Frenchic Furniture Paint The Lazy Range 750ml
Best chalk kitchen cabinet paint
Reasons to avoid:
- Will only suit certain kitchen styles
If youre after shabby chic decorating ideas then Frenchic Furniture paint will give you an excellent chalky finish. You dont need a primer and with its smooth and creamy texture, it gives great coverage, although you will need a few coats.
This chalk paint has a thick formula so is self-levelling – meaning no unsightly brush marks – and water-resistant, which makes it the perfect choice for revamping your kitchen cabinets.
Best of all, this is an all-natural, chalk and mineral paint that is odourless and contains no nasty toxins, and it comes in 15 colour options.
Ideal Home rating: 5 out of 5 stars
White Dove By Benjamin Moore
Kitchen trends come and go, but Benjamin Moores White Dove remains a popular cabinet paint color year after year. It is a creamy, soft white cabinet shade with warm undertones. No doubt, White Dove looks amazing in your kitchen when paired with a black granite countertop. This is evident in the awesome before and after painted kitchen cabinets below!
Moreover, White Dove is a warm neutral kitchen color that is quite versatile. Specifically, it does have hints of yellow and gray which pulls it back from being too stark. For this reason, we wouldnt recommend pairing it with white quartz or granite kitchen countertops as it may look too yellow in contrast.
For your reference, this is brighter white with a higher LRV of 85. As a result, it may take a few extra coats to cover. All in all, this classic shade sets a welcoming and balanced tone for any farmhouse or open concept kitchen home interior.
Thinking about painting your cabinets? Find out the average cost to paint your kitchen cabinets in this helpful guide.
What Is The Best Sherwin Williams Paint For Cabinets
Sherwin Williams paints have always been a popular line with professionals. I was a little surprised that their acrylic alkyd hybrid didnt perform better than their standard water-based latex which was the best Sherwin Williams paint for cabinets: Sherwin Williams ProClassic You can see how I used it on my vintage vanity here: A Beginners Guide to Furniture Painting
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The Best Finish For Kitchen Cabinets
Choosing the right paint finish for kitchen cabinets is important since it affects how durable your cabinets will be in the long run. Cabinet doors and drawers are subject to touching, pulling, slamming, and more, while shelves routinely have objects being slid in and out. These factors can make painted cabinets subject to scratching and chips, but you can lessen this by choosing the right paint finish for kitchen cabinets.
- Semi-gloss: This is the best choice when painting kitchen cabinets. Because it has some sheen, semi-gloss paint will help reflect light and be more durable in the long run, which is important in a kitchen environment. Semi-gloss paint is often described as washable and has an increased resiliency to being scrubbed clean.
- Gloss paint: Another great option for kitchen cabinet paint, alongside semi-gloss, this will be the shiniest of your paint choices. It’s great for especially bold cabinet colors or super modern kitchens. Gloss paint will also be the most durable, due to the fact that more resin and binders are used in formulating glossy paint, giving the paint more of a hard “shell.”
- Eggshell or flat finish paint: Avoid using either of these finishes when painting kitchen cabinets. Eggshell and flat paints arent as washable as semi-gloss or gloss finishes, and you run the risk of rubbing through your paint job the next time you need to scrub your cabinet doors clean.
Selecting The Right Cabinet Painting Products

This is it, yall. This is why youre here, right? You want to paint your cabinets, but you dont know what kind of paint, primer, and tools to use.
Maybe youre standing in the paint store this very moment, examining your options. The possibilities seem endless, and if you pick the wrong one, you could end up with a mess on your hands and so many hours wasted on an unsuccessful project.
Dont worry, youve come to the right place, and Im not going to let that happen.
I am going to give you three best-practice options for cabinet painting products, ranked in order of my favorite to least favorite options, along with why I recommend each one.
Plus Ill share more options for painting laminate cabinets, in case youre dealing with cabinets or furniture that arent real wood.
Lets dive into the options
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Option : Alkyd Paint Primer And Sanding
Alkyd paint is basically an oil paint suspended in a water base. That makes application and clean up easier, but gives you the durability of oil paint. Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams both make a great Alkyd product.
This option is perfectly acceptable, and indeed for many years was the correct way to paint cabinets. Its the product I used on my first kitchen cabinet painting project, after much research. Years later, it has stood the test of time.
However, its the most labor intensive method, and requires sanding, which really makes a mess in your kitchen. If you want to go old school and get the satisfaction of knowing youve given your project every possible chance of success, you cant go wrong with sanding, priming, and finishing with Alkyd paint.
I personally believe that, while absolutely correct, this way of painting cabinets causes the most upheaval on your household and family, so its not the way Id do it again.
Before you make your choice, read more about the whole process in my original kitchen cabinet painting post here.
