General Finishes High Performance Water Based Topcoat, 1 Pint, Semi-Gloss

Great brand, easy to use, looks great too!

Drys fast. Lays down smooth. Easy to apply. I used to refinish some old furniture. Sprayed some and some with sponge brush. Easy to apply. I did add the extender to slow down some. Seems to spray better when adding about 10 % extender.

Durable finish best I’ve ever used

I am so incredibly happy with how my stupidly cheap kitchen makeover turned out. Literally everything was purchased on Amazon, and I did it all myself on random weekends while very pregnant (safely, of course). If I could do it, you can, too! The whole thing (minus the kitchen gadgets--just the makeover) cost around $500 and was chosen for cost, looks, and simplicity of application (very pregnant, very impatient). I'm attaching the before and after images, and I'll talk about the individual part relevant to this review. Here is the list of all remodeling purchases: 1. General Finishes Antique White Milk Paint, Gallon + General Finishes Water Based High Performance Polyurethane Top Coat Semi-Gloss Gallon 2. d-c-fix 346-0478 Decorative Self-Adhesive Film, Rustic, 17.71" x78" Roll 3. KINGO HOME Commercial High Arch Stainless Steel Single Lever Brushed Nickel Pull Down Sprayer Kitchen Faucet, Kitchen Sink Faucet with Dual Function Spout Sprayer 4. Mosaic Peel & Stick 10" x 10" Backsplash, Kitchen, Bathroom, DIY Wall Tiles - Set Of 6, Black And White 5. Achim Home Furnishings VFP2.0SS40 Tivoli II Achim Home Imports Silver Spruce 6" x 36" Self Adhesive Vinyl Floor Planks Planks/60 Square Feet, 40 Pack, Piece 6. Brilliant Evolution BRRC135 Wireless LED Puck Light 6 Pack With Remote Control - Operates On 3 AA Batteries - Kitchen Under Cabinet Lighting Love this paint. I'm extremely happy with how my kitchen cabinets turned out. This was a spur of the moment decision, to paint the cabinets. At some point I just couldn't stand them anymore, but getting a new kitchen wasn't something we ever intended to do in this house. I thought about getting new doors for the cabinets, but that seemed like the type of effort no one was going to tolerate. I was 7 months pregnant and reached the end of my limits, and ordered this paint, the semi-gloss top coat, and a heavy duty respirator. Over the weekend when my husband was away, I painted my kitchen; three base coats on Saturday and two top coats Sunday morning. I used a degreaser on the cabinets and let that dry. Honestly, not sure if that did anything, they looked and felt the same after. But well, it says to do that. I then painted them with a brush not really paying too much attention, since I knew it needed at least one more coat (turns out, three total did the trick). Then I painted it again with the foam brush, and that's definitely the way to go. The paint went on much smoother with the foam brush. Finished it off with the top coat (using the foam brush from the start, two coats), and the kitchen immediately looked so much better. This started my desire to fix the rest of it, because my brand spanking new white cabinets looked dumb with the horrible dirty-beige countertop, so I slapped some stickers on it "in the meantime". The floor was just depressing, so I slapped some stickers on that, too. Some more stickers on the backsplash, and I'm so happy with the result! Also, the paint didn't smell bad at all (actually, didn't smell much in general). So that was an added bonus!

This is a review by a complete amateur. I have never in my life painted or finished furniture. I used this product on my first ever project. The project: we have ready-assembled kitchen cabinets from Home Depot that have horrible reviews concerning the finish. We read many stories about the finish coming completely off to the bare wood in the spots they're touched a lot after only a year or so. We decided we'd simply add a stronger finish to hopefully prevent this rub-off. I scoured the internet for the right product to use and ran across this. The reviews were great so I emailed General Finishes at their website to verify that this is exactly what I'd need and if I would need anything else. They promptly replied that this was all I'd need and to follow the directions on the can and read the extra info provided on their site about the product. I did exactly that. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow. I used foam brushes, the kind you find at Home Depot with their paint rollers. Their cheap but work great! I used 400-grit sandpaper before applying the High Performance to ensure proper adhesion. Then I applied the finish, let it dry 4 hours, sanded again, applied a second coat of finish, and in 4 hours wa-lah! The cabinets look even more beautiful than they did before. Now the true test will be in a year or two to see if it does in fact prevent the stain fade. But for now, 5 stars for application and initial looks! If I can do it, anyone can. Don't let this review trick you into thinking you don't need be careful and precise though. Don't be lazy :)

This was a very easy to use top coat. It went on very smoothly with a 4” foam roller and a paint brush to smooth out bubbles. I applied 3 coats to the floor. Although it looked very beautiful unfortunately it scratches very easy. Having no experience I am assuming that is because it is water based and not oil based. It would be amazing for furniture or cabinets but doesn’t work so well on floors as far as durability goes. For floors I would definitely recommend an oil based top coat. Other than that it is an outstanding product!

I found this stuff on a review from This Old House saying it is, in their opinion, the best. I still have a gallon of the second best and it's not that good. I really like the way this product is so easy to apply (I use a paint-roller instead of a brush as the brushes have seemed to leave waves that don't disappear as it dries). As this product dries and sets up, it smooths out nicely. I used the quart size as I was repairing a 2 square foot area of real oak flooring and wanted to find a good product. The second-best stuff didn't work for me so I sanded it off and applied the General Finishes product to great success. It's pricey but should last for many years. I think it's worth ever cent.

General Finishes makes an excellent product. I sprayed this with HVLP and it rocks.

This product is of excellent quality and produces a finish that is impressive for its beauty. I did not assess the durability as I just completed the project. It dries quickly and ready to sand and repaint within two hoirs. Water soluble, the brush is easy to clean.