Benjamin Moore Cabinet Paint: Painting cabinets is a great way to update your kitchen, bathroom, or even your laundry room without spending a lot of money. In this article, I will share everything you need to know about painting your cabinets using Benjamin Moore Cabinet Paint including if it’s worth spending the money on, whether or not you truly need “cabinet paint,” what primer to use, whether you should sand it or not, and if you should use a paint sprayer or hand brush it!
Plus, I’ll even compare Sherwin-Williams cabinet paint and Benjamin Moore cabinet paint so you can get a good idea of which one is better and why! See my secrets for the how to paint bathroom cabinets here!
BENJAMIN MOORE CABINET PAINT
Benjamin Moore cabinet paint line, Advance, is slightly more expensive than their other paint lines. We always use their zero or low-VOC line, Natura, in our house which isn’t cheap either; but, we have found that you get what you pay for. The Benjamin Moore Advance line holds up well year after year, it’s easy to work with and is low VOC which is always a concern in homes with small children.
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Why you should use cabinet paint:
Cabinet paint is designed to sustain more wear and tear than regular paint. On our trim in our house, we use Benjamin Moore Nature Semi-Gloss in Simply White. While it’s pretty good, it definitely chips and wears over the years. The glossier the product, the more it will withstand wear and tear. Should you use high gloss then on your trim or cabinets? I wouldn’t recommend it unless they are spotless—and definitely not if you are painting old oak cabinets or trim.
While gloss adds protection, it also emphasizes imperfections. We’ve used high gloss on a number of vintage furniture pieces and the shine really emphasizes any nicks, scratches, or dents. So, I wouldn’t recommend it for something as heavy use as trim or cabinets.
Should I use cabinet paint on my trim too?
Cabinet paint would be tougher than regular Semi-gloss paint but I think it would be overkill. Plus, it would really add up over the expanse of an entire house. Cabinet paint is meant to cure longer than regular paint which could be a problem for trim. We like to let our cabinet paint dry for at least 5-10 days (it can take up to 14 days to fully harden). The longer you let it “cure” or harden, the more robust it is going to be.
Should I sand before using cabinet paint?
If you are painting oak trim or oak cabinets, I do not recommend sanding. I speak from firsthand experience. When we have sanded, we have experienced lots of stain bleeding through from the wood stain below. It will cause your perfectly white painted cabinets, furniture, to have blotchy stains on it from the stain in the wood seeping up through the paint. It’s happened to us on windows, on vintage bookcases, and even our laundry room cabinets which stinks. Instead, I recommend lightly scuffing up your cabinets with these abrasive pads. Painting cabinets is a lot of work and I am not looking forward to painting them again anytime. See how to paint wood trim here.
MATERIALS FOR PAINTING CABINETS
- Scotch-Brite General Purpose Hand Pad- I recommend using these to scuff up your cabinets before painting
- Paint Brush- use a 3″ angled trim brush and an ultra-fine foam roller
- Wood filler- fill in any nail holes or dents beforehand for an even finish
- Primer and Paint
- Zinnsers Bulls-Eye 1-2-3 is what I use
- Paint– my favorite paint for bathroom cabinets is Benjamin Moore Advanced line in semi-gloss (I use Simply White color to match my painted wood trim) Benjamin Moore Advance line is a waterborne alkyd paint that produces a hard enamel-like finish
- Paint Sprayer or Ultra-Fine Roller (decide which is best for your situation)- a paint sprayer will give you a more flawless finish but it takes a long time to set up
- Paint tray and pail
- Drop Cloths
- Mask (if you are using the paint sprayer)
SEE MY COMPLETE TUTORIAL ON HOW TO PAINT CABINETS HERE
Benjamin Moore Cabinet Paint vs. Sherwin-Williams Cabinet Paint:
We have used Benjamin Moore Cabinet Paint Advance line on several rooms in our house and lots of furniture. We’ve even used it on our kids’ bathroom cabinets which put up with a LOT of wear and tear. So far, we’ve been incredibly happy with the results. The cabinets are hard to the touch, the paint covered well, and the color is true to form.
We used Sherwin-Williams Alkyd line in our laundry room and did like that it hardened quicker than the BM Advance cabinet paint. It covered well and was easy to work with. However, I noticed that it smelled more (it wasn’t as low VOC as the Advance), and the consistency wasn’t as easy to work with as BM Advance Cabinet Paint.
FAQs ON BENJAMIN MOORE CABINET PAINT
What does Benjamin Moore cabinet paint cost? What does Sherwin-Williams cabinet paint cost?
At our local Benjamin Moore paint store (which I absolutely LOVE—I call in my order ahead of time and it’s ready for pick up!) a gallon of BM cabinet paint, Advance costs $45.85. A quart costs $20.20. Comparatively, at Sherwin-Williams, a gallon of their comparable cabinet paint costs $83.49 and a quart costs $32.59. When it’s on sale (they often have 30-40% off sales regularly) the prices are very similar.
What primer should I use with Benjamin Moore Advance cabinet paint?
For years we used Zinsser’s Smart Prime but they discontinued making it a year or two ago. Since then, we have been using Zinnsers Bulls-Eye 1-2-3 which is very good as well. We have also used Sherwin-Williams primer and felt that it was a fine substitute although it had more fumes than the Zinssers (which wasn’t a hit when I was pregnant with our third.)
Should you use a paint sprayer to paint your cabinets?
If you want a very robust finish, yes. We have tried both methods: hand painting the cabinets with a foam roller and brush and using a paint sprayer. It takes roughly the same amount of time. With a paint sprayer (here’s the one we have), you spend more time setting up your workspace; but, it takes a fraction of the time as painting.
