I have been writing this blog of mine for 8+ years and have had the opportunity to test and try out many different types of paint and paint products from traditional latex, gel formulas, chalk paint and more, but I have not had a chance to try every paint and new formula that comes on the market to give you a full paint resource.
Most of the frequently asked questions I receive in my inbox weekly are… “What paint, poly, brand should I use for furniture, walls, or my cabinets, or my trim, etc?”
Most of the time I can answer these questions, but when someone asks me about a specific product I have not used yet, I can’t answer them. I do, however try to find a resource for them that can answer the question.
After using a new-to-me type of paint a few weeks ago, I thought it was a good time to compile one informative resource page here on my blog to explain the pros and cons of different paint types and brands I like and why and where I use them.
This page will also be a place where I can update and list products I have posted about that are no longer sold. There are a few and when readers can’t find them on store shelves it can become a little frustrating for them.
In creating this paint resource post, I would like your help.
READERS PAINT RESOURCE
I know many of you have and enjoy DIY’ing and making your house your home. You have your favorite paints and brands, too. With so many paints and brands on the market it is hard for me to have a chance to use all of them. If you have a paint, poly or paint product that you love, I would love for you to share it with me for this paint resource page.
Reading what “real users” have to say would be very helpful for newbies or other readers who are not sure what choice to make. I would like to help them go confidently to the paint counter and tell the salesperson exactly what they want without having to figure out from the overwhelming number of paint options on the market today.
I will add your recommendations to the paint resource page as I know other readers will benefit from reading these “real user” recommendations.
If you have a favorite paint, poly, or paint product:
- Please leave the name of the paint/sheen, poly or paint product and the reason why you love it in this post’s comments. I will add them to the paint resource page as I know other readers will benefit from reading these recommendations. Once complied I will create a link to the page in my blog’s navigation bar to make the paint resource easy to find when needed.
Thanks for your help. :-)
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I love a paint project! I’ve tried many many types of chalk paint but I always go back to Annie Sloan brand. Love how it goes on very smoothly and dries almost instantly. We are paint contractors here in Raleigh, NC for over 60 years now and Benjamin Moore Paints are always at the top of our list.
I have used Benjamin Moore Advance on my kitchen island and a bathroom vanity- both oak. The island has been holding up well for about 4 years and the vanity about 2 years. They both are in high use areas. Primed all surfaces first and applied 3 coats of Advance. It acts like an oil, but is acrylic and washes up easily. I am about to start my kitchen cabinets, and will use Advance without a second thought. Hopefully I’ll be done before Christmas!
My new favorite project is upcycling Clasico spaghetti sauce jars, which are already cool Atlas Mason jars, into pretty colored vintage looking jars. I use Krylon Stained Glass paint for the jar, and Krylon Hammered in silver to transform the lid into a galvanized metal look. Much cheaper than buying the colored jars which are typically $3 each, and lids, which are especially hard to find and I last ordered on the Internet for $2 each. A can of the stained glass paint did at least a dozen jars for me, and the hammered paint will go much farther for the lids since I’m nowhere near running out of the can after a dozen lids. Both products run about $9 each (I got mine at Hobby Lobby & Michaels and used my 40% off coupon on each) so I estimate it cost me roughly 70 cents a set. The stained glass comes in lots of pretty colors and I had fun layering the blue and yellow to make a really cool wine bottle green color. The paints work great if you folllw the instructions and dry reasonably quickly to tacky within an hour or so. Love these products!
I paint furniture primarily. I own my own shop and have done a lot of furniture painting. I can’t even count how many different paints and “recipes” I have tried!? I have actually been a retailer for several brands! I have finally settled on my very favorite brand of chalk and clay based paint- Bungalow 47. It is a newer one, but wow! It is made by the same company that produced Rachel Ashwell’s Shabby Chic paint and Junk Gypsy paint. I love all three (it is all the same paint). The coverage is amazing, next to no smell, low VOC, and the color palette for Bungalow 47 is gorgeous. They also have a CLEAR primer which I love (for years I used shellac which I hate). And a water based poly top coat that goes on matte.
I also love Miss Mustard Seed products -especially her wax. But milk paint is not for every project in my opinion. It can be finicky to work with!
I have been upcycl;ing and painting/selling vintage furniture for 5 years.
1( I do not like the homemade recipes for chalk paint. I do not like the looks of the finished product. Quality always prevails over quantity.
2) After many trials and errors, I now exclusively use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and General Finishes Milk Paint. The results are awesome….never had a failure with either one of them. The use of either depends on the piece I am painting and the look I’m trying to achieve. In short, I use General Finishes Milk Paint when I want a slightly more modern look.
3) When finishing a painted piece I yse General Finishes Flat Out Flay and General Finishes High Performance.
I no longer use wax to finish a piece…compared to the other products I use it is just to time consuming. Also with the wax finish it requires application approx every 6 months. This is a drawback for my customers.
Helmsman by Minwax makes awesome polys. They hold up extremely well inside and out.
Thanks so much for compiling such a helpful list
I know you make your own chalk paint but I love Annie Sloan. I have painted about 20 pieces of furniture – some to sell- and have never had an issue with this paint. It is pricey but a quart goes a long way. I just recently removed a couple of my kitchen cabinets to have some open shelving because I love yours and used Annie Sloan French Linen on the interior . I love the way my Fire King collection looks. So… my vote for top paint for painting furniture is Annie Sloan In French Linen.
Hi Christy- Thank you for recommending your fave paint. I, too love Annie Sloan paint, it goes on so nice and the wax goes on like butter. I agree that it is pricey. I will add it to the list.
