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My cabinets are about 15 years old. The vinyl is peeling and breaking in some places. Could I peel it off and put on new vinyl wallpaper? I am not able to redo my kitchen.

Or should I cut the peeled parts and just put the vinyl wallpaper over the existing one?

Thank you!

isherwood
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Anj
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    vinyl? Melamine is a more common cabinet surface – Jasen Nov 14 '23 at 03:36
  • There have been kits that provided melamine sheets and edging to be glued over old cabinets either to cure damage or simply to give them a new look. It's not the best possible solution, but it isn't very hard to do and it's probably easier than the other traditional solution of just smoothing and painting the cabinets. Certainly cheaper than replacing them. – keshlam Nov 14 '23 at 05:51
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    Depending on what you’ve got, new doors and drawer fronts purchased online might freshen things up for relatively cheap. – Aloysius Defenestrate Nov 14 '23 at 12:58
  • +1 to @AloysiusDefenestrate suggestion. Alternately, if the vinyl peels off easily (perhaps with help from a heat gun) you could simply peel and paint. – Huesmann Nov 14 '23 at 13:55
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    Are you sure they're MDF? That's not a common cabinet material. Particle board is much more likely. – isherwood Nov 14 '23 at 17:47
  • @Huesmann — I’ve taken the foil off cabinet parts with a heat gun. That part’s pretty easy. The however is that what remains is a messy gluey surface that doesn’t lend itself to easy refinishing. (Not saying impossible — I was never tasked with that kind of cleanup — but experience says it’s likely to be tough.) – Aloysius Defenestrate Nov 15 '23 at 14:51

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No. Wallpaper is applied with a water-based adhesive. MDF won't like that at all. It's very absorbent and prone to swelling.

Well, yes. You could prime the raw MDF. This should leave you with a smooth, somewhat water-resistant finish. You'd then need to find a wallpaper adhesive that's compatible. I would test a small area to see how it bonds before proceeding.

isherwood
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