Cabinet Painters: BM Impervo or Aura?

12 years ago

I want to paint a "test" cabinet to determine how much work I'd be getting into. I'm determined to turn miles of Oak cabinets into something "new" and the dark gel look isn't right for this particular kitchen.

On my test cabinet I used Timbermate to fill the grain. That went easier than expected. The filler went on easily and was not difficult to sand. I won't know how smooth the surface really will turn out until I actually prime and paint it.

I've seen posts here mentioning BM Impervo and also BM Aura. Not sure how these products differ or which is best on a cabinet application.

Thanks for your thoughts!

Featured Answer

jalsy6

12 years ago

It depends on your painting prefereces. We're heavy DIYers. I used oil Impervo to do my cabinets 7 years ago, as a temporary refresher since we could't get new cabs then...the Impervo was a pain to use, but left a beautiful finish on the cabinets. Clean up is awful, but the end result is worth it. And you have all the time in the world to even out your strokes since it takes so long to dry.
I recently used Aura on some trim, and while it generally dries nicely, it's a real pain to put on with a brush, it starts to dry almost instantly, so if you're not careful with your technique you can wind up with messy looking brush marks that need sanding and re-coating. My paint store guys' advice was, "put it on in one direction, then leave it alone". I'm going to top coat all my woodwork in the kitchen with it though, since now I seem to have the hang of it.
I know nothing about the water based Impervo...but good luck!

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Comments (9)

artemis78
12 years ago
Are you looking at water-based or oil-based Impervo? If water-based, go with Aura for sure. If oil-based, go with Impervo. (We've used all three and don't like the water-based Impervo anywhere near as much as the other two.) Our kitchen cabinets are done in Aura satin, sprayed off-site, and it seems fine so far. Most of the rest of the cabinetry in our house is in oil-based Impervo, which is great but no longer available where we live. And then our kitchen trim and doors are in water-based Impervo---just doesn't settle as well as the other two. (I'm lukewarm on it but my husband *hates* working with it and refuses to paint anything more in it, so we're switching to BM Advance for the last couple of doors that need painting even though it means wasting half a gallon of it!)

You might also consider Cabinet Coat, which a lot of people like, or Advance, a relatively new BM product that our paint store swears by for cabinets. (We've only used the primer in that line, but liked it.)
breezygirl
12 years ago
My cabs were sprayed in Satin Impervo Waterborne. I didn't want the oil as I wanted my white cabs to stay white and not yellow over time. Now I wish I had tried the Advance, not because I don't like my finish but because I'd like to know if I could have gotten a better product. I started a thread on paint type a while back while trying to decide. You might also try the Painting Forum. There are some knowledgeable folks over there on that active forum.
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The cabinets I think were Cypress. I live in Louisiana & I have the remodel plans from the person that built the pool house addition & they call for cypress. That is a wood that is native to here but, the grain is much like an oak so maybe it is cypress or maybe it is oak. Anyway, there is definitely a grain to it. DH and i argued about the primer coats & how many to put. I won that won (not that it got me anything) because the ones I did don't show any graining with 2 coats of primer. The ones he did do. So if you have thick coat of stain and/or any top coat on oak, you have to sand really well first. Then 2 coats of primer are a must - IMHO. I can see the grain in the ones that DH did and it drives me nutso. Like the underneath of the upper cabs for example. If he had sanded better & done 2 coats of primer, I don't think you would see it since I don't see the grain on the other surfaces. Who knows though because they were custom cabs, the cabinet guy could have used other woods too. They are 8 years old. Don't be afraid though. It is a lot of work but, if you follow the advice on this forum, the result is worth it. The cabs are not that shiny, it's just the lighting in the pool house is not great. They are very pretty. To the poster that asked about DIY cabs, there are some, mostly though people rip out old and put in new. I think that totally depends on the age of the cabs and the condition. If you can save what you have you are technically "going green". How in vogue is that? If they are nasty and have no character to them, then you have to start over. I have seen several posts for people that re-did therofoil or whatever it is called. It is more detailed what needs to be done but, nonetheless, less than new cabs are. I have friends and have seen many posters whose cabinets were $75k. Wow, that's a ton of money. So if you can figure it out, use what you have! Go for it. A little at a time is fine too. If you hate your cabinets, paint them. There are many posters here that have black, blue, brown or white cabinets. All look good. If you can use what you have then a little paint is so cheap compared to new. To be honest, I have the same types of cabinets in my kitchen, laundry, DD bath in my 1950s/remodeled in 2000 house that are 8 years old. All of those cabinets, I will either paint or have painted professionally, the wood is not really nice enough to restain. The ones in my Master bath & guest bath that are original to the house and then painted from 1950, they are out. They are just flat front wood nothing cabinets. There is no saving those. Anything in the last 20 years thougth might be savagable. There are so many options for colors. I can post some colored cabinets from my inspiration file if you would like to see them. that will show you paint grade cabs that are just beautiful.
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User
12 years ago
My white cabs are in Satin Impervo oil. They were done by hand as I wanted the old style look with the brush marks since our kitchen is in an 1890 home. Nothing has yellowed and it has been 6 years. All but one place has held up well. I am not sure why this one cab door has a peeling area. We have sanded it and touched it up and it has done it again in the exact same place ...weird. Other than that fluke the SI oil is really nice. I am going to look into the Advance...haven't needed to be in a paint store in years :) May use it to touch up the problem area. c
eandhl
12 years ago
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athomesewing
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you all for the information. I had not heard of Advance, I will definitely look into it, thanks so much for tip.

I don't care how long it takes to get a good job, I may even learn to use a the sprayer for this. I'm anxious to see how well the Timbermate turns out as a filler, it was a great product to work with.
oldhouse1
12 years ago
athomesewing, Our cabinets were sprayed in Bm Advance. It's a fairly new product. I believe it's their replacement for oil. It doesn't come in as many sheens. I believe only two. We used Pearl. I did a fair amount of painting with it as well and it goes on beautifully and is self leveling. Once cured (it dries in a day but should be cured for 3-4 weeks) it is as hard as nails and cleans up beautifully. We usually use the Aura but I much prefer the ease of Advance. Good Luck!
dianalo
12 years ago
I used BM's Cabinet Coat on all our wood and that is a nice paint to use. It smooths out nicely and I like the finish on it.
I do love Aura for the walls, but I'd want a stronger paint for the cabs.
MIssyV
12 years ago
our oak cabs were painted (not sprayed) in BM satin impervo waterborne. i have only lived with them a few months, but so far so good. we did buy the impervo oil based for our trim and i personally do not like it. it is super shiny, which i suppose would be very durable, but i don't like it for the trim. i don't notice my cabs being that shiny.

Cabinet Painters: BM Impervo or Aura?

jalsy6

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