Colour guides · Kitchen

Which finish for kitchen cabinets?

Repainting kitchen cabinets is the most cost-effective transformation in the house: a ten-year-old kitchen gets a new face for the price of a few litres of paint. Provided the finish is right — the doors are opened fifty times a day, splashed with grease and rubbed with wet hands.

Here are the Mylands finishes that suit doors, carcasses and the island, and the one that must go on first.

Updated September 2026 · by the Mylands France colour team

Which finish for kitchen cabinets?

The short answer

For kitchen cabinet doors, Multi-Surface Eggshell is the classic choice: a soft, washable, moisture-resistant sheen that hides the small flaws of an old door. For a hard-worked kitchen, Multi-Surface Satin, smoother and tougher. For a contemporary matt look, Multi-Surface Dead Matt; for a lacquered shine, Multi-Surface Gloss. Always over a multi-surface primer.

The finishes, one by one

6 finishes

01

First: the primer, without exception

Multi-Surface Primer

Sealed adhesion for wood, metal and floors

  • Multi-Surface

Suitable for
Interior & Exterior Woodwork · Interior & Exterior Metalwork & Radiators · Interior Floors

A versatile, plant-based sealing primer for wood, metal and wooden flooring, indoors and out, improving adhesion and durability so your finishing paint performs and lasts as intended. Available in white and ten tinted shades matched to our colours.

A kitchen door is almost always melamine, varnished wood or factory lacquer — surfaces no paint will grip unaided. The multi-surface primer seals the substrate, keys onto wood, metal and keyed melamine, and gives the finish a uniform base. Skipping it is the number-one cause of repainted kitchens that peel within six months.

Our tip — Degrease with detergent, sand with 240 grit, dust off, prime: four steps that decide how long it lasts.

02

The doors, in most kitchens

Multi-Surface Eggshell Paint

Luminous low-sheen for effortless elegance

  • Low Sheen
  • Multi-Surface
  • Washable
  • Scrubbable & Scuff Resistant
  • Moisture Resistant

Suitable for
Interior & Exterior Walls · Interior & Exterior Woodwork · Interior & Exterior Metalwork & Radiators

A versatile 15% sheen finish that strikes a perfect balance between durability and soft luminosity. Ideal for interior and exterior transformations where a gentle, silk-like glow is desired.

A soft sheen (15%), washable, resistant to moisture and rubbing. It is the traditional finish of painted English kitchens, and for good reasons: soft enough not to pick out the small flaws of a framed door, hard enough to take hands and sponges, and its slight lustre gives deep colours — a green, a blue — the glow of an old piece of furniture.

Our tip — Two thin coats with a foam roller rather than one thick one: the surface stays smooth and mark-free.

Every colour in this finish →
03

Hard-worked kitchens and islands

Multi-Surface Satin Paint

A lustrous, silk-spun finish for refined details

  • Mid Sheen
  • Multi-Surface
  • Washable
  • Scrubbable & Scuff Resistant
  • Moisture Resistant

Suitable for
Interior & Exterior Woodwork · Metalwork & Radiators · Kitchens & Bathrooms

A mid-sheen masterpiece that provides a smooth, resilient coating. Perfect for accentuating architectural details, it offers a sophisticated luster that stands up to the rigours of modern living.

A smooth, very hard-wearing mid-sheen, expressly recommended for kitchens. It is a notch tougher than eggshell, and therefore the best choice for a family kitchen, an island people lean against, or the doors under the sink that take the most water. Its lustre draws the panels of a framed door and flatters dark colours.

Our tip — Island in satin Huguenot or Downing Street, wall units in eggshell Lots Road: the most elegant two-tone kitchen.

Every colour in this finish →
04

The contemporary matt look

Multi-Surface Dead Matt Paint

An ultra-flat, sophisticated heritage finish

  • Very Matt
  • Multi-Surface
  • Washable
  • Scrubbable & Scuff Resistant

Suitable for
Interior Walls & Ceilings · Interior & Exterior Woodwork · Interior & Exterior Metalwork & Radiators

A 5% sheen level dual-purpose paint designed for flawless 'colour drenching'. This environmentally conscious formula provides a completely flat, non-reflective finish across furniture, radiators, and woodwork.

A washable dead matt (5%) that gives doors the look of a modern matt-lacquered unit, without the price. It is at its best on flat doors and muted colours — a stone grey, an olive green, a black — and removes the reflections of a brightly lit kitchen. It washes, but marks a little more easily than a satin: keep it for quiet kitchens or wall units.

