Either semi gloss, or satin work for trim. In your case, I would use the satin in the kitchen, so it matches your cabinets. Too many unmatched whites is not a great look. In the other rooms, it is your choice. Depends on how much gloss you really like the best.

I would also suggest satin for your trim. I had my kitchen renovated a few years ago and all the crown molding is in same satin sheen as my cabinetry. I only have crown molding at the cabinetry. I personally do not care for semi- gloss paint. When I painted the entire inside of my home, all ceilings and walls were painted with matte; all doors and moldings were painted with satin. The sheen you choose is a personal decision; there is no right or wrong choice. Satin sheen shows less imperfections than semi- gloss.

It is always good to post pics and I always ask about the lighting. IMO kitchens need to be lit like operating rooms you can always put some on dimmers or on separate switches I like all LED 4000K and would never choose any other color until I fixed the lighting.

Thank you to everyone who has replied so far! Definitely considering satin sheen for my kitchen now. I just came back from BM to get a custom sample in satin but decided to hold off until I got your input.

They recommended their Advance line. Do you all agree or do you recommend a different line? Is the Advance line in satin durable enough and easy to clean in a kitchen?

Also...just want to double check...will it look OK for me to switch trim color to a slightly warmer white (and switch sheen if I decide to use semi-gloss) for rest of home? Kitchen/dining room is combined (which will all be the satin sheen matched to my cabinets), which then opens up to the living room and front hall. I will send pics later.

Thank you!!

Advance is a good trim paint. It also holds up well, once its all cured, so it wont scratch or chip as easily.

Thank you cat_ky for your reply.

Here are some pics. Crown molding is just primed at this point,

Below pic shows kitchen/dining area leading into living room. It's hard to tell from pics, but kitchen/dining room are together in one room.

Are nail holes being filled and sanded smooth before the primer and paint? It looks like some are, but, on others I see them all. Above cabinets it does appear they have been filled. They look nice. Post a picture, once you get two coats of paint on them, please.

I have a satin finish white cabinets that are a bit brighter than Simply White. (I asked for SWhite, but they went w/a lacquer in a shade whiter. looks the same tho)

the crown above my cabinets were painted the same as the cabinets.

My walls and all my crown/baseboard are Simply White.

I used eggshell on the walls, semi gloss on all the trim and door casing.

here's a shot showing all of them together.

here's the door casing, cabinets/crown, baseboard molding. wall color in this portion is Light Pewter. IRL, the molding/crown look exactly the same as the cabinets.

the cabs were done in a lacquer, as I've stated, but I've personally painted w/Advance paint many times (I refinish vintage furniture). Advance is ok, but it does have a longer cure time. CAbinet Coat may be a better option.

Who is spraying the cabinets for you?

What are the steps they are doing? (prime? sand?

@cat_ky Thank you. I misspoke when I said crown molding has been primed. Meant to say has not been primed yet. That's why you are still seeing nail holes. You have a good eye! Above the cabinets came already painted to match the cabs but there are now nail holes. Those will get filled and sanded and then touched up with the touch-up paint that came with the cabs. Thank you for asking! Just to confirm...Advance in Satin is strong enough/easy to clean for a kitchen?

@Beth H. : Thanks so much for responding to my post and for sharing your kitchen pics! It looks great and I would never know that the trim and cabs are slightly different colors. Just to clarify one thing...my cabinets came already painted from factory and I am not planning on repainting. It is just the crown molding/baseboards/trim I am trying to figure out at this point.

So funny because my cabinets are also just a little brighter than Simply White (with SWhite in semi-gloss). Which is one of the reasons I was considering using SWhite for the crown molding and trim in kitchen/dining area and then carrying that color trim through the rest of my house. But I'm starting to lean towards doing the color match in Satin to blend in with the cabinets better.

If I go that route, what is your opinion on me then using Simply White for trim in rest of house (possibly in semi-gloss)? As you can see in my pics, there is a break leading into/out of the kitchen/dining area, so I know I can do this. I just have a hard time visualizing how it will end up looking.

What would you do if you were me?

Thanks!

Yes, advance is washable. It is used often for kitchen or bathroom cabinets. Make sure you read the directions label on the can for dry time before recoating, etc. It does have a longer dry time, but, it also flows out nicely, so less brush strokes.

