Painted my 1970s kitchen cabinets with oil-based enamel like my old man taught me and they're still tacky after three weeks

I grew up watching him spray cabinets in a day and they'd be hard the next morning, but this modern low-VOC stuff must be different because I can still leave a fingerprint in them and I'm wondering if I should have just stuck with the old-school Benjamin Moore from Sherwin-Williams or if I need to wait another month, anyone else run into this with the newer paint formulas?

2 comments

2 Comments

calebm751mo ago

Have you checked if you laid it on too thick? Old school stuff would self-level but this new low-VOC stuff just sits there like glue if you put it on heavy.

sanchez.robin1mo agoTop Commenter

Ha, tell me about it! I did the exact same thing last month with that fancy low-VOC stuff they swear by now. Layed it on a little too generous thinking it would self-level like the old stuff, and bam, it just sat there like a proud mountain of glue. Watered it down a bit and tried to spread it around, but by then it was already setting up like concrete. Honestly, I swear these new eco-friendly formulas are engineered to test your patience. Your mileage may vary, but I'll take the old school fumes and easy leveling over this modern headache any day.