About INSL-X (Benjamin Moore)
INSL-X is the specialty-coatings brand inside the Benjamin Moore portfolio, built to solve painting problems that general wall paint was never designed to handle: cabinet refinishing enamels, lead encapsulation coatings, cold-temperature freezer coatings, fire retardant paint, and novelty finishes like chalkboard and color-changing ceiling paint. Where Benjamin Moore's core lines cover everyday walls and trim, INSL-X exists for the jobs that need a purpose-built formula.
Benjamin Moore itself has been making paint since 1883 and has operated as a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway since 2000, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey. That backing gives INSL-X's specialty lines, including the Cabinet Coat enamel we've tested, the dealer network, color-matching infrastructure, and formulation resources of a major domestic paint manufacturer, applied to a narrower, harder-working set of products.
Brand website: benjaminmoore.com
What INSL-X (Benjamin Moore) makes
INSL-X (Benjamin Moore)'s range runs wider than the products we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
Cabinet Coat
Urethane acrylic enamel for cabinet, door, and trim refinishing with a factory-smooth, chip-resistant finish — featured on DIYRated
Lead Block
Lead encapsulation coating for sealing lead-based paint on older surfaces
Freezer Kote
Coating formulated to hold up in cold-storage and freezer environments
Chalkboard Paint
Novelty coating that turns a wall or panel into a writable chalkboard surface
Color-Changing Ceiling Paint
Ceiling paint that shifts shade while wet to show coverage, then dries to a uniform white
Fire Retardant Paint
Functional coating formulated for fire-retardant applications
Why we recognized INSL-X (Benjamin Moore)
The DIYRated Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our hands-on category reviews. INSL-X (Benjamin Moore) earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: bought, put to work on real jobs, and judged on merit.
INSL-X (Benjamin Moore) products we rated highly
INSL-X Cabinet Coat Enamel, Satin Sheen, White, 1 Gallon
In our testing, this urethane acrylic enamel cured harder than standard latex, shrugging off cabinet door slams, fingernail scuffs, and grease without chipping. It self-leveled to a glass-smooth, factory-like finish using just a foam roller and a quality synthetic brush, no spray rig needed, and stuck directly to factory-finished cabinets after a light sand and clean wipe, skipping a separate primer coat for most jobs.
Read the 7 Best Interior Paints for Walls in 2026 (Tested by a Licensed Contractor) guide →What earned INSL-X (Benjamin Moore) the recognition
- INSL-X is Benjamin Moore's dedicated specialty-coatings brand, purpose-built for jobs standard wall paint can't handle: cabinet refinishing, lead encapsulation, freezer-rated coatings, and fire retardant paint.
- In our data, Cabinet Coat carries a 4.5-star rating across 684 reviews, with the urethane acrylic enamel formula curing to a harder, more scrubbable finish than standard latex cabinet paint while still cleaning up with water.
- The finish resists chipping, scuffing, food stains, water, and grease in real kitchen and bath use, and adheres to factory-finished cabinets after a light sand without a separate primer coat in most cases.
- It's a low-VOC formulation, a meaningful factor for anyone repainting cabinetry in an occupied kitchen.
- Backed by Benjamin Moore, a paint maker operating since 1883 and a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary since 2000, giving the INSL-X line established dealer distribution and color-matching support.