What Paint Will We Use On Your Cabinets? | Just Add Paint FAQs

Written by Curtis Tankersley, owner of Just Add Paint in Mechanicsburg, PA

Painted kitchen island by Just Add Paint in Camp Hill PA — Refinished Kitchen Cabinets by Just add Paint using all KCMA rated, industrial cabinet paint from Milesi.

Wondering what type of coating we use on your cabinets? Just Add Paint explains the industrial-grade products we choose for durability, chemical-resistance, heat-resistance, moisture resistance, and cleanability.

If you’ve spent any time researching cabinet painting, you’ve probably noticed two things very quickly:

Everyone claims their process is “the best,” and
Very few people clearly explain what they’re actually putting on your cabinets.

So let’s fix that.

As with our wall-paint FAQ, we’ll start with an important reminder.

Once again, we like to remind everyone that Just Add Paint does not consider itself to be a “brand-loyal” company. We actually use a wide variety of products, based on what will work best for the situation. Cabinets are a very specific situation, with very specific demands. In the case of cabinet coatings, the answer for us has been Milesi 1K/2K topcoat for the last several years.

We’ve used it on well over 150 sets of cabinets, and in doing so, we’ve managed to eliminate almost all problems (and yes—anyone who tells you they have zero problems is either lying or hasn’t been doing this very long). So what do we like about it? Quite a lot, actually.

Durability You Can Measure (and Feel)

Milesi is a true high-performance cabinet coating. One of its biggest advantages is that it can be sprayed two to three times thicker than the average cabinet coating without sagging, failing, or turning into a texture nightmare.

Thickness matters. A thicker film build provides:

Better impact resistance
More protection at edges and corners
Increased long-term durability

This is a major reason Milesi holds up so well in kitchens—arguably the harshest environment in your home.

Exceptional Adhesion (Where It Counts Most)

Cabinet failures almost never start in the middle of a flat panel. They start at seams, edges, profiles, and high-contact areas. Adhesion is everything.

When properly prepped and applied, Milesi bonds extremely well to cabinet substrates. It doesn’t behave like house paint pretending to be a cabinet coating. It’s engineered specifically for wood products and furniture-grade applications, which puts it in an entirely different class than anything you’ll find at a big box store.

Chemical, Stain, and Moisture Resistance

Just Add Paint, Cabinets Only — Freshly Painted Cabinets Using Chemical And Stain Resistant Milesi 2K Topcoat In Mechanicsburg

Kitchens are full of hazards: grease, food acids, cleaners, moisture, and heat. Milesi is designed to resist all of them.

This coating stands up well to:

Common household cleaners
Food and beverage stains
Moisture around sinks and dishwashers
Heat fluctuations near ranges and ovens

This isn’t accidental—it’s the result of chemistry designed for commercial and residential cabinetry, not repurposed architectural paint.

Smooth-as-Glass Aesthetic (Visually and to the Touch)

Just Add Paint, Residential House Painters — Milesi levels beautifully, producing a finish that looks refined and feels almost glass-like.

One of the first things clients notice when they run their hand across freshly finished cabinets is how smooth they feel. Milesi levels beautifully, producing a finish that looks refined and feels almost glass-like.

Visually, it delivers:

Crisp profiles
Minimal texture
A true factory-grade appearance

This is a big part of why professionally finished cabinets look so different from DIY projects, even when the color is identical.

Built to Move With Wood (A Huge, Often Overlooked Deal)

Cabinet Painting In Mechanicsburg — Milesi Black And White Tuxedo Custom Refinished Cabinets. Milesi Moves Well With The Natural Expansion And Contracton Of Wood.

Here’s something most homeowners never think about—and that’s understandable. Wood moves. It expands and contracts with seasonal changes in temperature and humidity.

On stained cabinets with a clear coat, this movement isn’t very noticeable. On painted cabinets, it can be a disaster if the coating can’t flex.

Milesi is formulated to move with natural wood expansion and contraction. This dramatically reduces cracking at joints and seams over time—one of the most common failure points we see with lower-grade cabinet paints, especially those sourced from big box stores.

This single characteristic alone is a major reason we continue to rely on it.

The Drawbacks (Because Transparency Matters)

Milesi isn’t perfect, and we won’t pretend it is.

First, it’s special order only. It typically takes several days to arrive, which means planning ahead is essential. That alone can be a turnoff for even the most ambitious DIYer.

Second, estimating the amount of cabinet coatings required for a project takes practice. If you’re curious, here’s a pro hint: the answer is usually two gallons—but learning why takes time and experience.

Third—and this is the big one—Milesi is extremely temperamental compared to regular house paint.

It requires careful control of:

Product temperature
Room temperature
Humidity
Airflow
Contaminants
Primer compatibility
Sprayer type and setup

Often, it requires conditions that feel like the exact opposite of what you’d expect for smooth drying. The list of potential issues is long, and it took us over a year to truly dial this product in for shop work.

That learning curve is real.

Why We Pair It With Envirolak Primer

While Milesi handles the topcoat duties, we pair it with a primer from a different company: Envirolak.

Envirolak makes an exceptional primer that plays very nicely with the Milesi system, providing excellent adhesion and a stable foundation for the topcoat. It’s such a solid product that it deserves its own blog in the future—and yes, that one’s coming.

DIY vs Professional Application

Highly Rated House Painter, Just Add Paint — Recent Just Add Paint Cabinet Project In Camp Hill, PA, Using Milesi HKR114 2K Topcoat

Can a homeowner use Milesi? Technically, yes. Realistically? It’s challenging.

This coating rewards precision and punishes shortcuts. That’s why it’s so effective in professional hands—and why many DIY attempts struggle without the right environment and experience.

That said, if you’re curious or considering it, hit us up with questions. Curtis from Just Add Paint has spent plenty of time on the phone with Milesi chemists and product reps, and Milesi has some of the best customer service on the planet. They’ve saved us more times than we can count.

The Bottom Line

When homeowners in Mechanicsburg ask, “What paint will you use on our cabinets?” the answer isn’t a brand name—it’s a performance standard.

Milesi meets that standard. It’s durable, flexible, resistant, and beautiful when applied correctly. It demands respect, patience, and experience—but the payoff is a cabinet finish that’s built to last in the real world.

And if you have questions? We’re always happy to talk shop.