Cabinet Paint - What to use

[mrramsey]

So as I continue with my garage renovation I am finalizing my custom cabinets. These will be frameless boxes with 1/2" overlay doors and drawers. The doors and drawer fronts will be MDF the rest is all cab grade ply. The doors and drawers will have full length extruded aluminum handles. Going for the toolbox look. The paint color will be red but the question is what type of paint to use??

 

[OccupantRJ]

I am not a pro painter, but I would use sanding sealer to seal the porous wood, then acrylic enamel for the color.

 

[Bondo]

The paint color will be red but the question is what type of paint to use??

Ayuh,.... Rustoleum industrial enamel,....

This is a kitchen set I painted with rattlecan Rustoleum red, 12 years ago, that still look as good as the day I finished 'em,....

 

[Davefr]

Benjamin Moore Advance.

It levels so well it looks like it's been sprayed.

https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us.../product-catalog/awiap/advance-interior-paint

 

[custombuild]

Water-based Kem Aqua Plus from Sherwin Williams

First prep the surface and spray the primer (product name surfacer), it's dry in 20 minutes...sands very easy like powdered sugar.

Then spray the top coat in your choice of color.

No need to thin it (very thin compared to latex) and very durable.

Also, you can use any HVLP gun and clean it up with water.. and it's low VOC so you wont' bomb out your garage/lungs.

It's recommended by the kitchen cabinet manufacturers association.

I used it on mine and it came out nice.

Good luck.

 

[b-dog]

I'm going to be spraying cabinets sooner than later...subscribing.

 

[BikerDad]

Why in the heck would you make the drawer fronts and doors out of MDF? Sure, it paints up real purdy and machines sweet, but it's also more prone to damage than anything other than LDF, particleboard or cardboard. The doors and drawer fronts are the MOST LIKELY parts of the cabinet to get dinged, whacked, thunked, smacked, Ka-Powed!!!, BONK!! and whatever other Bat-Fight words you want.

 

[ALinCarolina]

Water-based Kem Aqua Plus from Sherwin Williams

First prep the surface and spray the primer (product name surfacer), it's dry in 20 minutes...sands very easy like powdered sugar.

Then spray the top coat in your choice of color.

No need to thin it (very thin compared to latex) and very durable.

Also, you can use any HVLP gun and clean it up with water.. and it's low VOC so you wont' bomb out your garage/lungs.

It's recommended by the kitchen cabinet manufacturers association.

I used it on mine and it came out nice.

Good luck.

This^. All of that is true and well described. I used Kem Aqua Plus on my last cabinet and it was fantastic. Came out hard as a rock. Only disadvantage I found was that colors other than white and clear had to be custom mixed but most of mine will be white anyway. You do need to spray it though.

 

[Moto]

Water-based Kem Aqua Plus from Sherwin Williams

I used Kem Aqua Plus on my last cabinet and it was fantastic.

What spray guns did you use? How big of a compressor did you need?

 

[ard]

Water-based Kem Aqua Plus from Sherwin Williams

First prep the surface and spray the primer (product name surfacer), it's dry in 20 minutes...sands very easy like powdered sugar.

Then spray the top coat in your choice of color.

No need to thin it (very thin compared to latex) and very durable.

Also, you can use any HVLP gun and clean it up with water.. and it's low VOC so you wont' bomb out your garage/lungs.

It's recommended by the kitchen cabinet manufacturers association.

I used it on mine and it came out nice.

Good luck.

+2

THis has been my plan for painted wood/mdf shop cabinets I have planned.

Ive got HVLP and airless, prolly use airless.

And although it is waterborne I would absolutely still be concerned with breathing it.

 

[MushCreek]

You didn't ask, but if you're still in the design phase, plan on building mostly drawers. Door cabinets are black holes where you have to get on your hands and knees to retrieve **** that works it's way to the back. I built the cabinets for our kitchen, and we have 32 drawers and just two sets of doors- under the sinks.

I agree that MDF is a poor choice. Real wood or cabinet grade plywood will be much more durable. We used Ben Moore Advance in the house, but in a shop, I might go to something more 'industrial'. It is nice paint, though.

 

[mrramsey]

You didn't ask, but if you're still in the design phase, plan on building mostly drawers. Door cabinets are black holes where you have to get on your hands and knees to retrieve **** that works it's way to the back. I built the cabinets for our kitchen, and we have 32 drawers and just two sets of doors- under the sinks.

I agree that MDF is a poor choice. Real wood or cabinet grade plywood will be much more durable. We used Ben Moore Advance in the house, but in a shop, I might go to something more 'industrial'. It is nice paint, though.

I should also add that it's not a 'working' shop, just my daily driver garage. My reasons for mdf are some rather large doors on the vertical cabinets. I am also going for a slab door design for a contemporary look. Trying to achieve that with ply is a little difficult. I certainly don't enjoy the mess of building with mdf.

As for the design I have plenty of drawers for my hand tools. Doors conceal general storage, shop vac, table saw etc.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[Cairo94507]

I am having custom cabinets for my garage made now. They will be finished in Durapoxy by the cabinet maker. Had that finish in my last garage and the cabinets held up great and the finish always wiped clean easily. http://kellymoore.com/products/inte...MIkrHyhtb61wIVSZd-Ch2DtwqGEAAYASAAEgIJ6vD_BwE

 

[david71984]

These are great recommendations especially the Sherman Williams products. I have been doing a lot of research before having to finish all of mine. Mine will be made out of all cabinet ply in garage. Spraying them with airless system.