Our tip — Doors in matt Stockwell Green or Artillery Ground, pale timber worktop: the most current kitchen.

Every colour in this finish →
05

The lacquer effect

Multi-Surface Gloss Paint

High-glamour brilliance with enduring strength

  • High Shine
  • Multi-Surface
  • Washable
  • Scrubbable & Scuff Resistant
  • Moisture Resistant

Suitable for
Interior & Exterior Woodwork · Metalwork & Radiators

The ultimate statement finish. This high-reflectivity gloss provides a mirror-like depth of colour while offering our most durable protection against the elements and daily wear.

Our glossiest and most hard-wearing finish, which gives doors the shine of a lacquer and doubles the light of a small kitchen. It is also the most demanding: every sanding flaw shows in the reflection, and it asks for careful application by brush or foam roller. On flat, perfectly prepared doors the effect is spectacular.

Our tip — Gloss Proper Blue or Pleasure Gardens Green with brass handles: the Paris-bistro kitchen.

Every colour in this finish →
06

The walls, but never the cabinets

Marble Matt Emulsion

Pigment-rich depth with a velvet-matte soul

  • Very Matt
  • Washable
  • Scrubbable & Scuff Resistant
  • Class 1 scrub resistance — EN 13300
  • V1 High breathability — EN 1062-1

Suitable for
Interior Walls & Ceilings · Bathrooms

Our signature wall finish, formulated with crushed Carrara marble. It offers an unrivaled 15m² coverage per litre with a breathable, scrubbable surface that brings a rich, limestone-soft depth to any room. Independently rated at the highest scrub resistance (Class 1 — EN 13300) and the top breathability class (V1 High — EN 1062-1 / ISO 7783), it stands up to daily cleaning while letting walls breathe.

Our washable wall emulsion is made for the kitchen's walls and ceiling, not its cabinets: on a door it would stand up to neither greasy hands nor knocks. It still belongs in this guide, because the best result comes from the agreement between the matt of the walls and the sheen of the doors — the same shade in both finishes, or a pale wall beneath deep cabinets.

Our tip — Walls in matt Frieze, doors in eggshell Frieze: a monochrome kitchen where only the light tells them apart.

Every colour in this finish →

Repainting kitchen cabinets: the method

Take the doors and handles off, and number them. Degrease thoroughly — kitchen grease is invisible and fatal to adhesion — then sand lightly with 240 grit to key the varnish or melamine. Dust off, apply one coat of multi-surface primer, sand with 320 grit once dry, then two thin coats of finish, letting each dry. Rehang after three days: the paint is touch-dry in hours, but hardens over a week.

Eggshell, satin or matt?

The choice depends on the kitchen as much as on taste. A kitchen where people really cook, with children, calls for Multi-Surface Satin: the smoothest to clean. A kitchen with character and framed doors is handsome in eggshell, which softens the relief. Flat, modern doors can take dead matt, provided they are not mistreated. Gloss is a style choice, for perfect surfaces only.

Carcasses and interiors

Visible carcasses — the side of a unit, the inside of an open shelf — are painted like the doors. The inside of closed cupboards needs no repainting; if it is done, one coat of primer and one of finish are enough.

For colours, see our 12 colours for kitchen cabinets and our 10 greens for a kitchen; for preparation in detail, preparing woodwork.

Frequently asked questions

Which paint for repainting kitchen cabinets?
A washable multi-surface paint over a multi-surface primer. At Mylands: Multi-Surface Eggshell for most kitchens, Multi-Surface Satin for hard-worked kitchens, Multi-Surface Dead Matt for a matt look, Multi-Surface Gloss for a lacquer effect.
Do kitchen cabinets need sanding before painting?
Yes, lightly, with 240 grit, after thorough degreasing. Sanding keys the varnish or melamine and lets the primer grip. Without this step the paint peels.
Can you paint melamine kitchen cabinets?
Yes, provided you degrease, key and apply a multi-surface primer before the finish. Primed melamine paints like wood.
How many coats on kitchen doors?
One coat of multi-surface primer and two thin coats of finish, with a light sand between each. Let them harden for three days before rehanging.

Guides to read next

All colour guides →

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10 greens for a kitchen

10 colours

Kitchen

12 paint colours for kitchen cabinets

12 colours

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10 yellows for a bright kitchen

10 colours

Kitchen · North-facing

10 paint colours for a north-facing kitchen

10 colours

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Bathroom

Which finish for a bathroom?

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Want to see these colours at home?

Order a sample to judge the shade in your own light, or browse every paint for the room.

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