Like watching paint dry

Literally. I mean it. Watching paint dry.

So the kitchen floor is done and btw I still love the look and I'm appreciating more and more the ease of cleaning especially with the weather swings that we have been experiencing of late- freezing and warming temps and lots of rain mean lots of muddy doggo footprints! Just a quick pass with my Crosswave and the floors are clean as a whistle (I might just have to post about that little machine, it's terrific! NO, I have no affiliation with this or any of the products I mention in my post- just my little ol' opinion of something I have used/purchased!)

The island isn't totally complete, I've got to install the countertop but I'm saving that until I paint all of the kitchen cabinets. Now, there are lots of DIY tutorials for painting kitchen cabinets out there, I won't go into the nitty, gritty details. (I found these sites to be especially helpful but most instructions are similar in the prep, paint and completion: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-paint-wood-kitchen-cabinets-with-white-paint-248186 and https://www.familyhandyman.com/kitchen/diy-kitchen-cabinets/surprising-tips-for-painting-kitchen-cabinets/view-all/

I decided to go with the Benjamin Moore Advance paint in semi-gloss after doing some research. This paint was highly touted for it's strength and durability- as we all know, kitchen cabinets are used and abused throughout the day so that aspect won me over. I almost balked at the price but calculated its worth for the years of use and wear and tear I will get out of it.

Here are the colors I selected: Super white for the uppers and Down Pour Blue for the lower cabinets, both in semi-gloss. (Sneak peek: Wilsonart Laminate in Retro Renovation Aqua Ripple for the island countertop.)

I dutifully cleaned the cabinet doors and frames and downsized some of the stuff that I have been saving for "I might need that someday" (you know, you have some of that in your cabinets, too!). I covered floors and counters to protect them and then got started on painting.

And painting. And painting. And painting. And, yes, more painting. Good grief!

The downside of using this paint is the recommended drying time between coats- 16 hours! So, yeah- watching paint dry. I had set up painting areas in the dining room (it's too cold to paint outside or in the garage- maybe I should have waited until summer to do this....) and the unfinished island so I was able to switch back and forth between the two colors but still. It took what seemed like FOREVER to get all the doors painted, front and back 3 coats each- forever!! I had friends and family asking every day: "How's the painting going? Are you done yet?" It was so disappointing (for me) to feel like I was losing momentum and that things seemed to have come to a stand still.

So, FINALLY, the cabinets were dry and ready to be hung but first! Each cabinet and drawer got felt bumpers to quiet closings and to protect the paint. Also, the old cabinet

hardware was gold tone and I just HAD to paint them nickel.

Yep, that'a a pizza box they are on- one down side to kitchen renovation; sometimes you just can't gather the effort to make a meal at home!

The cabinet doors went up easily and suddenly, ta da! I had my kitchen back to normal! Well, sort of. : ) I really like how the white brightens the room.

Some thoughts on using Advantage paint: I like the ease of clean up with soap and water and how the paint is wearing- it has taken the usual bumps and use with no chipping. The blue paint went on smoother than the white- I had LOTS of issues with air bubbles forming in the drying process and it didn't seem to level as well as the blue. The two colors were mixed with different bases and from two stores (when I went to buy my paint, my local store didn't have the correct base for the blue)- I don't know if that made a difference but I wonder... I finally thinned the white and that helped somewhat but it was quite frustrating to deal with that- remember, 16 hours to dry which means having to sand out the bubbles time and again adding many hours to this job. Watching. Paint. Dry. Grrrrr

The semi-gloss is easy to clean and allows the light to bounce around and brighten the room. I was initially surprised at how very BLUE the sheen made the lower cabinet paint look as I worked it and was worried about how it would look when done but now that it has cured, I DO like the depth and intensity.

I wish the paint was less expensive, I feel it was worth the investment and I know that I have saved money in other parts of this renovation so I could justify the cost. I expect that in time, other paint manufacturers will break the secret ingredients/process of Advance and be able to offer something similar.

Final thoughts: For kitchen cabinets that get so much use, I feel that Advance is a reasonable investment in time and money but I will probably go with something else for other rooms (I'm looking at you, bathroom!). If you are considering painting cabinets in the future, I wish you well!