IMO you spray cabinets in a dust free space and use actual cabinet paint . The just the boxes need to be painted with a foam roller .

Was it an oil based paint back in 1970? There are additives to increase self-levelling- ask at the paint store what works with their paints.

Take the doors off, lay them flat. Clean them. Sand them. Prime them. Use a GOOD paint brush. And use BM Advance paint. It levels fabulously. These are my cabinets that I painted 4 years ago.

Chessie. Thank you for your comment. I purchased the brush they told me to use at BM. I see brush strokes. I bought the Advance. Are you saying you see no brushstrokes? I can’t tell from a picture. There was a very nice manager in the store who sold me the paint and brush. If you got better results than I did,I can take a door to the store and ask him to demonstrate so I can see what I did wrong. Levels fabulously? Really. No stroke marks? So you recommend I go in for a demo?

Patricia. Thank you for your comment. I tried the foam roller they sell at Lowe’s that is made for cabinet painting. I got the orange peel finish with that and the 1/4 inch regular roller. What is IMO?

Apple Pie. Yes. In 1970 it was the oil base paint. My recollection is that is what I used back then. I think I started using water base paints when I started painting walls. The orange peel finish never bothered me on the walls. had no idea there are additives to increase self leveling. That is such an important tip. Thank you. I’m going to go back to BM and talk to them since Chessie had such success with their paint. I’ll ask the manager who helped me about the additive. Thank you.

I painted my kitchen cabinets last year with BM's Advance. I had never used a paint sprayer before I painted them. After hours of research, I bought the HomeRight Super Finish Max sprayer. It was so easy to use. My cabinets look flawless. Of course, there was plenty of sanding, vacuuming and tacking as well. I used Cover Stain as my primer. I knew the sprayer couldn't handle that so I bought that in spray cans. It's really pretty shocking how well it all turned out with my lack of spraying talent.

There is so much more to painting than what you're doing. 75% of the work is prep. Have you prepped the wood?

how?

what about primer? after the primer you need to fine sand w/a 220.

if you're brushing or rolling the paint (Advance is fine. Cabinet Coat is fine) you can wet sand w/a 600 or higher sandpaper. I've used the 600 wet sand on furniture pieces to knock down any heavy brush marks.

this is wet sanding. I brushed this dresser by hand and wet sanded between coats.

even if you use a satin paint, you can wet sand. this one was a satin paint, BM Advance. This had two coats of primer, then the white paint.

Wet sanding can be the diff between an ok job and a really good job.

Spraying would be better, of course.

don't forget, all of the cabs should be removed (and marked to put back in the same place) and painted in a dust free area.

have you read this one? she has the best tutorial on painting. gives you exact instructions.

https://www.evolutionofstyleblog.com/how-to-paint-your-kitchen-cabinets-like

kayla also has some great pointers

https://www.paintedbykaylapayne.com/are-you-thinking-about-painting-your-cabinets/

https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/painting-kitchen-cabinets-how-to-pick-the-best-paint-colour/

Of course, Beth is spot on. I looked at all those websites based on Beth’s recommendatio’s to others. I used a few others as well. Thanks, Beth! It was so much work. So much prep. But, for me, it was worth it. Saved a ton of money and they look great.

Lydtwink

you had me at easy to use. I will see if I can find the HomeRight Super Finish Max.

thank you for sharing !

Beth

your furniture looks beautiful. That’s the finish I want. I use a Black and Decker vibrating sander. I tried a circular sander but I couldn’t control it. I started with fine sandpaper but I switched to medium and feel the finish is better.. I brush off the dust, wipe it down with water then wipe it down with TSP. My cabinets are solid birch with a frost finish. Over the years they have turned pinkish, but there are no damages to patch or dark spots to cover. I took them off the frame and removed the hardware. I have been working on my dining room table but will have to go to the garage if I spray. I have a spinal fusion from C4 to the pelvis, so carrying a door up and down the stairs, to and from the garage, is hard work, but I want to do this.

I am not trying to cut corners, but I did not sand between the coats of the BM. My husband has a factory and they wet sand metal. He has never heard of wet sanding wood. I also may not have waited long enough between coats. I’ll try again. I don’t know how that prevents brush marks on the second coat??

thank you for sharing and your input.

margie

Much depends on humidity level, too. I used Cabinet Coat paint and my cabinets turned out perfectly.

