I want to paint my kitchen cabinets and walls. Water based or oil?
Question:I want a good qulaity paint so when I get cooking grease or dirt on the walls, I can wipe them down without having the paint come off. Semi-gloss or gloss?
Answers:
Definitely paint the cabs with oil based paint. Walls will be fine with latex. Latex painted cabs tend to start peeling. Oil based is a pain in the you know what, but is definitely worth it.
Semi-gloss or eggshell. If you're painting the cabinets a light color, latex would be best. For walls, oil-based can take more scrubbing.
if the cabinets have not previously been painted be aware the cracks and joints in them will stand out and need to be thoroughly caulked first. oil paint is messy with cleanup and much tougher to work with. also glossy paints show imperfections if walls/cabinets are not smooth. i would suggest semi-gloss latex(water-based)
Oil based paint is very durable, but extremely smelly and needs other very smelly chemicals to clean the brushes, trays and any spills. On the other hand, a good latex semi-gloss paint is ideal for woodwork and walls if you want them to be very scrubbable without the hassle of oil-based paint. I always use latex semi-gloss on my baseboards and doors and can scrub them endlessly. High gloss latex is just a little too glossy, but is very scrubbable as well. Most walls are painted with a satin or eggshell finish. If walls are painted with semi-gloss, every tiny flaw is more visible and it also is usually not as attractive for walls.
Paint cabinets with an alkyd paint. Paint the walls with a latex fortified with ceramic chips, this will allow you to scrub all day long everyday.
First off dont buy the cheapest paint, Latex (water-based) paint would be fine for what you are painting, As far as sheen of paint the higher the gloss the more durable the paint will be, But also if you have any flaws in you walls they will be much more noticeable with the higher sheen paint. I would go with a satin sheen or semi-gloss for the walls and use a true melamine (which is usually oil) paint for the cabinets, its very durable and meant for painting high use areas such as doors etc and can stand up to frequent washing and dirty hands.
Oil based is too hard to clean up. Especially any drips that may land on the counters., or floor.
I would use a gloss water base, which extremely washable.
I have used both and prefer the oil base with a high gloss. It holds up longer and cleans better. However one drawback is the smell until it dries, and the fact that it does seem to take longer to dry then just regular paint.
More Related Questions & Answers...