Hello my friends! There’s a lot of info about to come at you, so don’t get overwhelmed. Please know that if you have any questions, all you have to do is send me an email. I’ll answer to the best of my ability. I don’t know it all, but I’m happy to share what I do:)

Full disclosure, some of these links are affiliates which means that if you purchase something from my link it’s possible I could make a commission at no cost to you!

Are you ready to get started? Let’s go!

Painting Cabinetry

I’ve been a full-time professional cabinet painter for several years now. Over the years I’ve tried tons of different primers, paints, top coats, glazes, brushes, sandpapers, etc and I feel like I’ve finally honed in on what I like the most and what works the best!

Cleaners

TSP-Great for cleaning off years of grease and grime from cabinets!
Spray Nine-For extra greasy cabinetry I use this along with TSP to get them clean before sanding. Important Tip: Rinse with clear water after using these cleaners!
Denatured Alcohol-After degreasing, rinsing with clean water, I then wipe down the cabinet surface with this to remove any final residue!
Microfiber cloths-Basically I use these for everything!
Shop Towels-I can never have too many of these!

Sanding

Sanding Sponge– These are great for getting into cabinet panels
Flexible Sandpaper-I wrap pieces of this sandpaper around the sanding sponge to get into all the hard to reach nooks and crannies.
DeWalt Orbital Electric Sander-I’ve used this sander for many years. I’ve since upgraded to a higher end set-up, but this guy is really great if you’re not wanting to spend a ton of money.
Diablo Sandpaper for DeWalt Sander-I use these discs with the above sander.
Mirka Electric Sander with Dust Extractor-This is the higher-end set up I mentioned. It’s pretty great! The dust extractor is a game changer especially for on-site work.
Abranet Sanding Discs for Mirka-These are the sanding discs for the above mentioned sander.

Primer

Zinnser BIN Shellac Base Primer-I’ve used every single primer on the market I swear, white shellac beats everything else. Period. The adhesion and durability cannot be beat. Don’t be intimidated because you can’t clean up with water. I PROMISE it’s not that scary!
Sherwin Williams Shellac Base Primer-This is the same primer, just the Sherwin Williams brand instead of Zinnser. I use both/either of these primers almost daily
Denatured Alcohol (for cleaning out your shellac covered brush!)-Use this and only this to clean up your brushes and sprayers. Dispose of according to your local waste management requirements.
Striped Woven Roller Covers I like to use these when rolling shellac primer onto cabinet frames!

Paints

PPG BreakThrough! Satin– There are two formulas of BreakThrough out there. I refer to them as “the old formula” and “the new formula”. In order to meet stricter EPA guidelines, paint companies lower the VOC levels in their products. Breakthrough’s “old formula” has a VOC rating of 250 and their “new formula” has a VOC rating of 50. As much as I hate to say it…the lower the VOC levels equal really crumby quality paints for cabinets. I recommend the BreakThrough formula with the VOC rating of 250. From my understanding, the higher VOC level formula is not available in all stores where BreakThrough is sold. You may need to ask for it by name, take this post into the store with you if you need to! If you cannot locate this version and you only have access to VOC 50, I suggest adding a clear topcoat for added protection and hardness.

PPG BreakThrough VOC 50 — **VOC 50 Has a red label along the top.**

PPG BreakThrough VOC 250 — **VOC 250 Has silver label along the top.**

ProClassic Oil Base-In some cases, you just can’t beat a classic oil based paint for some jobs. When I feel like I must use an oil based paint, this one is my go-to.
Milesi– I’ve recently started using this amazing product for cabinets. I’m still getting familiar with it’s nuances, so I will wait to share more about it. But so far, I can say that I’m loving it’s hardness. It’s a professional coating only though, unfortunately it’s not conducive for homeowner use.
Flocked Foam Roller Covers-I have found that these roller covers are best when rolling BreakThrough.
Roller Frame-Super simple roller frame, I don’t leave home without one. Ha!

Glazing

General Finishes Van Dyke Glaze-I love this glaze for pinstriping cabinets. What do I mean by pinstripe glazing? You can learn more HERE.

Sprayers

Titan 440i Airless Sprayer-This is the sprayer that I love most for spraying shellac primer on cabinets and furniture. I know it’s a chunk of change, but it.is.so.worth.it.
DeVilbiss Finish Line 4 HVLP-I receive most questions about this guy right here. I use this gun for about 75% of everything I spray. BreakThrough sprays from it beautifully (I do thin it a touch with water first).
Fluid Tip for DeVilbiss Gun-This is the tip sold separately from the above mentioned gun that I use.
Husky Air Compressor-After “what gun do you use?” my second most frequently asked question is, “what compressor do you have?” Here she is!
Air Compressor Filter-Super important that you have a filter on your compressor. This is one I’ve had good luck with.

Brushes

Purdy 2.5″ Sash Brush-I hand brush and roll most of the fixed frames in the kitchens I paint. I love Purdy brushes to do this with.
Shortcut Brush-I also like this little cutie for brushing shellac primer.

Painting High Gloss Furniture

I love me some high gloss furniture you guys! I use the same cleaners, sanding methods/products AND the same shellac based primers as I just listed above on my furniture pieces too!

Fine Paints of Europe Oil Undercoat– The best oil base primer I’ve ever used. Period
Fine Paints of Europe Hollandlac Brilliant– Hands down this is the glossiest oil paint on the market. Yes it can be brushed, but I spray it to achieve the best results! It’s pricey, but worth every penny in my opinion. If there was a gloss-o-meter from 1-10, it’s a 10!
Sherwin Williams Industrial Enamel-If you’re new to spraying oil enamels, I recommend starting with this product. While it’s not nearly as glossy as FPoE, it’s still a great medium to get your feet wet with! Again using my made up gloss-o-meter, I’d give this paint a 6 or 7.
Mineral Spirits- I use mineral spirits to thin Hollandlac Brilliant and SW Industrial Enamel.
Sherwin Williams SherKem-Another good product to get your feet wet with spraying oils is SherKem. I’d give it a level 8:)
Acetone– I use this solvent to thin SherKem
DeVilbiss Finish Line 4 HVLP-Again, this is the gun I use for painting glossy furniture.
Husky Air Compressor-Same as listed above
Air Compressor Filter-Same as listed above

Painting Furniture In Low Sheens

General Finishes Milk Paint-I don’t do just tons of low sheen furniture pieces these days, but if a client requests it specifically I’ll use this paint. The only bummer is that it’s premixed paint, so custom colors are really tricky!
General Finishes High Performance Top Coat– This milk paint requires a clear topcoat sealer. And this one is a good one!
Minwax Polycrylic-This is also a great clear top coat sealer I like a lot.
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint-I love ASCP for distressed furniture! I’ve seen so many tutorials for making your own DIY chalk type paint, and all that is fine….but it is no comparison to the real stuff I promise you! Yes it’s pricey, but I LOVE this product!
Annie Sloan Waxes-ASCP is also a paint requiring to be top coated. Her waxes are gorgeous! They add such depth and patina to your painted piece. Really beautiful!
PPG BreakThrough! Satin-Again, I love this product for furniture too! It requires no top coat. Give it a try! (Remember, I recommend the VOC 250 version over the VOC 50 version. If you use the 50, I suggest using a clear topcoat for added protection)

There you have it! All of the stuff I use to transform cabinetry and furniture! Thanks so much for making it here to the very bottom:) Y’all are seriously my favorite!!

My FAVORITE Primers, Paints and Equipment For Painting Cabinetry and Furniture!