The colorful world of paint is overwhelming.
When it comes to finishing, they exist in multitudes, and when we speak of color shades, it’s infinitely impossible to reach the end.
And then it seems like the complication continues. Paints also vary based on application? Or not?
The cabinets? Can you use the wall paints on them? Are paints for cabinets and walls separate?
Here’s why kitchen cabinet paints are no different from wall paints
Kitchen cabinet paints are not really different from wall paints, especially those formulated for use on interior walls. Both cabinets, walls, furniture, moulding and trims can be painted successfully using paint designed for interior use. There might be specialty products out there targeted for use on only walls or cabinets, and these may not really work well with the other, but be rest assured that they will not cause any damage.
What’s the difference between kitchen cabinet paint and regular or wall paint?
Paint typically exists in two broad categories: the interior and the exterior paint.
Interior paints are basically designed to be used on articles or places inside the home such as walls, cabinets, trims, moldings and furniture.
Quite commonly, interior paints are made with multipurpose functionality. Meaning that they can be used on multiple surfaces without any problems. Benjamin Moore is a perfect example.
They have a classical collection of interior paint with different finishes that work on almost all types of surfaces from molding, to trims, furniture to cabinets.
With that said, it’s always also a good idea to check with your paint brand and be sure of its intended application surface, as there are quite a few brands that like to do it differently.
Some companies like to produce interior paints in different varieties just to perfect the quality only for a specific application.
An all-purpose interior paint might work on all surfaces, but with a specialty product, it’s easier to hit a much different note of quality.
An implication of specializing however, is that the specific paint meant for the specific purpose would be so fine tuned that it may not necessarily work on other types of surfaces anymore, because obviously, different surfaces are created differently, take wood and wall for instance.
For an example, I’ll bring up Benjamin Moore as the reference again.
They do have a line of interior paints designed specifically for highly humid areas like spas or bathrooms. These are interior paints. They’re designed to withstand high humidity, water and resist mildew, but such technology makes their composition not suitable for application on surfaces like cabinets or furniture.
Exterior paints
Now over to exterior paints. These should never even be considered for use on cabinets and furniture.
They’re just a breed of paints created for a much rugged environment, and so you should expect their composition to be rugged too, and not be compatible for interior use.
Exterior paints are made with excellent durability, are aggressive, not finished in excellent variations like we see with interior paints, and using them on your cabinets will make you really hate the cabinet more.
What paint and paint finish should you use on kitchen cabinets?
For the type of paint, there are a variety of options out there, but one of the best you can find is the Benjamin’s Moore brand meant for interior use. Their paints are high quality, versatile, durable, clean and have great technology in them.
When it comes to the type of paint finish to use on cabinets, it’s always recommended to go for the glossy type finish.
This is because the kitchen is a high traffic area which means its cabinets tend to acquire stains, marks and dirt easily.
If you don’t have a paint finish that can withstand or even resist these like the higher gloss, your cabinets will get ruined easily.
So opt for the semi gloss finish or those of higher gloss and ditch the matt because it is very difficult to clean although it hides imperfections, scratches and marks quite easily.
Can you paint kitchen cabinets with normal paint?
If you have normal wall paint designs for interior walls, then you most likely can use it to paint your kitchen cabinets. You don’t need a specialty paint specifically designed for kitchen cabinets.
In order to ensure that you are embarking on a successful venture, make sure there’s no specific warning on the paint cover or label against its use on other surfaces, especially wood for cabinets.
And then, when you come to painting, make sure to first of all clean the surface of the cabinet with water and an all purpose cleaner, sand sufficiently to expose a rougher base, prime it using a quality primer, preferably from the same brand of paint and of the same category as the paint you’re using: whether oil or water, and then apply the paint if it’s not a primer plus paint combo, in the first place.
Do you paint kitchen cabinets the way you paint walls?
The procedure for painting kitchen cabinets is quite similar to that of painting walls.
When you’re painting walls for instance, if you have an existing paint on the wall then you are required to scrape it off or sand a bit so you create a proper base surface for your primer to go over, or your paint to go over if you’re not using a primer or are using a primer plus paint combo.
With a cabinet also, if you have an existing paint on it, you’re required to sand it using a medium sandpaper grit for the same purpose as earlier.
And then comes priming itself. Priming is an important step in painting both cabinets and walls.
Priming does a lot of things, the most important which is to serve as a reliable base for your topcoat to go over. This ensures evenness in painting and also durability of the paint.
After priming, expect to wait a period of time stipulated by the primer brand you’re using, after which you can apply the first layer of the top coating, wait for some time and follow up with successive ones with a waiting period in between.
So, as you can see, the process for painting walls and cabinets is quite similar.
Are finishes for cabinets and walls the same?
The transparent final finish of lacquer or varnish applied to the top coat of paints are literally the same for walls and cabinets, so long they’re meant for interior use. Use them to achieve that extra sturdiness and cleaner look.