ALWAYS sand between coats. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS. Did I say always? :-) It makes a world of difference. Personally I did not wet sand, but I used THIS sandpaper between coats and it is amazing.

https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Flexible-Sanding-Sheets-Sheets-Pack/dp/B00NO76AVY/ref=asc_df_B00NO76AVY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241871030094&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2521266896602514955&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008492&hvtargid=pla-395213220136&psc=1

Also, for Advance, use THIN coats. SEVERAL THIN coats. And "brush strokes"? Are you trying for a mirror finish or something? LOL. I have some faint ones, on the face frames, but you really don't see them unless you get up really close and look for them. I have none on the doors that were laid flat. Very very smooth finish. Really though I find it somewhat amusing at the folks that think brush strokes must be avoided at all costs. It's WOOD and PAINT. :-) A few minor brush strokes are fine!!

margie,,,first off, never wipe off your wood w/water after sanding. it will raise the grain. use mineral spirits or naphtha

second, you're not wet sanding wood. you're wet sanding the enamel paint. yes, they do it to cars. the grit is so fine that when mixed w/the water and you gently sand the paint, it just takes off any high spots. if you're sanding through to primer or even wood, you've got the wrong grit or you're using too much pressure.

you don't wet sand the final coat unless you're doing a glossy clear coat top coat.

they do w/lacquer too. look up 'piano finish'. basically the same. now if you spray, you may not have to do it. I like to brush and I'm good at it. Sometimes it may get a little thick in spots so that's when I do the wet sand. that pink dresser? the top got 7 coats of Advance. I wet sanded between each one. it was like glass. I'm a perfectionist so that's why I kept giving it another coat. with your cabs, 2 coats will be fine. fine sand after priming w/a 220, and wipe clean. first coat if you brush, see how it looks to you. you may not need to wet sand.

I used Sherwin Williams paint and their Emerald line is good for cabinets. I have painted two bathroom vanities (lots of drawers and doors in the master) and sanding in-between coats is definitely the key!

Join the Kitchen Cabinet Painting Experts group on Facebook to get it straight from the professional cabinet refinishers. They can’t afford callbacks for bad work.

Everyone

I wrote a long reply yesterday that did not get posted so I’ll try again and post in pieces. I went back to Benjamin Moore and spoke to the salesman who helped me the first time and sold me the Advance and the soft brush. I told him I was there for the leveling chemical and the wet sandpaper. He said not to use the leveling chemical in Advance. Instead, he said to put the can in hot water. If that was not enough to pour in a soda capful of water per quart He nixed the wet sandpaper as well. He said it makes the finish too glossy for the second coat. He recommended the 3M 360 sanding block to try which I think is what Chessie recommended. He said the goal was to knock off the brush strokes. Then if there were any glossy spots left, sand until the entire door is dull..

Cont.

Drying time for Advance is 24 hrs. More if it is humid, as Sammie said.

RedRyder, I started with Sherwin Williams. The primer is so thick the stirring stick stands at attention. Maybe I’ll try putting that can in hot water also.

I thank you all for your time and advice. I will heat my paint, wait 24 hr between coats and sand to dull between coats. Use mineral spirits. I may just try that sprayer. I watched a few videos and it looks like I could do it. I’ll join the Experts Facebook group to see what they are saying.

Again. Thank you all. Really. I feel like I will get this done thanks to all of your help.

I disagree. Having used the wet sand I can assure you that it doesn't make the finish too glossy for the next coat. doesn't even make sense (has the guy actually ever tried it? I'm guessing no)

I've never had it 'too glossy' so that the next coat wouldn't stick. you're actually knocking off the gloss, but not the first paint coat.

Sanding w/the 320 grit is fine too, although it could actually remove too much of the paint and you'll now get uneven coverage. that's why I said the 600 wet sand. If you can control your pressure, the 320 (never have seen a 360) is fine.

but go over it w/you hand to make sure you don't have any rough spots.

The issue w/using a dry sand is it gums up quickly. w/the wet sand, it just knocks off the gloss and any high spots. you can rinse off the paper and reuse without it gumming up so quickly.

and quite frankly, the 320 sheets are cheaper and just as easy to use. you can wrap them around an old worn out bar.

BTW, I've done the 600 wet sand with numerous paint finishes and have never had a problem. what I do get is super smooth coat.

In any case, it's up to you. try it both ways and see what you like.

I sprayed the doors with Milesi, brush and rolled the frames, I can tell you from my personal experience, I can get a glass finish with wet sanding the frames, Beth has used 600, I'm sure it would work perfectly fine, I have actually used 1500 wet and 3000 wet. The key is to ensure the sand paper does not get clogged up. I use an old coffee can with water, and a ton of rags. Here are some doors I recently sprayed with Milesi. absolutely beautiful stuff, lays like glass.