With hand painting, you can easily paint anywhere with a drop cloth and don’t need to tent the entire room off with plastic sheets to protect from overspray or airborne particles.
If I was painting my kitchen cabinets, I would buy a paint sprayer. If I was painting a bathroom vanity cabinet, I would just hand paint them. The finish you get with a paint sprayer is much more professional looking, harder, and actually has less paint on it than hand painting.
How do you paint cabinets?
See my step by step tutorial on how to paint cabinets here. I go through everything you need to know.
What paint finish should I use on kitchen cabinets?
I would recommend using a semi-gloss on kitchen cabinets. An eggshell finish will scuff too easily and not be as resistant as you would like, and a high-gloss finish will show all the imperfections. Many other home bloggers have recommended and used Satin finish as well; but, I prefer semi-gloss.
BENJAMIN MOORE CABINET PAINT EXAMPLES
See these fantastic examples of Benjamin Moore painted cabinets from several other amazing home decor and DIY bloggers: Kitchen Cabinet Colors
You’ll also love these posts on painting:
Chatfield Court shares her painted kitchen cabinets using Benjamin Moore Advance White Dove in her DIY kitchen remodel.
Just Call Me Homegirl used Benjamin Moore’s cabinet paint, Advance, in Simply White to used a paint sprayer on her kitchen cabinets here.
Southern Hospitality painted her kitchen cabinets Benjamin Moore Knoxville Gray and Benjamin Moore White Dove in BM’s Advance paint below.
Jaime Costiglio used Benjamin Moore Advance cabinet paint in Iron Mountain and Simply White in her in her kitchen model makeover here.
Inspiration for Moms used one of my favorite grays, Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray in the Advance paint line to paint her kitchen cabinets here.
The Ugly Duckling used BM Advance cabinet paint for painting her kitchen cabinets without sanding here. 
Rain on a Tin Roof used Benjamin Moore’s cabinet paint, the Advance line on her kitchen cabinets here, under the heading “Alkyd Paint.” You can see how she compares different types of paint for cabinets and their pros and cons in the article as well.
Bower Power compared Benjamin Moore Advance cabinet paint and Sherwin-Williams cabinet paint in this post shown in the picture below.
Young House Love used BM Advance paint to paint their kitchen cabinets in their second house here. 
Thrifty Decor Chick showed how she painted her kitchen cabinets using Benjamin Moore cabinet paint here and she had amazing results!
What you’ll need to paint your cabinets: here are all my favorite tools that save me loads of time!
Don’t Miss these Other Posts:
What about the inside of kitchen cabinets? My kitchen cabinets are dark – I’d have to look but I think the sides are painted along with the shelves. The back is finished oak plywood.
Hi Michael! Thanks for commenting!
Regarding painting the shelves and the sides, I haven’t personally painted the interior of our cabinets–I left them natural (they are closed all the time) and we have melamine shelves in our kitchen. For our bookcases in our living room, I painted the back and the sides using the same technique I outlined above. My only concern with recommending you paint the shelves is the wear and tear shelves receive from dishes. It would probably get knicked up really quickly. I would test paint a patch on the back of your shelves to see if the primer will stick. If it is finished really glossy, you might have to get a more heavy duty primer. We used one from Sherwin-Williams which was able to be painted on fiberglass and while it was stinky it stuck to everything! It might be worth looking into if you are painting a really glossy surface.
A second solution is you could use contact paper for your shelves and/ or the back of the cabinets? I think Nesting with Grace has done a bunch of makeovers using this technique.
I hope that helps! Annie
How has The durability been since you painted your cabinets?
I am currently in the process of redoing my kitchen cabinets. I am in day 5. I started with the BM advanced paint yesterday and wanted to cry on the very first cabinet door! This paint bubbled up in foam roller application! After ALL the hard work I’ve put it so far, I felt defeated. I managed to work with it with a paint brush and using roller occasionally. The paint was bubbled in my paint tray! I read so many great things about this paint so I’m not sure why this happened.
I had the exact same problem. My cabinets are made with hard maple wood. I am a “hands on” real estate investor with two dozen projects under my belt. I have always replaced the kitchen cabinets. This house had good quality cabinetry, so I decided to paint these. Big mistake! After research, I felt BM Advance was the best paint for the job. I used Advance primer also. Followed directions to the letter. Using the paint without thinning, the recommended brush and a high density foam roller the finish did not level out as described. It was textured and looked terrible. Sanded that coat, thinned the paint with a small amount of water and now the finish was full of small water particles. It took three times longer to roll all of the water bubbles out. Had to do the same thing with the second coat. The end result is a good look but, it took a ridiculous amount of time to achieve an acceptable finish. Next time I will replace the cabinets.
I’m concerned about bubbling too. Our cabinets are oak. Original to the house. Application 15 years old. This original finish looks to be a stain with a topcoat / finish. My concern is that I have no idea whether the top coat sealer is oil or water soluble. Is there a way to test it? From what I’m reading latex should not be used over oil without sanding and priming, is this correct? I paint on canvas and was taught that fat rises so not to use acrylics over oils. Most of the topcoat finish has worn off the cabinets and I’m thinking the degreaser will take off even more – does that make sense? I’m not sure if I’ll paint or paint and glaze. But should I use oil based just to be on the safe side. I hesitate because I use latex wall paint so I’m more familiar with it and many bloggers don’t seem to like oil paint or glaze. Any advice?
My brother used appliance paint on the inside of their cabinets and it has held up amazing
After I finish painting with the BM advance, do I need a polyurethane top coat?