Over on the paint forum, the paint folks say that if you use high quality paint (C2 and FPE are among their faves) there is no need for a top coat.

They also advocate NOT using oil-based paint, especially when painting a light color, because of its tendency to yellow over time. The new waterborne paints are pretty awesome and won't yellow like an oil-based paint.

When we paint our cabinets (which are already white, but are in need of a paint job) we'll be using Fine Paints of Europe's Eco Satin. I did a "test run" on our new banquette and I will say that paint is amazing. The people at FPE also told me it will cure harder than an oil-based paint.

Just food for thought ... you can search over on the paint forum for some more opinions on that stuff.

many thanks for the feedback megsy and sailorgirl. i will check the paint forum as well. missed that one!

The problem is with conventional latex paints.

They have a nasty habit of sticking to things (sometimes referred to as 'blocking') left on them for any length of time (like the contents of the cabinet sticking to the painted shelves).

It appears to be less of an issue with some newer gloss acrylic paints, but data is not exactly freely available.

The oil based paints cure to a harder finish and do not have the same issue (though with all the reformulations it might occur).

A clear coat top layer is intended to provide a more easily cleaned surface and prevent any blocking.

Kitchens tend to see pretty hard use, with repeated wiping and cleaning (especially around knobs and pulls).

I would not trust regular latex paint to withstand the cleaning and disinfection common in a kitchen.

Data on the acrylic blends is pretty scarce (beyond manufacturer's advertising claims).

I have had hand-painted (by brush, on-site) cabinets for over a year.

No clearcoat. No problems, no damage.

It was presented to me as an option, down the road if I didn't like the way they were holding up. (We both knew I wouldn't take it, it was just a "plan b just in case", which I appreciated).

But then I wanted a hand-painted looking finish, WITH brushstrokes. I wasn't looking to replicate a factory sprayed-on, slick finish, which is what the clearcoat gives you.

You can just say no to the clearcoat if you want. You don't have to take it just because it's what they like to do. You don't have to give a long explanation. Just tell them what you want them to do. They might clarify that they think it will be less durable, just calmly say, "yeah, I understand, that's OK." As long as you're both on the same page, they'll do it. But then you can't complain later.

I have an old house, and some new things just look inappropriate, so I just say no all the time. Don't worry about it.

But you can't, for example, put on 1 coat of clearcoat. It comes out too patchy. That's not a way to save money.

Good luck!

I am so lucky to have found GW. thank you, everyone. I am also wondering about the finish/wearbility/durability of using low- or no-VOC paitn for the cabinets. any thoughts? perhaps i should just post that on the paint forum as well. wish there were a way to post and then choose the forums in which you want your Q displayed...

Want to add my vote for oil based enamel. I'm repainting with it now - a year plus ago used an acrylic instead of oil. From a distance, they were okay looking, but I missed the silky feel of oil. I use Porter's Glyptex Eggshell.

Used same product in another house and the cabinets looked fab 20+ years later. If you do the job right - cleaning, priming, etc. I think you'll be really really happy.

One thing to know - oil based enamels take a fairly long time to thoroughly dry. For me, it's worth the wait.

Rosie

GO GROWLERY! It is so weird to see sprayed on finishes in otherwise old fashioned kitchens. It's not as bad with really quality cabinets but everytime someone points out the brush strokes in my cabinet paint I say "of course! It's painted!" Lol.

The spray on coatings always seem textureless!

I do worry about the yellowing of the finish with OBP, but we are using a creamy white color so maybe it won't be a big deal? On the other hand, I also worry about the greater VOCs from off gassing with the OBPs. I should also have said that we have a three year old and three cats, so durability and air quality are both considerations. Thanks all for your input.

We used BM Satin Impervo in our kitchen, and because of the advice from experts on the painting forum who said the paint was tougher than any clear coat we'd put over, we have nothing over the paint. We didn't have a choice about using the oil-base for most of the kitchen cabinets, because of the deep color (burgundy). We used the Waterborne Satin Impervo (acrylic) for the kids bedroom builtins, mostly because it dries faster and we didn't have a good place to dry things for a longer period when we did those. My dh sprayed them all, and wasn't as impressed with the acrylic based paint as the oil based. It didn't flow as well, the finish doesn't feel quite as nice, and he thinks it doesn't seem as durable, but only time will tell that for sure.

I have made many sets of cabinets over the years and always use oil paint with no clear coat. Latex paints do not dry to a hard finish like an alkyd paint so most things will stick to them if painted with a latex paint, even 10 years later. Adding a clear coat may help but you will not have as good a finish as a quality oil based enamel can deliver. The latex under the clear will remain soft and the clear coat may chip off. I don't know of any painter that would recommend that approach.

A low VOC option is to use milk paint which is not like a normal latex paint. If you cover milk paint with a water based clear coat you can have a hard finish, painted surface with low VOCs, but your color choices are limited and it will not look like a traditional painted cabinet. Milk paint has almost no buildup and must go on bare wood, so it looks like raw wood, only colored. Not bad, but different from the slightly softened edges you get with a high solid based primer and 2 coats of enamel.

I have sprayed both oil and lacquer in a home with a canary and it is still alive years later.

Thanks for all the feedback. You have helped us feel confident that the clear coat isn't necessary if we choose the right paint!