Can I put latex paint over an oil-based primer?

Question

I'm painting kitchen cupboards (previously painted with melamine) and have covered them with an oil based primer. I want to spray paint them but the melamine paint I have just won't work with the sprayer and the results are uneven and blotchy. I've used a latex paint in the past and the spray results were beautiful. 1) Will this work and 2) Will latex be durable enough for kitchen cabinets?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Latex paint is fine over oil primer.  I use latex over oil for all exterior wood -- I still haven't found an exterior latex primer that suits me.

You do need to make sure the oil primer is well cured.  At least 24 hours.  The latex will tend to "pool" a bit over the oil primer, but as it dries it will grip very well.  The only downside is it may take an extra coat, but two thin coats are really better than one thicker coat for duability anyway.

I would question the oil primer on melamine just a bit.  You would have been better off with a shellac based primer -- melamine is hard to get a good grip on, shellac will always work, oil may be fine depending upon the product.

For durability, go with a 100% acrylic latex.  There are differences even with 100% acrylic.  The harder the paint, the better, so a glossy product is better for this than one less glossy.  A word of caution -- the gloss level of latex changes the consistency of the paint a bit -- flats spray much better than gloss, so you may want to test a bit before you commit to spraying.  On the plus side, glossy acrylics tend to level a bit better, so brush marks take care of themselves.

The acrylic latex may be fine without anything else.  I would add two coats of waterborne polyurethane, just to be certain.  If you are looking for a glossy look, this will also give them a bit of pop -- almost a glassy surface.  You could use a satin water poly if you do not want the gloss, it will still give some extra depth and a good deal of protection.  Either way, if you add the poly do so within 24 hours of your final coat of latex to ensure a good bond.  Otherwise, you will need to wait a week or so for it to get really hard and give a light sanding.