Paint MDF Furniture And Hide The Bubbles
You can paint MDF Furniture even if it has poofs and bubbles? The poofs, bubbles, and raised areas means it must have gotten wet at one time or another. Did you know you can make those bubbles disappear or hide them? The procedure is pretty simple. I can walk you through it step by step.
You should sand any bubbled areas, prime with a good primer, and paint with latex paint. Add a stencil design if needed to help mask the damaged areas. The complete process is shown in detail below.
How To Paint MDF Furniture
You would never guess by looking at the top of this chest of drawers that it had a bunch of poofy spots where the fake wood (MDF) got wet. I made them disappear. I’ve always used stencils for decorative accents. Well, they can be used to cover-up furniture flaws too. But first we have to take care of the damaged areas.
This is the not-so-pretty before picture of the chest. I purchased this piece at My Favorite Junk Shop. The chest had something sitting on top if it and I didn’t notice the damage until we were loading it into the truck.
The top of the chest is made of MDF. What that means is….it’s not real wood. Definition from Wikipedia….Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) is an engineered wood product made by breaking down hardwood or softwood residuals into wood fibres, often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure.[1] MDF is generally denser than plywood.
All I know is that f it gets wet it bubbles up like this chest did. I don’t normally buy mdf furniture, this was a slip-up on my part. So I went about finding a way to paint the chest so the bubbled up part didn’t show.
How to paint mdf furniture….
Step 1. Sanding
This step is a must and you don’t need any power tools, just a piece of sandpaper.
I decided to sand down the bubbled areas and try using a light coat of primer before painting it. I did the sanding by hand. I was afraid to get out the power sander and take off too much stuff.
The best thing to do is just sand the affected area and no more. I didn’t want to enlarge the areas fearing it would add to the poof when I brushed the primer on. Sand the bad areas until they are flush with the rest of the chest top.
Step 2 Primer
Primer is great for what ails furniture. I have a great video on my favorite primer and how to use it here.
I applied a very light coat of Glidden Gripper primer in Grey. I was afraid to saturate the top too much because it might poof up again. I held my breath while waiting for the primer to dry. But……it looked good. No poofing from the primer. I even added a second light coat of primer.
Step 3. Latex Paint
A lot of furniture painters rely on specialty furniture paints but you can get great results with latex paint and it’s cheaper.
After the primer was dry I put on a coat of the pink paint. I could still see some slightly raised bubbled areas. The bubbles were only noticeable from a certain angle when the light hit them just right. I probably could have sanded them a bit more than I did before using the primer. Too late now. I didn’t like those bubbles…..so on to trying to hide the mdf damage.
Step 4. Add A Stenciled Design
Stencils are inexpensive and can be used on any home decor including furniture.
Next up was a cute little circle dot stencil. I’ve discovered stenciling a design on furniture can cover up some big flaws. I selected the circle dot stencil because of the random pattern.
I taped my stencil in place and painted the design with a stencil brush. Remember the secret to stenciling is using a very dry brush. Dip that brush in your paint then wipe most of the paint off with a paper towel. (click the pink words for the in-depth stenciling tutorial)
I went a little nuts and did a lot of overlayed circles. I thought it turned out pretty darn cute! You can’t even see those little furniture bubbles. But seriously. I probably could have used my sander and smoothed out all those bubbles then primed, but I didn’t. I was afraid it would be overkill. Maybe next time.
This pink paint is a special mix by me. I had a little light pink paint in a can and I poured it into a can of darker pink and this is the color I came up with.
I also spray painted the hardware pulls white and replaced the top drawer knobs with some porcelain ones I had on hand. I think I got them at the Habitat Restore.
The little chest of drawers is stylish now. You would never know the top was damaged before. The chest of drawers would be perfect in a nursery. Make Mom and little girl smile.
You should really see my video on how to “faux distress” problem furniture like this piece. It’s a doozy….
How To Paint Problem Furniture
What do you think? Even inexpensive furniture with damaged surfaces can be made beautiful. Do you have any poofy mdf furniture or a piece with major damages? Maybe you could try this technique.
Try this process for distressing mdf furniture…. How To Distress Fake Wood Furniture And MDF Furniture
Visit the Petticoat Junktion Amazon Page for a list of my favorite DIY paints, supplies, and tools.
Thanks for being here and have a great day, Kathy

Kathy Owen is the creative guru, content creator, photographer, and worker bee behind the popular Home Décor DIY Blog Petticoat Junktion. She focuses on reinventing found treasures and decorating her home Get all the nitty gritty on Kathy here.
Barbara Warner says
Kathy,
This retro dresser turned out beautifully! I love the pink and the “lacy” top. Your stencils turned out so well. Mine usually “bleed.” You get an A+ on this!
Kathy Owen says
Thanks Barbara! Be sure your stencil brush is very dry. Dip your brush in the paint then wipe almost all of the paint off on a paper towel. The brush should be almost dry!
Naomi S says
It’s good to know you can actually work with that MDF stuff, even if it’s already bubbled up. Thanks for a great tutorial, Kathy.
Kathy Owen says
Yes Naomi, a lot of damaged pieces can be made pretty.
Nancy Carroll says
The chest is gorgeous. You did an excellent job of camouflaging the damage!
Kathy Owen says
Thanks Nancy.
Stormee says
If you sealed the top/all of it with several coats of indoor/outdoor varnish would that prevent any future bubbles?
Kathy Owen says
It probably would but there won’t be any future bubbles if it doesn’t get wet. Thanks for the comment Stormee!
Raigen says
I just purchased a pretty white dresser for my daughters room. The top has some bubbles. It’s a nice dresser from Stanley furniture. I’m going to attempt to sand and color match the white top. Wish me luck!
Christy @ Our Southern Home says
Love your bag of tricks!!!
Kathy Owen says
Thanks Christy!
Dria says
Wow what a difference!! Love the after it’s so pretty 🙂
Therese @ Fresh Idea Studio says
I have painted MDF before and you’re right it’s a little different but so do-able Kathy! Thanks for sharing your tips!
Cheers
[email protected] says
I’ve stayed away from MDF until now. Thanks for these helpful tips!
Cindy says
Never would have known, you are so clever! Turned out beautifully! Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
Blessings,
Cindy
Kelli @ Peerless Fence says
This is so lovely! I have never thought about putting overlayered stencils on top of a dresser before. It looks amazing and incredibly simple!
Nancy @ Artsy Chicks Rule says
Love the pink! And the overlayed stencils are perfect….love that hide a little of the problem area. No more problem! 😉 Really, turned out fabulous, as usual!
Pinning!
Nancy
Alli Cox says
Love it… I’ve always been too afraid to buy a piece of MDF furniture.
Looks awesome.
What exactly does the gripper do vs. regular primer?
laura j says
what I’m wondering is, will the bubbles return when the new owner puts something on the top?
Kathy Owen says
The bubbles shouldn’t return at all unless something wet sits on it for a lengthy period of time.
Andrea says
That is good to know about the bubbled top. I think we’ve gotten rid of everything that might have an mdf top, because it feels like plastic laminate. But I love the way everything comes out sooooo different!
And that pretty pink lamp on top!! I love that lamp!
Kathy Owen says
Hi Andrea, You asked about the lamp in the last post and I think I bought it at an antique/flea market shop a couple of years ago!
Maggi says
Great job handling a challenge! I love that stencil and the way you used it. Where is it from?
Kathy Owen says
Hi Maggi, Its from Hobby Lobby. I love Hobby Lobby!