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Painting Kitchen Cabinets - Cabinet Coat vs. Oil Based

15 years ago

Sorry, I know the question of which paint to use on kitchen cabinets has been raised here a million times. And I've poured through all the past messages. But I still feel a bit confused and overwhelmed. It looks like the most-suggested products are SW Pro-Classic and BM Satin Impervo, both oil-based, OR Insl-x Cabinet Coat acrylic.

Can anyone out there who has worked with both oil-based and Cabinet Coat explain to me the pros and cons of each and which might be a better product for me personally?

My cabinets are 25-year-old stained maple, raised panel... and I want them a soft white. I am a novice painter and have never worked with oil-based paint. I am prepared to take my time with this project. I want them to look good but am not expecting perfection.

Thanks so much for any input!

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Comments (4)

fran1523
15 years ago
I had my cabinets painted by a professional painter. He used BM 100% acrylic in semi gloss. It looks fabulous and is water based. When my refrigerator was delivered they got a little ding in the wood work and I touched it up with the acrylic paint. It blended in beautifully and you can't even tell where it was.

There is a long discussion about cabinet coat paint on the painting forum and it is tricky to work with. Before hiring the professional painter, DD and I painted our cabinets with oil based paint, and it is a PITA to work with. I wouldn't recommend it.

Here's a picture so you can see the amount of gloss.
rmkitchen
15 years ago
Last week on Ask This Old House (the episode which played in my area, I mean) they helped a homeowner paint her kitchen cabinets. The professional painter TOH brought in (one they've used on various projects) said he recommends against using oil-based in a kitchen for two reasons: 1) it yellows over time, and if you're going to spend a lot of time doing the prep and painting, you want your paint to stay true, and 2) the fumes are just too strong for a kitchen, a space which needs to be used sooner rather than later, and by various members of a family.

He and the homeowner primed, used two - three coats of the (water-based) paint and then two coats of poly over.

In our den we used (I mean, the painters used) Cabinet Coat on the cabinets, and it is different than "usual" paint. In our kitchen (on wainscoting) we used BM's (water-based) Impervo and honestly, I like its finish better than the Cabinet Coat.

They've both stood up beautifully, although in all fairness the Impervo gets much more of a workout than the CC (I've four and two year-olds) and we scrub it on a frequent basis. No burnishing, no color wiping up. It's really great.

Over neither did we put poly.

Do check the Painting Forum -- there are so many smart and generous people there.

Good luck with your project!
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bmarshall
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you both. I was really hoping to be talked out of oil-based. So now I just need to decide between the BM acrylic and Cabinet Coat. I think I might test both. There's a guy on the paint forum that's also giving me advice, so I'll see what he says.

BTW, your cabinets look great, Fran. I guess your painter sprayed them?
fran1523
15 years ago
No he didn't spray. They were done with a brush and a roller.

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