. Oil-based paints are much less forgiving with mistakes and take longer to dry. Acrylic or latex paints, which are water based, are the easiest paints to use. Also know, can you paint over pressed wood? Since it can peel or lose its shape, the pressed wood material is normally covered with a thin sheet of veneer or laminate to hold things together. This surface has a slick finish that paint will not adhere to. Before you can paint pressed wood, you have to rough things up and create some grip.Can you paint over polyurethane without sanding? Avoiding Sanding and Priming Prep Surfaces with varnish, polyurethanes, or other sealants or finishes require sanding before any paint can be properly applied. If not, the newly-painted surface will bubble, peel, crack or generally not stick.