Painting Kitchen Cabinets: Latex vs Oil Paint

Check out the paint selection at any home center and you’ll see a wide variety of latex and oil-based paints. You can use either for kitchen cabinet doors, but one might be better for your situation than another. When painting with latex, you can clean your brushes, rollers and trays with soap and water. There’s no need for any kind of solvent. If you can’t stand the smell of paint thinner, latex is a good choice. The downside is that you can’t sand latex paint, so you’ll have a harder time fixing little mistakes or smoothing out rough spots.

For a professional quality finish, consider using oil-based paint. You don’t need to thin it before applying, so you shouldn’t have to deal with a lot of solvent fumes until the job is done and it’s time to clean up. To get the best results, sand each coat lightly with #320-grit paper before applying the next coat. Two light coats will work for most new doors, but you can apply more if necessary. When you’re done painting, clean your brushes in a well-ventilated area with paint thinner or mineral spirits.