I sprayed the doors with Milesi, brush and rolled the frames, I can tell you from my personal experience, I can get a glass finish with wet sanding the frames, Beth has used 600, I'm sure it would work perfectly fine, I have actually used 1500 wet and 3000 wet. The key is to ensure the sand paper does not get clogged up. I use an old coffee can with water, and a ton of rags. Here are some doors I recently sprayed with Milesi. absolutely beautiful stuff, lays like glass.

yes, a 1500 and 3000 wet sand are great too. I just happened to have the 600 on hand! the 600 was perfect for the first coat. higher grits are for more precise polishing.

I looked up the Milesi paint. It is a professional grade with a higher viscosity than most paints. I appreciate the recommendation, but I am having enough difficulty with the thickness of the Advance. I’m not sophisticated enough to use Milesi on my first project. Thank you for your input.

I think I will try the wet sandpaper.

I got surprised to see all the comments from professionals!!

I was shocked at your comment about the SW primer. I’ve used it twice and didn’t find it to be so thick a brush could stand in it. Weird. I wonder if it was a bad batch. I’m glad you got so much good help here. Lots of smart, generous people on this website.

margie, have you read through Evo. of Style how to?

https://www.evolutionofstyleblog.com/how-to-paint-your-kitchen-cabinets-like

she uses the BM products and gives a complete tutorial. no wet sanding! I believe she sprays though. I personally prefer to brush because it's what I've been doing for the past decade. After doing so many furniture and cabinet pieces, I just get in a zone. I have tried spraying but to me, it's a PIA to set up a booth area, thin the paint, load the sprayer, then clean out the sprayer, control the mist, the dust, blah blah. just give me a primo brush my paint, and some wet sand, and I'm good.

and Kayla Payne actually has a course

https://www.paintedbykaylapayne.com/are-you-thinking-about-painting-your-cabinets/

I used the above links per Beth. Super helpful. I dont have the brush talent hence the spray primer and the spayer. I found another guy that was pretty amazing. Gave me alot of tips that I used.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tGnufJ0pz4A

Recoat time for Advance is NOT 24 hours. It is 16 hours. It will dry to the touch in 4 to 6, but can be repainted in 16. Also, no idea why a "leveling chemical" would be added to Advance. It levels beautifully.

Lydtwink. I watched much of it. He is painting in new construction where he doesn’t really have to be paranoid about fine paint particles floating in the air. Very persuasive demo on oil based primer which fortunately is what Sherwin Williams sold me.

Chessie

you are a dyi pro. If you are in the Phila area I would love to see you lay down a coat of Advance and see why you don’t get orange peel or lots of brush lines.

Yeah. I went through all the headache Beth mentioned...I blocked off everything, silent hours on prep. Set up a makeshift paint area in my garage, drying area in my house, etc. Won’t bore you with details. It was a lot of work. But, man, I could not be happier with the results.

*spent

I homeschool my two boys and work part time in a high pressure job. It really just takes perseverance. There are so many ways to do it and do it right. I just use the sprayer because I did not want to see any brush marks and I do not have a talent to make that happen.

I have to sand off the orange peel on my island and make myself mask as much of the kitchen as I can and spray. One of the videos above showed a real kitchen that was well masked. Also interesting, one of the videos I watched said you start spraying off the piece, move on and stop off the piece. Another video showed a lady started on the piece and seemed to overlap a lot. I imagine you have to get to know your sprayer and your paint. I’ll have to start by spraying the inside of the doors to get a feel for it.

practice on a cardboard box first to get the feel, the type of spray you want, how much to thin your paint, etc. if you're getting orange peel, it's the thickness or the nozzle size.

margieshankin

I am no pro - but I AM picky. The only time I ever got anything that resembled "orange peel" with Advance is when I attempted to use a roller on a doorway. And really it was more "bubbles" than "orange peel". I was completely flummoxed and even posted pics in a painting forum, and those guys (and they WERE experts) could not figure out what happened. I sanded it down, and repainted with a brush, and all was well.

This is my custom-built island - my carpenter delivered it primed, but I sanded the primer coat as it did not feel as smooth as I felt it should be. There are probably 4 or 5 coats of Advance on this island. No brush strokes, no orange peel. I took no special steps - I just followed the process we outlined above. This was maybe 3 years ago. You can see the Advance paint sitting on top.