High Performance Water Based Topcoat, 1 Gallon, Flat

I read about this stuff on a blog post about redoing kitchen cabinets - exactly what I bought this for. About this topcoat: it is a true flat finish, which is great over their milkpaint (because why use that only to make it shiny??). More importantly, it does not yellow. Big deal. Huge! About the colors (because you should be using them with this!): It's not true milk paint, but it does act like it. It doesn't smell up your whole house, it sticks like magic to EVERYTHING (my cabinets are a real wood/faaaake laminate combo; I did not sand or prime, but did get some Krud Kutter spray cleaner to give everything a once-over before paint), it covers well, and it leaves a superbly smooth finish (apply with a dense foam roller, cheap foam brush for nooks, crannies, and details) even when you overwork the holy living crap out of it. And it dries SO QUICKLY. Like, 1 hour, tops - basically get to the end of all your cabinet doors and go back to the beginning for the next round. Water cleanup, which is awesome. But, I was wrapping my still-wet roller in foil and throwing it in the fridge between short bursts of painting, and it worked very well. It may seem kind of expensive until you consider the coverage, and how many steps you're skipping (dollars-wise, and also time & sanity-wise). Or just compare to professionally refacing cabinets, yikes! I'm covering gross 80s oak with the bright white - 3 coats will do, followed by 2 coats of clear coat. If it weren't going to be heavily used & abused, you could probably do just one. My bottom cabinets are the dark navy blue, so just two coats there. Buy painters pyramids if you're painting cabinet doors, and you've set yourself for success! Seriously can't say enough good things about this paint line. Kind of miraculous.

I can't say enough about the GF paint. I have used it before on a hall tree, and recently purchased the Coastal Blue in order to repaint my old bathroom wood vanity cabinet. I sanded some rough spots, and washed the cabinet down, but other than that, I didn't do much prep work even though the cabinet had a semi gloss to it. This paint, as expected, adhered wonderfully and covered beautifully. I did use 2 coats as recommended, but probably could've gotten away with one coat. I also used the GF clear top coat over it all, since it would be exposed to water in a bathroom. It came out beautiful. This is the best paint I have ever used on a home project! It mixes well, adheres to just about any surface, spreads beautifully, and the soap/water clean up is quick and easy. The only drawback is its a bit on the pricey side, but I will definitely use GF paints again in the future due to the fantastic results.

I know the manufacturer can’t recommend using this product over white paint due to the potential of it yellowing but I think it depends what kind of paint the DIYer uses etc. Of course if you’re using no primer and a cheap sample paint it probably will yellow. I was doing kitchen cabinets and used Kilz oil based interior primer followed by two coats of SW interior acrylic latex, and then two coats of this product in flat (the flat is more like a satin and I didn’t want it showing fingerprints as easily) and it came out beautifully (sprayed and brushed). Of course I tested a small area first and waited a couple hours with no yellowing so I went for it and did my whole kitchen island with it. This stuff is so easy to work with and the finish is great. My project wouldn’t have come out as well if I didn’t do a clear coat so I’m very glad it worked. I read that this product is superior to Minwax so that’s why I went with it and hey, saved me a trip to the hardware store with a little planning ahead, shipped right to my door. Amazon FTW!

I am completely sold! Low smell! I’m not the neatest person on the block, and this product is perfect for me as it spreads on easily and even makes up for my mistakes: overlapping, a lot and missing area! It is easy to use with a sponge applicator! The results are a smooth even finish! It dries quickly! I am wowed! Thanks for such a wonderful product! Once the majority get idea how this product is a great product use…maybe the little guy can afford it easier. Thanks for a great product!

Another excellent product from General Finishes! I have the satin and flat high performance topcoats and both are user friendly with superior quality. You won’t regret this purchase. I will continue to buy general finishes products to achieve my desired results.

Looks great but wish it wasn’t so expensive.

This is my 3rd experience with General Finishes. The price always initially turns me off, but researching and reading enough reviews I end up coming around. If you don't want to read a long review the short of it is 3 coats, quick dry, perfectly leveled and an absolutely beautiful finish. It comes up with a very mild sheen, almost like a nice polished wax. The long: I built an Ana White triple pedestal farm house table with 100% pine. I wanted a protective finish, but I wanted it to be dull to keep the rustic feel of the table which is how I landed on this product. Prior to finishing I sanded to 320, stained with Minwax Oil "Early American". Let dry for 72 hours and then did NOT do any additional sanding prior to applying (as it states in GF instructions. Using a Fuji Spray Semi-Pro w/ 1.3mm aircap set I then poured the GF through a filter, into a plastic cup, then directly into the gun. There was no need to dilute. The first coat I put on very thin. Within 30 minutes it was dry. I lightly sanded with grain with 220, blew it off, wiped with tack, then followed the same process as before with the gun, but laid it on slightly more thick. Repeated prep process, then put on a third and final coat. Lightly sanded with 800 grit, blew off, tack, then polished with pledge. Very very happy with the finish. For those of you who want to just follow a checklist, this is what worked for me: (1) COAT #1, Spray Thin Layer (2) Let Dry 30 Minutes (3) Sand with 220, Blow off and Clean with tack cloth (4) COAT #2 Spray Medium/Thin Layer (5) Let Dry 30 Minutes (6) Sand with 220, Blow off and Clean with tack cloth (7) COAT #3 Spray Medium/Thin (8) Let Dry 30 Minutes (9) Sand lightly with 600-800 grit, blow off, clean with tack (10) Clean and Polish with Pledge

This has to be the best top coat I've worked with. I love wood but hate that as soon as you get the stain color just the way you like it, the top coat ruins the color. Not this top coat! There was minimal color change and it leveled out beautifully. I was tempted to go back over a few places that appeared I applied it unevenly. However, I followed the directions and left it alone. It leveled out perfectly! It's a bit pricier then other brands, but for good reason. The results are beautiful! I'm very happy with the finished look!

I was looking for a topcoat for a mahogany piece that I had bleached and did not want the wood finish to darken it. This topcoat maintained the bleached/natural look of the wood and was easy to apply. I also did not need to apply a lot. Expensive but worth it.

Again excellent finish when applied to rollered paint using foam brush

Love it