A Pros Review of C2 Cabinet & Trim Paint

Before you spend $80.00 on a gallon on C2 Cabinet & Trim paint, shouldn’t you know if it is worth it? I’ve used this paint for years, and now it is time to really test it and see how it compares to other premium cabinet paints.

Who Is Giving This Review?

Hi, my name is David Klappenberger, and I have been a painting contractor for over 30 years. Now I am franchising my business, And I now see if my beliefs about different paints are accurate. I test comparable mid-grade to premium paints to see which ones hold up the best. I realize by publishing this, I am helping painting contractors near me and you, but that’s okay. Helping painting contractors and DIY’ers is a good thing.

If you are interested in painting kitchen cabinets and searching for the right paint, you should like this product.

Characteristics of C2 Cabinet Grade Paint

Zero VOC

Made in Buffalo NY

Water Clean-up

Poly Whey Technology

Can have hardener added for increased durability

C2 Cabinet Grade Paint: How's The Coverage?

The Coverage of C2

The coverage of white C2 Satin paint did not cover as well as I wished. Perhaps if the color was tinted other than white it would do better. The white paint of C2 is more white and crisp than all other cabinet-grade paints I tested. The only one comparable was PPG Ultralast. The whiter the paint, the worse the coverage.

Most paint manufactures add 2 drops of black pigment to improve the coverage. Ironically, when black is added to paint they often change the name to “super white” or “extra white.”

Though C2 Cabinet and Trim paint can be sprayed and cover with two coats, if it is brushed, it will take 3-4 coats.

Advance, by Ben Moore, covers well but is not nearly as white.

Grade: Coverage 6.5 out of 10

The Workability of C2 Cabinet and Trim Paint

Three Ways To Determine Workability

Spreadability – How far can the paint be brushed with one dip of the brush. Most Premium grade satin paints can spread 24-32″ with one dip of the brush. C2 Cabinet and Trim paint spread about 28″ on average.
Workability – C2 is very easy to use. It is user-friendly.
Working Time– After the paint has been applied, how long do you have before it starts to tack up and can no longer be brushed. With C2 Cabinet and Trim paint, it was about 45 seconds which falls in the middle of the pack.

Over All Workability

Spreadability 10 out of 10
Workability …10 out of 10
Working Time 8 out of 10

Workability Score 9.33

Washability of C2 Cabinet and Trim Paint

The washability of C2 Cabinet and Trim Paint proved to be very washable. After allowing the paint time to cure, I applied:

catsup
mustard
pencil
crayon
red wine (Merlot)
coffee (dark roast)

and allowed the stains to dry for 24 hours.

The stains were cleaned with:

Krud Kutter
Spray Nine
Simple Green
Orange Cleaner
Bleach and water solution

The results were terrific. All the stains came off, and the paint did not react to the chemicals by getting soft or scratching off.

The Washability of C2 Cabinet Paint is 10 out of 10

The durability of C2 Paint and Trim

The durability of the paint looks at how well did the paint hold-up to the chemicals and cleaning. Did some of the stains remain? Was there any damage to the sheen or paint?

The answer is, no.

The Durability of C2 Cabinet & Trim Pain 10 Out of 10.

Self-Leveling of C2 Cabinet & Trim Paint

C2 Cabinet and Trim Paint has very good self-leveling capabilities. There are other paints such as Ben Moore Command, and PPG UltraLast .

For increased self-leveling and workable time for applying C2 paint, add Paint conditioner.

Self-Leveling Score is 9 out of 10

Over All Value of C2 Cabinet And Trim Paint Satin Finish

As a painting contractor who paints kitchen cabinets frequently, I’ve used C2 maybe 40-60 times. I’ve always liked the self leveling, and washability.

Unfortunately, when painting straight white C2 cabinet & Trim Paint, the coverage becomes a problem for painting contractors. Applying 3-4 coats takes a lot more time, and slows the over all cure time.

On the plus side, C2 has a hardener that can be applied to paint to give it an even stronger finish. The hardener stops oils from fingers that smudge kitchen cabinets.

Over an extended period of time these oils that sit on the kitchen cabinets for an extended period of time can cause the paint to scratch off. No other cabinet grade paint has a hardening additive.