I'll give you my two cents since there doesn't seem to be alot of traffic on this forum. I too, am in the same boat. Have to paint my kit. cabinets and only want to do it once, so I better not screw it up (arm is already sore from just priming!)Anyway, my local paint store seems a bit out of the loop, so I called a very trusted store in Los Angeles and the guy said.....AURA. So that is what I am going with.
Hope this helps.

I've used Aura before.....
I tend to over brush..
So if you can roll it
lay it off
and leave it
your good...
In a months time you'll get a nice hard finish.
I'm just asking to see if there is something better...

Let me know when I should leave leave well enough alone :)

Good-luck.............

I have used Aura on: Closet doors; small chest of drawers; outside wooden chair; and pantry doors. I do not brush it any different than any other paint and it turns out GREAT.

My pantry doors are more like a frame (with chicken wire insets) and were VERY easy to brush. The inside of the pantry I also just brused and it turned out just fine.

I would give the Aura a try!

jody

For what its worth, I have used both Aura and Cabinet Coat. Both have worn well in the last two years.

I used Cabinet Coat in my kitchen and it was immediately wonderful, I couldn't stop touching it for months and it washes like a dream. I have 4 boys, so my house is not lightly lived in!

When I did my bathroom I used Aura because it was available in a darker color. My only Aura issue was that it took much longer to cure, so I spent a month or so adding touch up paint. After it fully cured, I have never had a problem.

Both paints level well and have a great sheen. Really, either way you won't make a bad decision. Have fun!

All three will work great but the key is in the prep. Cleaning, sanding and priming are critical to success. If any of the three are ignored, you'll be able to scratch off the coating, regardless of your choice of finish. That said, keep in mind that Advance is an alkyd, albiet water reducible, so it's a completely different animal than the others. This means it offers great flow and leveling but like most alkyds, dry and cure times will be much longer than acrylics.

Soooomanyboys,

I have never tried cabinet coat before. Thanks for your opinion on it . I have used Aura before but being an over-brusher it gave me anxiety .

Jody,
Well,I guess I should try Aura again since it seems I'm the only one having brushing problems.Perhaps the temp.conditions where not optimal.

Paintguy1,
Thanks .. Do you know if adding flowtrol to Aura degrades the paint at all ??
(Since I am a little OCD when it comes to brushing)

SOOOO I hate to ask this...But...
If they where your cabs.??
Give me a wall any day :)

You never get something for nothing. If there was magic ingredient that could be added to paint, especially premium paint, that could improve open time along with flow and leveling without any tradeoffs, the manufacturer would simply add it. So yes, you do lose dry film performance, color fidelity and more when you add extenders to a paint. Doesn't mean you should never use them (BM makes their own), just use them only when necessary.

If they were my cabinets, I'd use Aura satin or more likely, Advance satin.

Paintguy1 and all,
Thanks, (Really) So much....
I picked-up a quart of Advance to sample .
I've got to wait till it's warmer to get started.

I thought I was happy when my only paint world
was box store paints. Prime? What prime?
I called my look shabby chic
because I knew it would end up that way.

I have learned so much here.
Jumping off points.
Directions to consider.

Now if only the whites didn't come in a 1000 shades :)

Now if only the whites didn't come in a 1000 shades :)

lol! :) I think many would agree with you on that one.