Bathroom Cabinets Review of Valspar Chalk Paint/General Finishes Paint

Let me say up front - I'm getting no compensation from either Valspar or General Finishes for this review. I do have affiliate links on Amazon for General Finishes.

A while back I bought a chest of drawers at a community yard sale for about $20. I had heard about General Finishes Chalk and Milk Paint and thought I'd give it a try. I loved how it turned out. I used General Finishes Milk Paint (color Buttermilk Yellow) for the chest and Chocolate Brown for the top. I used Van Dyke glaze on the drawers. It was really easy, hardly any prep, and I was pleased with how it turned out.

So, when we moved into our new house, I knew I wanted to use chalk/milk paint (you can read about the differences here), since it was so easy. Unfortunately, the local retailer went out of business, and I couldn't get the General Finishes Paint. I thought I'd just use Valspar Chalky Finish Paint and not wait to order.

Here are my bathroom cabinets before (just plain white)

Here's what I did:

Tools I used:

Blue painter's tape

50/50 mix of denatured alcohol and water

Scotch brite greenie pad

120 & 150 grit sand paper

400 grit sandpaper

Non sticky tack cloth

foam brush

Paint brush

Chalk Brush

Chalky Finish paint (I used Valspar Woolen Stockings)

Glaze (optional) (I used General Finishes Van Dyke Brown Glaze Effects that I had leftover from my chest of drawers project)

Finishing wax

I took all of the doors off of the cabinets, and taped everything. I washed everything with the 50/50 mix of denatured alcohol and water using the Scotch brite greenie pad. I let it all dry. There were some raised spots of the white paint so I took the sandpaper and sanded them down. It is not necessary to sand the entire surface - or remove the paint before using the chalk paint.

After everything dried, I applied one coat of the chalky finish paint and waited for it to dry. It did okay coverage, but not as well as the General Finishes Milk Paint. I applied a second coat and let that dry overnight.

After letting the paint dry/cure overnight, I was ready to apply the Glaze. I took my chip brush and applied over the entire surface of a cabinet door. I then began wiping along the grain to remove any excess glaze according to the instructions with the non-sticky tack cloth. I then worked on the vanity frames doing the same thing.

This is where the process differed from my last project. Several times as I was wiping off the glaze effects, the chalky finish would come off as well. So I'd have to completely wipe my cabinet clean, repaint with the chalky finish paint, and try the glaze effects again. I tried switching to a flour sack type of cloth, but that didn't work. I don't know if it was the mixing of two different manufactured products, but it was frustrating to have to redo my project several times. The Valspar chalky finish paint did not measure up to my previous project when I used the General Finishes project.

I finally got everything down, and let it dry overnight. After drying I applied the Valspar Finishing Wax according to the instructions. I did two coats. Overall I was pleased with the finished project. Had I not tried General Finishes first, I would have wholeheartedly recommended Valspar; however, I think General Finishes does make a superior product. In a few weeks I'm going to update my fireplace mantel with General Finishes and will see if I get the same great results as I did with the chest of drawers.