Before I spend money on another sample...can anyone tell me if Is BM Advance Satin is more shiny than typical satins? My cabinets are satin however they are not shiny. I read on another thread that Advance has a good amount of shine for a satin. What other BM paint lines would be good for trim in a kitchen that looks like a satin but not overly shiny?

Jodi, for the cabinet crown I would match the sheen on the cabinets and match their color. Doesn't have to be exact. a satin finish above the cabs will be fine. ( does that crown extend to elsewhere in the house?) I see you have it in the dining room? but is it a continual run from the cabinet side? if not, do that crown in a semi gloss. do all the trim in a semi. (I suppose you could opt for satin, but it's a personal choice. I lke the semi since it's easier to wipe clean)

For all of my trim work I did it myself in BM Advance. their glossy is glossier than SW Pro Classic, but not sure if the semi gloss is diff

can you see the gloss around the window trim? thats semi in Simply White. the walls are simply white in the eggshell

if you look at the end table, that's a glossy finish I used w/ Pro Classic in their plain white.

why don't you just get a few samples and try them out on the crown, the trim/and whatever else!

Oh, after priming the trim work, you will usually need more than one coat of paint. are you doing it or is a company spraying them? its easier to apply a second coat over a satin finsih than to apply a second coat over a semi gloss or glossy finish. So you could get a quart of the satin to try and not have to worry about wasting it if you prefer the semi gloss. Just use the satin on the first coat.

Does that make sense? lol

@Beth H. :Thanks so much for your reply! I just want to make sure I am understanding. So you are suggesting satin for crown molding in kitchen…semi gloss for all the other crown molding and trim in house. And are you saying satin or semi for trim in kitchen? Or either one?

you can do whatever you like. there aren't any rules.

All I'm saying is my crown above MY cabinets are the same sheen as MY cabinets. I'm sure your painters could match your cabinet color and sheen to the crown directly above.

another example

If that crown over your cabinets continues on to a portion of the room where there are no cabinets, then you'll have to decide if you want to keep it satin throughout, or, maybe just do more of a semi gloss above your cabinets.

All other trim in my home is either semi gloss or gloss. That's my preference. others may prefer satin. I like the glossier finishes because it's super easy to clean. I really prefer semi gloss baseboards and door casing. In my bedroom all of it is done nin gloss. the other rooms are semi. you really can't tell.

We just updated our kitchen with trim and paint. The painter used Milesi cabinet coatings in a 20 sheet on everything and it, I think, looks very cohesive.

whats a '20 sheet' coating?

I suspect it is the Milesi 2k poly in 20 "sheen." It is one of the more popular sheens for Milesi.

ETA: matching sheen can be rougher than color actually. BM Advance tends to be on the glossy side, so even their satin will be a 30 or more. While Sherwin William's waterborne tends to be on the flatter side.

It is difficult to dictate a sheen match in a limited product line like BM Advance. Your best bet might be to consider various products or brands.

Beth H. thanks again! You’ve been so helpful, i reallly appreciate it!!

Spagano - thank you for sharing. Your kitchen looks great! is your window trim the same sheen as cabs or somerhing different?

A suggestion...I have two clients who were trying to decided on paint colors to work with existing cabinets (new construction). Cabinets were from different makers, but the whites turned out to be the same. Try B.M. OC-151. That white often seems to be the default.

judianna20 - Thank you for your response. Was there a reason they did not get a custom color match? Was it because they were working with two different cabinet makers? I'm still trying to decide on trim sheen for rest of kitchen, I will definitely match sheen of crown molding to sheen of cabinets (which is satin). Would it look odd to do semi-gloss for window trim and baseboards? Or best to keep it all satin in kitchen and then semi-gloss in rest of house?

@bry911 and @Jodi, yes it‘s a satin finish. I love it as it isn't too glossy but has a touch of brightness. The finish feels like glass.

@Jodi the trim and upper cabinets are the same color and sheen. All painted surfaces in our kitchen are Milesi in Benjamin Moore colors. I went through approximately 35 large 12 x 12 color swatches AND a color specialist. I'm pretty sure between paint swatches and hardware samples I could start a mini showroom 😁

BEFORE (excuse the mess)

@spagano wow what a difference!!! and 35 of those large swatches?! curious about the color specialist. was that through BM?