Melamine coated MDF board

[Richardgregory]

Egad!  No wonder the paint doesn't stick to the board of the MDF - the previous owner or whoever owned the CAB, didn't use 'raw' MDF board, but what appears to be some sort of finish like melamine. 

Anyone have any suggestions here on what to do. Do I strip away all the paint that's not sticking and then sand the MDF, or would I be okay just applying primer and hoping it'll stick to the finish.

Grrr....

[GoYouSalukis]

If you put more paint on top it will eventually peel off. I'm pretty sure you would at least need to sand the melalmine to provide a surface to stick to. Painting melamine is not advisable. Perhaps look at getting some sideart stickers?

[RandyT]

There are some primers out there for getting a top coat to stick to difficult surfaces.  This will be the key, along with some coarse sanding to give it some tooth.  Don't even consider a latex primer.  Oil based paints will likely be necessary.

[GoYouSalukis]

Also get a piece of scrap melamine to run some tests on before commiting to a large surface.

[jdbailey1206]

I loved a girl name Melanie once....NO!  Twice!