Pros & Cons of Option 3
Pros: Can be mixed in any color. Easily available at Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams. Beautiful and durable finish.
Cons: Takes a long time to dry between coats. Requires sanding and primer.
Things To Consider While Purchasing Paint For Kitchen Cabinets
Choosing the right is always a tough choice because there are so many things that should be checked while buying the worthy option. Paints have so many solvents present inside them that we cant just ignore them.
Only looks will not give that finish to your painting surfaces it takes much more than that. So, we have gathered some major points you should be considering while buying your favorite worthy option paint.
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Best Paint For Kitchen Cabinets
Lets start with the first time I painted cabinets
Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations Kit
When we bought the Beloved Foreclosure, I didnt really have much knowledge about painting cabinetry at all. However, our kitchen cabinets there were in great need of a makeover. Since I was such a novice and since this was before the days of Pinterest and I had no idea people actually wrote blogs about painting cabinets, I felt better about having a kit that would guide me step-by-step along the way. I used a Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations Kit to paint all the cabinets in the kitchen. The kit walked me through everything and it was easy to do, yet time consuming. The kit even came with a deglosser to use for priming the cabinets to paint.
Pros:
Walks you through everything step-by-step, usually no sanding required, everything you need sans the paintbrush is in the box. Easy cleanup.
Cons:
There were brush strokes in the finish. More expensive than just buying each product in the kit individually.
Durability:
Pretty good. If I remember correctly, this finish stayed on the cabinets for about 2 years before I decided that I wanted a different look. I dont remember lots of scratches or the paint peeling off.
Would I use the kit again?
You can read more about this kitchen remodel here.
Velvet Finishes Paint
Pros:
Definitely one of the easiest paints to use, good variety of colors to choose from. Easy cleanup of brushes / paint supplies.
Cons:
Durability:
Would I use it again?
Pros:
What Kind Of Paint To Use On Cabinets
Repainting the kitchen cabinetsBest Brand of Paint for Kitchen CabinetsPopular Kitchen Cabinet Paint ColoursHow to Choose the Right Cabinet Paint Colour for Your Kitchen
- Size Consider the size of your kitchen when choosing the paint for your cabinets. A big kitchen can usually pull off a variety of different cabinet colors. Smaller kitchens, however, present more narrow design options. Dark colors in a small space may seem overpowering and make the space feel even smaller.
- Style Whether your cabinets are a traditional style, Arts & Crafts, or modern will help you determine what colors will look best. Traditional, colonial, Arts & Crafts and other cabinet styles from these distinct design periods look best in classic colors. Creams, whites and light grays are best for these types of cabinets. A more contemporary cabinet style, especially plain, flat fronts, can take a wider range of colors.
- Light The appearance of color changes in different light because some colors reflect light while others absorb it. The amount of natural light you get in your kitchen should help you choose a paint color for your cabinets. Be sure to bring the paint chips into the room, hold them at the same angle as the surface of your cabinets, and look at them at different times of the day.
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The Absolute Best Paint For Cabinets In 2022
You might be wondering, why bother researching the best paint for cabinets?
Theres a reason everyone congregates in the kitchen during a party. Its the heart of your home. Plus, all the snacks are there. But what about when the center of your home reflects the taste of the previous owners? Or some impulsive cabinet purchases you made years ago?
If you dread spending even a minute in your kitchen, its time to treat yourself to an upgrade. You can get a stylish kitchen without the expense and hassle of a major renovation. Did you know you can paint kitchen cupboards?
Its true, with just a little planning and the best paint for cabinets, you can transform your kitchen. Make sure 2021 is the year when your house feels like a home. Using the best kitchen paint for cupboards, youll change a regular room in your house into the heart of your home.
High Quality Acrylic Milk Paint
Tasha from Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s Body successfully painted her oak cabinets with milk paint, without sanding or priming and they are not only beautiful, but holding up perfectly several years later. She used a high quality Milk Paint followed by a very durable top coat – all the details and brands are contained in her blog post.
source: Designer Trapped in a Lawyer’s Body
Tasha has several posts that will walk you through her process as well as a video that shows how her cabinets are holding up several years later. Like Carrie, she also had the issue with the wood grain in oak cabinets so be sure to read the comments in her posts to see what she decided to do!
Read Also: Sherwin Williams Best Exterior Paint
The Color Of The Paint
It is the most important thing while buying paint for kitchen cabinets as once it is painted, we cant change that frequently as we are painting on wood or plywoods.
So choosing which hue is best for the kitchen should be checked very wisely. Dont go with the paint card presentation as after the finish it will look different, so check the images that same hue has been used to get a fair idea of what it will look like after the finish.
Another thing to keep in mind while choosing the color is which side the cabinets or kitchen is facing. For instance, if facing from the north side where there is no light coming, you have to choose a color that has subtle hues for an appealing look likewise, choose the color according to the light falling on the kitchen cabinets and kitchen.
