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Glossy surfaces have the most risk of poor adhesion.

You can reduce the glossiness of a sheen several ways.

1. Apply a flatter sheen over a glossier sheen, such as Satin over Semi-gloss. Be sure to observe proper dry times. If you are applying over an existing finish, be sure to prep sand and clean first. 
2. If using General Finishes Arm-R-Seal, you can intermix Satin and Semi-Gloss to create a sheen that will softly mute the glossiness.
3. Another option is to rub the surface down with 0000 steel wool and orange oil or any similar lubricant such as Butcher Block Oil.

Vinyl or paper veneers can be often found on the end returns of lower price-point cabinets. We cannot guarantee that our paints will adhere well to a paper veneer - we have no idea what the actual material is or what adhesives were used to apply the veneer to the surface. The resins and additives in our paints may break down the adhesives used for the veneer.

And Milk Paint does NOT adhere to vinyl.

GF advises extra care and prep when applying any finish over laminate surfaces because they are specifically designed not to mar and therefore they are not very "sand-able", making adherence difficult.

In addition to this non-permeable surface factor, General Finishes Gel Stain is an oil-based product, and it is more difficult to obtain proper drying characteristics over a dense manufactured surface such as laminate. Gel stains, as all wood stains, were formulated to go over raw wood which has an "open" surface and can absorb some of the stain.

If your current finish is chipping, it is failing to adhere correctly. The adhesion problem could be caused by several reasons:

There is no easy solution to this problem. General Finishes Milk Paint has strong adhesion properties but there are several reasons this finish could fail:

Yes.

MDF

1. Apply Kilz or Bin 123 Primer first. 
2. MDF is not as absorbent as natural wood, so wait 2 days in between coats and before applying top coat.
3. MDF also tends to cast a brown color. If you are using a white paint, apply a coat of SeaGull Grey first to counter the brown, and then apply a couple of coats of white over it, allowing all coats to dry 2 days.

Learn more about how to prep MDF before applying GF Milk Paint.