Oil vs. Latex for Cabinet Refinishing

 

Oil vs. Latex for Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing

The kitchen is one of the two most-often remodeled rooms in the home. It also is one of the two most expensive rooms to remodel. When refinishing kitchen cabinets, many people replace all the cabinet doors and drawer fronts with newer ones, which is a very pricey approach. A properly applied coat of paint to the old ones can achieve the same effect while saving you big bucks. When talking paint, you have the choice of using latex paint or an oil-based paint.

An oil-based paint goes on smoother than a water-based paint and covers the wood more thoroughly in a single coat than latex. An oil-based paint shrinks less as it dries, so what you see wet is a pretty good example of the finish you will have after it dries. Oil-based paint also has a higher resistance to staining, which makes it ideal for hard-usage areas such as kitchen cabinets. Oil-based paints also fade less with time and are easier to keep clean.

Latex paints have many advantages over oil-based paints. One of the biggest advantages of a water-based paint is the ease of cleanup. Paintbrushes, paint rollers and paint trays can be cleaned with nothing more than warm water and a mild dish soap. Latex paints also do not yellow with time, dry much faster and are better for the environment than oil-based paints. Latex paints also are more forgiving than oil-based paints and therefore is easier for the beginner to work with.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of oil-based paint is the difficulty of cleanup. With an oil-based paint, chemicals such as turpentine or mineral spirits must be used to clean brushes, paint rollers and other tools. These chemicals are harmful to the environment and must be disposed of properly by taking them to a recycling center. They cannot be poured down the drain. Another big concern with oil-based paints is their fumes, which can be overpowering during application and drying. They also yellow and crack with time.

Although latex paints are easier for the novice painter to work with, they do have some serious disadvantages. Wood surfaces must be prepped more carefully when using latex paints. The wooden surfaces must be perfectly clean for the paint to adhere properly. The wood grain must be sealed before latex paint is applied. If the wood was not sealed properly, it can cause the wood to swell. Latex paint is temperature sensitive, which leads to shrinkage during drying. Stains also penetrate latex paint more easily, which make more frequent refinishing necessary.

If you are a more experienced cabinet painter, oil-based paints are the way to go when refinishing kitchen cabinets. If you are a less-experienced painter, go with latex paints.