Hi Diane! I love Benjamin Moore for interiors and exteriors and hate to admit it, but for cabinetry and furniture finishes I love Annie Sloan—love it. Generally Rustoleum is my go-to for spray paint, though I’ve experimented with some of the more artistic brands, at least as artistic as Dick Blick offers, Montana chrome on a beach bike, and it worked very well. p.s. I totally love your kitchen, how are your beautiful countertops holding up?
Hi Marianne – Thanks for your recommendations. I will have to check out Dick Blick. The counters are amazing!!! I could not be happier with how they are holding up. I use them as I normally did. Where the one seam in the Formica is over the dishwasher I have noticed a little texture. The heat of the dishwasher under that seam has always made the Formica joint expand, even before the paint. I am keeping my eye on it. There is another seam on the other side of the kitchen that is just over a cabinet and that one looks fine.
Thanks Diane! You did such a seamless job with them it is beautiful. I’m anxious to try it too. I’ve also been anxious to try the new(ish) Benjamin Moore Aura front door paint—have you heard anything? I haven’t tried it yet, but is sounds on the ads like everything you want your front door to be!
Ha! I learned EVERYTHING I know about painting from you! Like KILZ And homemade chalk paint with calcium carbonate. One tip I will share-something really old and really dark may be very difficult to get free of bleed through. I think I did 13 coats on the inside compartments of a secretary.
Hi Ana – Thanks for your recommendations. Wow. that is a lot of coats. Tannins in old wood are the worst to hide. Did you use Kilz Original or one of the newer water-based formulas?
I have a little trick for you……the next time you paint a piece and have a :tannin problem spray the surface of your piece with Zinsser Shellac. Let it dry and then paint away…….
You should have used a shellac based primer. I use the zinzzer brand
For painting inside love Benjamin Moore paint in pearl finish. Had painters in and they wanted to only use California paint. Sorry I let them use it and will never use them again or the paint. I feel like I need to paint again already. To be fair not sure if it was the painters or the paint. For staining I love Old Masters Gel Stain.
What a great idea!
I hate Krylon spay paint, in particular the matte finishes. It takes about ten coats to get the coverage two or three coats of Rustoleum’s matte finish would. Minwax Polycrylic (satin and matte) has been very prone to chipping for me, but the semi-gloss finish has held up great on my floors after a year.
Off topic, but I have to ask… I know you were singing the praises of a Glidden paint for trim in this new house, but I can’t find the post! I’m about to paint my trim and wanted to use the same kind you got. :( I keep thinking it’s Glidden Gripper but I’m not positive. Help?
For spray paint I use Rustoleum 2X.For walls, Behr glass is the only choice I make unless it’s bath. Then semi gloss.
I still am debating on the paint for when I paint wood. I’m just not that comfortable with painting wood. I will stain. But when I did, I went Glidden high gloss.
Would love to link that resource to my blog!
I love Zinsser 1-2-3 primer. It grabs onto every surface I’ve ever tried and then any paint adheres to it once its cured.
Also, I tried Country Chic Paint, color Bliss. the paint has zero VOC and the colors are gorgeous.
My favorite paint is Olympic ONE. It has a primer in it, and while many paints with primer still need priming done, this one doesn’t. I recently painted a light beige over OLIVE GREEN…. no priming, and ONLY ONE COAT! I couldn’t believe it! I’ve tried many of the so-called wonder paints and nothing beats that! I used Sherwin Williams white over a very light beige just before this Olympic One job, & I had to do several coats for it to cover properly. This Olympic One, from Lowes, is reasonably priced, and does the job!
Hi Diane
Benjamin Moore Aura for bath in flat finish.
Benjamin Moore is my go to paint.
By far the best paint I have ever used is Benjamin Moore Advance in a pearl finish. It is a hybrid paint that has all of the qualities of an oil base product but with soap and water clean up. It dries more slowly so it self levels beautifully, eliminating all brush strokes. You must be careful with the surface for a month or so after the initial painting but it then cures to a very hard, almost indestructible surface. I painted my kitchen cabinets with this paint 3 years ago and there is not one chip, ding or scratch to be found. Truly the best paint ever. I have used it on furniture as well, with equally good results. it is a bit more expensive, but well worth the price. Highly recommended!
Kristi at Addicted 2 Decorating had a post a few days ago about her experiences with poly coats for topcoating. She found General Finishes gives a clear coat that doesn’t yellow over white paint.
http://www.addicted2decorating.com/doing-things-right-the-first-time-plus-my-new-favorite-water-based-polyurethane.html
Are you going to have a section for stains? Using low/no VOC products is really important to me, and it’s hard to find low VOC stains. We tried out the Varathane One Step Stain and Polyurethane Water Based product on our kitchen table, and have been happy with how it’s held up. They’ve got a pretty good variety of colors, etc. Just thought I’d mention that one. Other-wise, I tend to be a DIY chalk paint girl, using one of your recipes! ;)
Diane-I use the Rustoleum 2X spray paint for a lot of things. I’ve used on wood bookshelves and seems to adhere to most anything. My favorite color is aqua.
OMG! I could have written this. Living in a water front community in Maryland my house is beach themed. I love this paint and I love Aqua. I just spray painted two old unused ceramic planters using Rustoleum 2X in AQUA and then I painted a wooden shelf for my guest bedroom using the same I love this color. I just lightly sanded the ceramic planters, wiped and sprayed them. Very easy. I still have plenty of paint left over. Soon I will be looking around my house for something else to paint!
i carry the amy howard line in my shop and do love it. the ease of use, just wash a piece then go. and it adheres to everything. i even used it watered down to paint a velvet (short pile) chair and brought it back to a soft hand. the lacquer is nice too, but not easy. the beauty of this line is it’s depth of interest from aging, gilding, …… most any type of finish from mod to 15thc.
looking forward to what others say!
debra