All Forum Posts by: Steve Balinski

Thermofoil is a more common older cabinet exterior and peels more then melamine. That is the what people think is contact paper on the cabinets.  Melamine is more brittle but they are both plastics  so you need to get some paint that adheres well to plastics.  If you sand too much you will reach the base wood which is composite/MDF. Look in the screw holes, if it looks like composite go light on the sanding. You can use filler but  if you take the wood down you may not get an even finish. You can also use some chemical treatments to get better adhesion, like a wilbond type product. It really depends on the surface.  Melamine takes long to dry so you need to wait between coats and it doesn't hold up the best although more coats and and poly sometimes helps. If its old its is one of those two surfaces

It sounds like melamine cabinet finish. It is is sort of like almost a plastic wrap on the door.  The wood underneath is a composite so when you sand it down you will  get wood but not get a solid wood with a grain.  If you got solid wood then your answer is to sand to that wood before painting. The reason being there is a previous finish interfering with your paint adhesion.  

If it isn't solid wood you may be better off not sanding because it is a composite and you won't get a nice finish.  I think they make paint specifically for this melamine finish. 

It’s hard to tell what those cabinets are made of but with the right primer it shouldn’t matter. Have you primed all the cabinets or just that one door? Is it just the paint scratching or does it go all the way down to the wood cabinet?
It is typically all about the prep. I recommend cleaning/degreasing, scuff sanding with 180 grit and then using XIM 400 primer.  Extreme bond is good primer but nothing compares to XIM.  It will stick to everything.  Wait 24 hours and then apply the paint. Use the spec recoat times of that paint And then wait another 24 hours before you try the scratch test.  Paint needs to cure before it hardens completely.  Alkyd paint could take a full seven days and waterbase/latex could take up to three weeks.  You can apply polyurethanes over top the paints but it should not be necessary if you use the right prep and materials.

@Steve Balinski Paint hardens over time...cures. if you followed the primer instructions for recoat times and also the paint you should be good. Maybe just let the doors dry and harden up before installing. Maybe a week for close to a full cure. Fresh paint scratches pretty easily.

I have similar cabinets in one of my rentals.  The pattern is exactly the same.  It is a plastic like sheet over pressed wood from the 1970s.  If you take heat to the plastic like material at a point with a cut it will peel back.  That is what happened to the cabinet over the stove at my rental.  NOTHING will make it restick, not supper anything or gorilla anything.  The particle board under the plastic coating does not stand up to moisture, so its important to keep the plastic like covering intact.  It will swell up very large and very fast when exposed to moisture--from boiling water or the dishwasher venting.  

I would suggest that you replace the doors completely and have one of the companies come in that recover the cabinets with the surface laminate material.

I will be replacing the cabinets in my rental probably in the next turn over.  Nothing has held up at all.

@Steve Balinski - Completely understand your frustration, but I want to emphasize that your first deal doesn't have to be perfect. I know for me looking for a 3-4 unit in Chicago using FHA was almost impossible so I just settled for a 2 unit on my first deal. Obviously, the numbers weren't as good, but I found a heavy value add property and still was able to BRRRR it.

Also, I see you titled the post disappointed in BP, which is also understandable, but didn't your lender or agent let you know of this rule?  It should be common knowledge to anyone working with investors.  If you arent working with a lender yet you might want to reach out to @Michael Facchini or @Michael Barbari, I know both of them work with investors.

@Sarita Scherpereel, @John Warren, & @Brie Schmidt -what do you guys tell your clients that can't find properties that meet the self-sufficiency rule?