Note to readers: This picture is NOT the plastic cupboards referenced in this article. Just a visual. 
Hi… I painted my plastic kitchen cupboards with enamel paint (after priming and prepping) I then wanted to give them a distressed look so I scraped to the look I wanted and then applied a dark colored stain.
They looked great!!
Until….I was boiling something on the stove and they literally just started melting. HELP! Is there some kind of sealer I can use to prevent this from happening??? Thanks, Shar
Hi Shar… Well I know what happened and I may have a solution.
First… what happened.
Paint that is applied to a plastic surface is usually a thick coating without breaks. Meaning… the paint is applied in a fashion that would create it's own seal… thus not allowing moister to penetrate.
Now… when you sanded the paint it created a break in this seal. Then when the steam hit the painted surface it worked it's way under the paint… expanding and lifting it from the plastic surface. YIKES… all your hard work ruined!
Second… what can you do now?
Well… the problem of moisture is… well… a problem.
The first thing to do… scrape the affected cabinets. Use a putty knife and scrape at the surface until you can't scrape off any paint. Then the cabinet surface must be allowed to dry… really dry. Pick a sunny… dry day and set them out in full sun for a few hours. This will help evaporate any tiny moisture particles that might be trapped on the surface.
Now… you will probably want to redo some of the paint treatment on these cupboard doors. Go for it… play around until you get them back to where they match all the other cabinet doors.
Now… here comes my iffy suggestion. I'm not entirely sure this will work… because I am not very sure of your exact preparation and product usage.
I would use Minwax Polycrylic Satin Finish.
It's durable and waterproof and should seal up all the painted surfaces so they resist the moisture.
I think it's worth a try. It's certainly better than stripping the cabinets and it may very well keep the paint from melting off your plastic cupboards.
