I thought I'd share my painting experience here since I was inspired to change my bathroom color because of all the nice pics and advice here! I'm going to cover a lot of the factors that added to the mountain of decisions that is repainting. lol

This is the before: (sorry some of the cabinet doors are already off)

It was a neutral palette but way too orange-y for my liking.

My goal was to paint the walls a warm gray and the cabinets the same white as the trim.

1. The Walls

What color?

BM Litchfield Gray. I have a BM fan deck but went out to get isolated paint chips from BM, SW, and even Behr. It's the only way to test color. Often if you compare paint chips or samples close to each other on the wall, you'll most likely choose something in the middle of the range. Litchfield Gray was a nice modern gray in natural light and a cool beige in artificial light.

What brand?

Having used Behr Premium Plus Paint, Paint & Primer, Ben Interior, this time I decided I would try a real premium paint BM Regal Select. All the ones I used before were just okay, always needed two full thick coats and held up alright in low traffic areas. The Regal Select was less than $50 a gallon and was SO WORTH THE PRICE!! It covered almost completely in one coat. I did go over with a second touch up coat. But it worked beautifully. Nice levelling and working time. Almost no odor. And had I known it was self-priming with such good coverage I would have skipped the primer and just done two coats of paint.

What sheen?

Semi-gloss. My previous wall paint was semi-gloss, and that's what I've read is good for bathrooms which don't have great ventilation fans. But after actually painting it on my walls, I would advise to never go shinier than Satin. My bathroom doesn't get a whole lot of direct sunlight so it wasn't that bad, but definitely stick with Satin to be safe.

To prime or not to prime?

I used Zinsser 1-2-3 Bullseye water-based primer. It was very thin with poor coverage or maybe just not suitable for textured walls. That's right, my bathroom has textured walls and boy, was it hard to paint. Having said that, the Regal Select covered amazingly, but the Zinsser I'm not sure if it was necessary with a quality paint/primer in one.

Wall prep:

Since the previous paint was semi-gloss and the wall was textured, I knew I had to prep very well. I sanded the wall lightly with 120 grit paper, and deglossed with Klean Strip. The prep part was really a pain but worth it.

Tools:

2-1/2" Purdy Nylox

Wooster 3/8" Rollers

6" Extra-long arm Whizz roller - This thing is a godsend. If I had used it from the beginning I would have saved SO MUCH time. Instead I didn't use it till the very end just for behind the toilet. You can skip cutting in most edges with this roller. It's slim, puts an even coat in the edges. Switch between this roller and the regular roller as you're painting. Use any angle brush to cut a thin line only in the deepest part of the corners. Easy!

2. Cabinets

What color?

Since I wanted to match the color of the old trim, this was simple. Kelly Moore Country Cotton, a very very bright white with a hint of warmth.

What brand?

I was torn between BM Advance and Cabinet Coat. Didn't even want to touch traditional alkyds because of the odor and cleanup. Initially, I decided to go with the Cabinet Coat but I had issues getting a supply in a reasonable amount of time. So I had to change plans and get the Advance from my local hardware store. From all the mixed reviews I read, I thought it was still worth a try.

What sheen?

Semi-gloss. My cabinets were previously coated in varnish, I think in a satin finish. There were a lot of opinions on what sheen to put on cabinets, mostly satin, but it wasn't available at my local store so I thought semi-gloss would do just as well and be easier to clean. I have to say if my bathroom had just a little bit more natural light, I would've thought the finish too shiny. Same as the wall paint, stick with Satin.

To prime or not to prime?

My cabinets doors were made of solid wood frames with a laminate facing, so I didn't have to worry about graining or knots. I primed with two coats of Zinsser 1-2-3 and then two coats of Advance.

Surface prep:

I cleaned with vinegar and water, deglossed with Klean Strip, then sanded with 120 grit, and then 220 grit.

Tools:

2" Corona Cortez brush - Is Corona better than Purdy or Wooster? I think the difference is in how well the bristles hold up. The Corona seems to hold up slightly better but I think the main difference is the skill of the user. I'm a beginner and found both Corona and Purdy to cut in well as long as you have enough practice with them. I don't think you'll notice a difference in premium brands unless you paint for a living.

4" Whizz roller with Ultra Smooth specialty cover - Was this roller worth it? It did produce an even finish for the most part but there were still air bubbles in a few areas. The trouble was that it was so thick a diameter it couldn't get in the corners. Definitely use a mini-roller that's slim. I was going to use a high density foam roller but it seemed to create even more air bubbles.

And now the after:

A few thoughts on BM Advance:

This paint levels extremely well. As long as the coat's not too thick, it will make brush strokes disappear. On the other hand, it does like to bubble. We're talking tiny bubbles as you're rolling it on. Most of them will fizz away by themselves as it dries but a few will give an orange peel effect. Surprisingly, using a brush will prevent this air bubble problem but I still recommend using a roller for the face of the cabinet. Overall, the finish is smooth and pleasing as long as you're not inspecting every square inch. If you must have a flawless finish, you probably need to spray it on, but that presents its own challenges.

The main advantage that people claimed this paint had over acrylic paints like Cabinet Coat was the extremely hard finish. I let all the cabinet doors and drawers cure untouched for seven days before reinstalling them, and I didn't see or feel a very durable finish. Touching the doors, it felt kind of plasticky/vinyl-y, unlike the old trim paint for the door sills. The old trim paint which was painted twenty years ago of an unknown brand, has a nice hard finish.

Maybe not enough time has passed. Some people have said it takes a full month or more for it to fully cure. On the can, it says to wait 3-5 days before returning to use. Well, right after I reinstalled my cabinet doors, the paint where the door closes chipped. This was after seven days of curing and closing the door with light pressure. I stuck felt protectors on them after that but expected better. It may also have to do with the type of primer I used. Many were saying to use Zinsser BIN shellac primer but I didn't want to deal with the odor and cleanup.

This paint did not yellow during the seven days it was in a garage with zero sunlight. I know a week is hardly telling but some people have reported that it yellows noticeably within a few weeks in partial sunlight. My paint color is a super bright white also so I thought any yellowing would show more. I'm happy to say this did not happen to me.

For all the waiting time required with this paint, I would try Cabinet Coat for future repainting projects.

Hope this saves someone some time!