It has been nearly a year since I painted our cabinets. I was excited to give the kitchen a much needed update, but I was worried about the durability of painted cabinets. I did extensive research before I started the painting process, and I ended up using Benjamin Advance paint. This paint is EXPENSIVE. I paid about $60 for a gallon of paint. But, in the end, it was worth every penny.
Benjamin Moore Advance paint takes a very long time to cure. I had read that it takes at least a month, but I think it may have taken slightly longer than that. In the first few weeks, John and I were diligent about being gentle with the cabinets. We made sure to wipe up any spots immediately. I noticed when we wiped the cabinets with a damp cloth, blue paint would transfer to the cloth! This went on for longer than I expected, but eventually the paint cured to a very hard and durable finish.
I have been so impressed with how well the Benjamin Moore Advance paint has performed. After a year of use in a high traffic household, our cabinets still look amazing. We have a few spots that need a little touch up paint. All of the nicks are on the edge of door openings or on the edge of the actual door. They are very minor blemishes. No one would ever notice them, unless they were searching for a problem.
Below are pictures of the damaged paint. As you can see, the nicks in the paint are tiny. Next week I am going to repaired the damage and make them look brand new again. Check back for tips and tricks on touching up cabinet paint.
