On Sat, 31 May 2008 20:57:45 +0100, "Tom"
wrote:

I assume its chipboard or mdf laminated with some sort of plastic

Wire wool, then a specialist primer for Formica & melamine. "ESP" is
the best one (not too hard to find). International Paints do a melamine
promer too, but IMHO it's harder to get a good result with.

If things are really tight, try wirewool than simple gloss paint. It'll
probably work acceptably well, if you just try a test piece first.