Credit:
Canva / J. B Projects
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Credit:
Canva / J. B Projects
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A hybrid paint that brings the durability of oil-based paints without the headaches and hassle. Read More
A water-based alkyd paint with the durability of oil, it's loved by pros and DIYers alike. Read More
This mid-priced, water-based alkyd bonds well to prepped surfaces and can be tinted to thousands of colors. Read More
The original chalk paint, Annie Sloan is famous for the shabby chic look that creates imperfect perfection. Read More
A great general-use milk paint that's super durable and finishes with an old-world antique charm. Read More
If the kitchen is the heart of the home, the cabinets must be the soul, which is why picking the best paint for cabinets is essential. Cabinets take up so much surface space, that they set the visual tone. The right paint creates the drama, flair, or charm that you’re looking for. A fresh coat can mask age or damage. Repainting is also significantly cheaper than replacing the floor or counter, so it’s never a bad time to consider it as a DIY renovation project.
It’s so much more than just color, though. In this guide, we’ll teach you how different types of paint create a visual effect and a layer of protection against grease and stains. We’ll also tell you how to prep your surfaces so your paint lasts for years.
Our favorite cabinet paint, Benjamin Moore Advance Waterborne Interior Alkyd (available at Ace Hardware) , is a great all-around solution for most kitchens, but we’ve got recommendations for all your design needs.
Durable
Self-leveling
Low VOC
Expensive
Will leave brush strokes if not careful
Durable
Affordable
Easy cleanup
Potentially long sure times
Prone to sags and drips if over-applied
No sanding or priming
Great for distressing
Low VOC
Requires wax sealing or topcoat
Premium price
Durable
Low VOC
Made from renewable resources
Few pre-mixed color options
There are several options when it comes to choosing the right paint for your cabinets. It used to be a choice between oil or latex, each with its own strengths and problems. Fortunately, paint technology—yes, there is such a thing!—has advanced.
Traditional latex paint was once the only alternative to oil-based paint. By comparison, water-based latex is much easier to work with and clean up. Plus they have low VOC. Latex paint bonds well to surfaces, but it can remain soft after it dries. They’re also not as durable.
Traditional oil paint is less commonly used today thanks to water-based alkyd paint. Prior to that, tough and durable alkyd paint was only available in an oil paint. So if you wanted that hard shell of protection on your cabinets (or doors, or trim, or bathroom vanity—all the hard-wearing wood items in the house), you had to put up with the headaches of oil paint. And we mean headaches literally because the strong VOCs could be overwhelming. Not to mention the cleanup.
Water-based alkyd paint, sometimes labeled as waterborne alkyd, is a hybrid that combines some of the best attributes of water-based latex and oil-based paints. The alkyd resins that create a strong surface bond used to only be found in oil paint, but now the alkyds can be suspended in a water-based solution. You get the durability and hard shell of a fully-cured oil-based paint but with easy cleanup and low VOC. Water-based alkyd paint is certainly not the only choice for cabinets, but they’re at the top of nearly everyone’s list.
Chalk paint has a very specific, ultra-matte look, all but synonymous with the shabby chic aesthetic. It’s a paint that can bond to almost any surface and requires little to no prep. That said, it’s not durable and requires a wax sealant or top coat if you’re applying it to high-traffic areas like the kitchen or bathroom.
Milk paint is another ultra-matte finish that provides a rustic, farmhouse feel to your wood. It’s more durable than chalk paint. A topcoat isn’t strictly necessary, but it's probably not a bad idea for high-touch surfaces like cabinets.
After picking a color, choosing a finish is probably your final step before purchasing. Are you looking for the super-shiny gloss of a modern kitchen, or are you leaning more farmhouse? Here’s what you need to know.
Matte finishes are, in essence, the opposite of gloss. There’s no reflection of light, just a velvety texture almost like bare wood. This can be a beautiful look, but it can lead to headaches in the kitchen. A tough, glossy veneer is an effective barrier against oils and food stains. Matte finishes are more likely to absorb spills straight into the wood, creating permanent stains. If you’re dead set on a matte finish, strongly consider a transparent wax or matte sealant as a protective topcoat, even if your paint says that the topcoat is built in.
A satin finish is the lightest of glosses, creating a soft glow that effectively hides surface imperfections and fingerprints that show up on more glossy surfaces. Satin glosses can be wiped down and offer a level of protection against mildew.
Semi-gloss is perhaps the most popular choice for cabinets. It stands up well to the inevitable spills and splatters of a kitchen. The hard, non-porous surface is easy to wipe down. It also endures under heavy use without showing too many fingerprints, making it a great choice for families.
Gloss finishes are sophisticated and dramatic, perfect for capturing that ultra-modern kitchen look. They’re also frustrating and high maintenance because they reflect and highlight every fingerprint and imperfection in the underlying surface. That said, a gloss finish is easy to wipe down and resistant to staining.
It doesn’t matter how good your paint looks in photos—you’ll never match that look if you don’t adequately prep your surfaces before painting. Fail to do so, and you can expect blotchy colors and bad surface binding that leads to chips and flakes.
Kitchen cabinets are gross. They’re covered in all sorts of dust, grime, and grease. Even fresh wood straight from the lumber yard can suffer these problems. All of this makes a terrible surface for paint to adhere to. It’s vital to the success of your paint project that you start with a clean slate. TSP (Trisodium phosphate), Krud Kutter, or even a little dish soap and water, then a whole lot of scrubbing, is the key.
Be sure to wipe everything down with clean water and let dry thoroughly before the next step.
Next comes sanding. It may seem counterintuitive if you haven’t done this before, but paint sticks better on slightly rough surfaces. Sandpaper is measured in grit, with lower numbers being more coarse and higher numbers being more fine.
If your cabinets are in good shape, start with 120 to 150-grit sandpaper. Apply medium, even pressure in the direction of the grain. If you have deep scratches, now’s a good time to sand them out with something rougher like 80 or 100. In either case, do a second and third pass with increasingly finer grits, with a final pass using around 220 grit.
A fresh coat of paint can breathe new life into your kitchen, but it won’t cover all the old problems. Once you’ve cleaned and degreased, it’s a perfect time to sand out scratches and make repairs on gouges and dents. Use a stainable, sandable wood filler to patch problem areas. A putty knife is the best way to fill it in. After an hour or so, use fine sandpaper to level it smooth.
“Primer sticks to your surface. Paint sticks to primer.” That’s a simplistic but easy-to-remember why primer matters and how it can lead to a better, longer-lasting paint job. Primer is a foundation for success. It’s essential for most kinds of paint that we talked about here. Even paints that don’t require a primer, like chalk and milk paint, can benefit from it in certain situations. Primer blocks stains like tannins, grease residue, and old paint colors from showing through your new coat.
Like paint, there are lots of options for primer—too many to go into detail here. But put simply, you’ll need to choose between oil-based and water-based primers. Oil-based primers used to be the go-to choice for creating a smooth, level surface, but water-based alternatives have caught up. Today, Sherwin-Williams Premium Wall & Wood Primer and Zinsser Smart Prime are highly-rated, water-based solutions.
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David Kender oversees content at Reviewed as the Editor in Chief. He served as managing editor and editor in chief of Reviewed's ancestor, CamcorderInfo.com, helping to grow the company from a tiny staff to one of the most influential online review resources. In his time at Reviewed, David has helped to launch over 100 product categories and written too many articles to count.
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