While there are many options of paint brands to choose from for painting kitchen cabinets, I love General Finishes Milk Paint! It is an excellent product for painting kitchen cabinets and so many great colors to choose from in their paint line. In this round up of blog posts, I’ll share Milk Paint Kitchen Cabinets and why you should consider using General Finishes Milk Paint for your kitchen makeover.
I have personal experience with painting old outdated 70’s kitchen cabinets with General Finishes Milk Paint and I can attest than even two years later this paint is holding up nicely in my kitchen.
For all the nitty gritty details of my Budget Friendly Kitchen Makeover head over to Farmhouse Kitchens: Countertop and Cabinet Makeovers
So let’s start with a review of my experience with painted my kitchen cabinets. I review my painting process in a prior blog post: How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets Without Sanding in Six Simple Steps.
My 70s Kitchen Cabinets: The Before
First let me share a few pictures of my original awful brown kitchen cabinets in my outdated 70s kitchen.
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I chose to use General Finishes Milk Paint in Seagull Gray. I had used General Finishes Milk Paint on some furniture projects in the past and loved the paint. It is durable, provides great coverage and is very self leveling. So, it was a good fit for a kitchen cabinet makeover project.
Oh, and in case you are wondering, General Finishes Milk Paint is not a true “milk” paint. This paint is more like a strong durable mineral based paint. It low-odor and low VOCs, but doesn’t contain any milk proteins.
My Kitchen Cabinet Painting Process: Prep, Paint, and Protect
Painting kitchen cabinets is a big undertaking. I did not sand these cabinets prior to painting, but I did prime them with a good white bonding primer, Zinsser BIN Bullseye 123, to help the paint adhere and for better coverage. Using the white primer under the Seagull Gray General Finishes Milk Paint allowed me to get away with using less coats of paint. And honestly since I didn’t sand It helps the paint adhere well to the cabinet surface which could be a bit slick.
I painted with at two coats of the General Finishes Milk Paint in Seagull Gray. This is a light gray color, more of a cool gray. The paint goes on well with a brush or roller. I used a roller for the flat surfaces and a small angled synthetic brush for the edges or areas where I couldn’t get the roller. So much easier though to roll the paint on. This paint is very self leveling and smooth. Beautiful color and coverage! The primer helped though. With this paint color being so light, without primer it would have needed three coats most likely.
To topcoat my cabinets I used General Finishes High Performance Water-Based Satin Topcoat. I mainly applied with a roller and did two coats. This Satin Varnish gives beautiful sheen and adds a durable layer of protection to your painted cabinets. After all that work you definitely want extra protection from nicks, scratches, and other damage.
My Other Kitchen Makeover Projects:
Here’s a few shots of the painted kitchen cabinets. Of course as you can see there were other things we did in this Budget Friendly Kitchen Makeover:
Updating Old Laminate Countertops With Giani Countertop Paint Kit
and Farmhouse Kitchen Countertops and Cabinets – adding some décor and hardware to help fit the newly painted cabinets and countertops.
We also added new light fixtures and I had all the floors, vinyl in the kitchen, and carpet all replaced with a LVP wood-look flooring. But I’ve seen many who have older vinyl or tiled kitchen floors use paint to update their flooring. That could be an option if new flooring isn’t in the budget.
Round Up Of General Finishes Milk Paint Kitchen Cabinet Makeovers
Now, I’m not the only one who has used General Finishes to update their kitchen cabinets. Here are a few other bloggers with similar success and satisfaction with their General Finishes Painted Kitchen Cabinet Makeovers
- Jenni at rootsandwingsfurniture.com painted kitchen cabinets with General Finishes Milk Paint in Queenstown Gray and Antique White. You can read more about her success in her post on How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets.
- Kayla at paintedbykaylapayne describes her experience using General Finishes Milk Paint in Dark Chocolate, a gorgeous brown. And wait until you see her before and after picture on her blog! Her post at Espresso Kitchen Cabinets describes her process and what a beautiful outcome!
- Another gorgeous example of using General Finishes Milk Paint on kitchen cabinets can be found at farmfreshvintagefinds.com. Beth, the author of this blog shows convincing examples of why Painting Kitchen Cabinets With General Finishes Milk Paint is a good idea. She used the Queenstown Gray color also. So lovely!
- Kaylee at mamaandmore.com talk about her tips for getting a good finish with General Finishes Milk Paint in Snow White. In her post, A Completely Unbiased Review of General Finishes Milk Paint, covers all the details of her kitchen cabinet painting makeover.
- In her blog post, Painted Kitchen Cabinets With General Finishes Milk Paint, Nancy at artsychicksrule.com gives us a look at her kitchen makeover. And it’s a beauty!
and one last General Finishes Painted Kitchen Cabinet Makeover to share:
- Chels who blogs at catzinthekitchen.com shares her experience with Antique White General Finishes Milk Paint. Her post DIY: Painting Our Kitchen Cabinets With White Milk Paint shares her story of taking her brown kitchen cabinets to white! With a gorgeous result!
Summary: General Finishes Milk Paint is a Great Option For Painting Kitchen Cabinets
I hope as you check out each of these posts that you’ll see why I chose General Finishes Milk Paint for my kitchen cabinet makeover. It is inexpensive and covers so well. Easy to apply, low odor, dries quickly, and very durable. And adding the General Finishes High Performance Water-Based Topcoat in Satin provides a beautiful sheen to finish the job, thereby sealing and protecting from wear and tear.
A last look at my kitchen here before I sign off! If you have any questions about this kitchen cabinet painting process, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can find me in the DMs on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and email at simplyrefinishedfurniture@gmail.com!
XOXO Happy Painting,
Abbey
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