The Best Benjamin Moore Cabinet Paint: ADVANCE Paint

A high-quality paint finish on cabinets and woodwork is an upgrade that’s easy to maintain and lasts for years. When selecting kitchen cabinet paint, it’s important to use a high-quality product. Premium paints like those from Benjamin Moore provide better coverage and smoother, more durable finishes. Unlike oil-based paints that yellow over time, water-based paint colors stay true. The extra expense of a high-end paint is offset by the time and money saved on labor since fewer coats are needed and the paint job will last for many years.

Benjamin Moore's ADVANCE Interior Paint was designed to provide the superior leveling of traditional oil-based paint in a waterborne alkyd enamel. It creates a furniture-grade finish that’s ideal for kitchen and bath cabinets. With the right preparation, even a DIY project can achieve professional results with ADVANCE interior paint, which is why we believe it’s Benjamin Moore’s best cabinet paint yet.

What kind of paint is best for cabinets?

Wood stain colors trend in and out, and shades like golden oak or cherry can date your home to a specific decade. The espresso cabinets that were stylish ten years ago look heavy in this era of light grays and whites. When applied correctly, kitchen cabinet paint lasts longer than many other refinishing options, while protecting surfaces and making them easier to keep clean.  

Painted wood cabinets in Benjamin Moore Cloud White

A high quality cabinet paint will have the following features:

• Smooth flow and a uniform sheen, even when using a paint sprayer
• A high-hiding formula for fewer coats of paint
• A durable, furniture-quality, smooth finish
• Adherence to laminate, urethane, MDF and engineered wood cabinetry
• Low-VOCs, even after tinting
• Availability in thousands of paint colors

Benjamin Moore ADVANCE Paint has all of these qualities, and more.

Benefits of Benjamin Moore ADVANCE

Benjamin Moore ADVANCE paint is preferred by professional painters because the waterborne-alkyd feels like an oil-based paint during application, and it levels to a smooth, factory-like finish. This alkyd resin paint was designed to replace oil and latex paints with a cleaner formula. Plus, it is available in more than 3,500 Benjamin Moore colors and three paint sheens.

Excellent Flow & Leveling

ADVANCE paint is known for its superior “leveling”, which is a paint’s ability to fill in tiny imperfections and flow into a smooth, consistent surface. This is especially important in kitchens and bathrooms, where cabinet boxes are typically painted with a brush and cabinet doors are finished with a paint sprayer. With ADVANCE Paint’s superior leveling, you’ll see no difference between sprayed and brushed areas; your paint project will have a uniform surface without brush marks.

High Volume Solids

ADVANCE cabinet paint contains more volume solids than other brands. Volume solids are the pigment and binder molecules left after the liquids evaporate and the paint dries. Premium paints like Benjamin Moore contain higher quantities of pigment and binder to provide richer color and a durable surface that resists scuffs. Depending on the sheen you choose, 37%-40% percent of ADVANCE interior paint comes from quality solids.

Exceptional Coverage

ADVANCE’s high percentage of volume solids delivers outstanding coverage so you can finish a paint project in fewer coats. This high-hiding formula allows brushed edges to blend easily with rolled or sprayed areas.

Quick Dry Time

ADVANCE paint is dry to the touch within 4-6 hours, so it’s safe to move cabinet doors and clean up the work area at day’s end. Let the paint dry for 16 hours before you re-coat. Like most alkyd paints, ADVANCE paint can take up to 30 days to fully cure.

Gennex® Color Technology

Chemical components that help pigments mix into paint actually weaken the paint and affect its performance. This is why many paint brands are less durable in deep, vibrant colors. However, Benjamin Moore's special Gennex® Color Technology formula provide better durability, vibrancy, and hide. They removed unnecessary chemicals to create a simpler, stronger colorant formula. Gennex Color Technology provides Low-VOC and Zero-VOC paints in vibrant colors that stay true.

Choosing a Paint Sheen for Cabinets

A paint’s finish, or paint sheen, is the term for how much light is reflected off its surface. Benjamin Moore ADVANCE Paint is available in three different sheens.  Glossy finishes are not only more durable and easier to clean, they also enhance decorative details. Cabinets, woodwork, furniture, and anything that requires regular cleaning should have some shine to the surface. ADVANCE Interior Paint is our favorite cabinet paint for its smooth, furniture-like finish.

When choosing one of the ADVANCE Paint sheens remember that a high gloss finish makes dark or vibrant cabinet colors look even richer. Any amount of shine makes surface details stand out. It highlights carvings and moldings, but also any dents or unfilled gaps. Most kitchens and bathrooms use a combination of paint sheens, with a low sheen such as matte or eggshell on the walls, and glossier sheen on the cabinets. This is a practical approach that makes rooms easier to clean and maintain. Light reflecting off the different surface sheens also creates subtle contrast that adds interest.