Dont go for colors which are very dull or dark as these will be expensive and will not give a good environment for kitchen works.
Alkyd Paint That Mimics Oil

In terms of purchasing traditional paint for your cabinets, there’s two products that you will need to purchase: a primer and then actual paint.
From my experience, professional painters will strongly recommend either going the oil based route or using an alkyd paint like Benjamin Moore’s Advance Waterborne Alkyd Paint, available in both a primer and paint that act like oil-based without the stink or clean-up.
Below you can see how Laura from Inspiration For Moms painted her kitchen cabinets with Benjamin Moore’s Advance line and used a sprayer to get amazing coverage.
If you’re comfortable using one, a sprayer really gives a smooth, flawless finish. This is also something you can get done professionally and relatively inexpensively compared to the cost of brand new cabinets.
Source: Inspiration For Moms
Diane from In my Own Style opted to use the Sherwin Williams Alkyd formula and can testify that it has excellent adhesion abilities, flow and leveling to lessen the look of roller and brush marks as well as the fact that it is non-yellowing .
Diane also talks about the importance of using a stain blocking primer, especially when you are dealing with older wood cabinets that may have tannins that will eventually bleed through.
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Which Alkyd Paint Do You Personally Recommend
If youre looking for my personal favorite of all of these brands, I would have to choose Sherwin Williams ProClassic paint. Of course, its also the most expensive. With that being said, Ive used all of these other brands and have been extremely pleased with all of them. This type of paint is pretty incredible!
If I had to pick a favorite of the more budget friendly paints I would choose Behr. I used the Behr alkyd paint on my own kitchen cabinets and am very pleased with how well theyve held up for 3 years. Below is a video I made after one year to show how well my kitchen cabinets painted with Behr Urethane Alkyd were holding up.
Quick note on Valspar Cabinet and Furniture Paint. I used it on a small piece of furniture and was pleased with it as comparable to the other lower cost alkyd paints. I recently noticed it has received very mixed reviews. With this in mind, I would recommend it with a word of caution. It seems that some people have not been able to achieve consistently good results with this paint.
Sherwin Williams Naval Sw 6244
Blue cabinet colors for kitchens are ever more popular these days and Naval by Sherwin Williams stands out as one of the best. No question, dark navy tones in a kitchen are trendy. However, the key to finding a timeless blue cabinet paint color that wont go out of style is to choose a more neutral hue. Along those lines, Naval does not disappoint.
Its a deeper blue tone that works as the main cabinet color or as a contrasting kitchen island color. In particular, we love pairing Naval with stark white sinks or grayish countertops. In like fashion, this lovely blue hue works great with brass-colored cabinet pulls, handles, knobs, and faucets. And since Sherwin-Williams deemed Naval as its 2020 color of the year, were guessing itll be some time before it goes out of style, if ever.
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Wilko Quick Dry Cupboard & Furniture Paint 750ml
Best value paint for kitchen cupboards
- No gloss finish option
- Limited colour options
If youre after an easy to use, quick-drying paint on a small budget then the Wilko Quick Dry Cupboard and Furniture paint will do a grand job. And best of all, it comes at a very affordable price point of £10! Ideal for students on a budget or first-time buyers who want to uplift their kitchen cabinets without splashing out.
Its specifically formulated to give a tough, smooth satin finish for melamine, interior wood, MDF cupboards, which makes it a good choice to touch up your kitchen cabinets and drawers, and it’s also available in a chalk finish option.
The paint gives excellent coverage and a little goes a long way, but you may need one or two coats to get perfect results. It’s also quick drying to the touch in just two hours, although wed recommend waiting a little longer before applying another coat.
The downside is we found this oil-based paint had a strong odour, so you’ll definitely need to open the windows!
Ideal Home rating: 4 out of 5 stars
What Is Flood Coating
Learning how to flood coat can transform old or worn-out cabinets with a perfect top coat.
You can use two methods to apply primer to your cabinets:
- Sprayer: slow down the sprayer and use twice the amount of paint you usually would.
- Brush: apply two to four coats of primer with a brush.
Use a fine grain sanding sponge to even out the primer after youve flooded the wood grain. Then youre ready for the topcoat of paint, which will dry to a perfectly smooth finish thanks to your hard work prepping the cabinet surfaces.
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What Type Of Paint Is Used On Kitchen Cabinets
When it comes to kitchen cabinets it is important to find the right paint. The best paint for kitchen cabinets allows for multiple coats to cover any imperfections and should be able to be tinted in multiple colors. Some of the best colors for kitchen cabinets in 2019 are Gray, Brown, Beige, and White. You can find paints for kitchen cabinets that we recommend here.
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