Painted Kitchen Cabinets: Two Years On

Painted kitchen cabinets have been a hot trend in home decor for a while now. (I don't think that's changing anytime soon!) People often ask me how my painted kitchen cabinets are holding up. Everyone wants to know whether I'd make the same choices after living with them for a while.

How my Painted Kitchen Cabinets are holding up 2 years later!

I'll let you in on a little secret. Yes, I'd paint them again in a heartbeat. But there's more to the story! Keep reading.

RELATED: How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets without Professional Equipment

I should point out that it hasn't quite been two years since we painted them, but it's close. I figured saying one year and three quarters would sound silly, so I rounded up to two! I expect they'll look the same at the exact two-year mark as they do now.

If you're even thinking about painting your cabinets (in the kitchen or anywhere else), this is a must-read! And please feel free to ask me more questions in the comments. I'll add to this post if anything else needs answering!

FAQs About My Painted Kitchen Cabinets

How Are the Cabinets Holding Up?

The cabinets are holding up very, very well. There is some chipping, but it's minimal and nobody but me would notice, I'm sure of it! It's worth noting that almost all of the chipping happened in the first couple of weeks. The paint seemed to take longer to dry than the time listed on the can. I don't know if I could have gone without using them any longer, but waiting might have been worth it to avoid those dings.

These DIY Painted Kitchen cabinets are holding up so well, except for a couple little dings here and there!

Any other trouble spots came from things hitting or rubbing against them, like this spot where the neighboring door bumps when it's opened. My girls play in this cabinet all the time, and well, they're kids, so they don't open it as gently as I'd like. It's a small price to pay for their playtime while I cook dinner.

Cabinets painted in Benjamin Moore's Simply White are holding up extremely well after 2 years!

Here's another spot that got knocked around when we were putting the plates away that first week or so! I'm sure I'm the only one who notices them!

What Kind of Paint Should You Use on Kitchen Cabinets?

Ahhh, the big question! This is the one I've been asked most since I painted my cabinets. I've used two different paints on cabinets in my home.

Ace Hardware's Door, Trim and Cabinet Paint: It's a very thin paint that glides on and dries extremely smooth. You need several thin coats, so that's what I did. After a few minutes I'd go back to a door and check for drips or pooling in the low spots. I could lightly run my brush over any pools or drips, and the paint would level out again without showing brush marks.

Benjamin Moore's Advance Paint (this is what I used on the kitchen cabinets): It's not as thin, and it dries much faster than Ace's paint. After two coats on the doors, I could still see some brush strokes in the beveled edges. I had planned to add a third coat after thinning the paint with a little water, but I decided they were good enough. (I'm too busy or too lazy to take them down for another coat.)

Final thought:I think BM Advance is a fabulous paint, but if you use it, I'd strongly recommend thinning it or painting quickly, and keeping the lid on so it doesn't thicken. If you do thin it, follow Benjamin Moore's directions on the can.

Is Benjamin Moore Advance Paint Yellowing?

Nope! Not one bit. I've heard again and again that Benjamin Moore Advance Waterborne Alkyd Paint can yellow, especially in white, which is what we used. We haven't had any trouble on that front. By the way, the color we chose was Benjamin Moore's Simply White.

Gorgeous painted kitchen cabinets are holding up well after 2 years of use! | Benjamin Moore's Advance Paint

How Do You Paint Kitchen Cabinets Without Sanding?

I get this question a lot in person, so I imagine people online are wondering it too. I didn't sand my cabinet bases, because I didn't want to sand indoors and have to cover everything to keep the dust under control.

So I used a liquid deglosser instead. I was doubtful at first that the finish would hold up, but it has worked wonderfully. As I mentioned, the chipping happened right after I painted, so I think you'd be totally fine letting the cabinets cure for a couple of weeks, if you can!

Would You Recommend Spray Painting Kitchen Cabinets?

I think I would! I didn't own a paint sprayer when I painted my cabinets, so I did every bit by hand. Since then I've used a paint sprayer on my fence, and it was wonderful! I'll definitely try one on any large painting projects in the future.

All in all, I'd absolutely recommend painting your cabinets if you want a different look and don't want to hire a professional. The work is tough, but it's totally worth it! I hope you'll share your painted cabinets with me if you ever decide to paint yours!