Cabinet painting is mostly preparation
Painting kitchen cabinets is one of the most detailed jobs a painter does. Cabinets are handled every day, splashed with cooking grease and cleaned often, so the finish has to be harder and smoother than wall paint, and it has to stick to surfaces that were never meant to be painted. Most of the price is the preparation and the number of pieces, not the paint.
What sets the price
How many pieces. Painters usually count doors, drawer fronts and cabinet boxes. A kitchen with many small doors and drawers costs more than one with a few large ones, even if the wall area is the same. Glass-front doors, open shelving, crown molding, an island and end panels all add pieces.
Cleaning and deglossing. Kitchen cabinets carry a film of grease, especially near the range. It must be removed with a degreaser, or no primer will hold. Then the old finish is scuffed or deglossed so the primer can grip.
Repairs. Chips, dents, loose veneer, worn edges and old hardware holes need filling and sanding. If you're changing hardware, holes may need filling and new ones drilled.
Removing doors and hardware. Most painters take off doors and drawer fronts, label them, and finish them flat, either in a work area at the house or off-site. That takes more time than painting them hanging but gives a better finish.
Primer and topcoat. A bonding primer is usually needed over factory finishes and glossy wood. The topcoat is often a hard enamel or a cabinet-grade coating. These cost more than wall paint and may need more coats.
Spraying or brushing. Spraying gives the smoothest finish but needs the kitchen masked carefully. Brushing and rolling with a fine roller is slower and can leave texture. Ask which the painter uses for the boxes and which for the doors.
Curing time. Cabinet coatings can feel dry in hours and still be soft underneath for much longer. Doors rehung too early can stick or mark. The time your kitchen is out of use is part of the job.
Humid hours at Fargo/Hector Field
In an average year at Fargo/Hector Field, NOAA counts about 108 hours with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F and about 540 hours above 67°F. Those hours are muggy air, and muggy air slows drying. For cabinet work done with windows open in the warm months, it can mean longer waits between coats and before doors go back up. In a closed, heated house the air is drier, which helps. Either way, ask how the painter will manage ventilation and drying, especially if doors are being finished in your garage or basement.
Older kitchens and lead
Cabinets in an older kitchen may have been painted before, and some old paints contain lead. EPA's rules page puts it this way: under the federal lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, since April 22, 2010 firms doing renovation, repair and painting work that disturbs lead-based paint in homes built before 1978 must hold EPA or state certification and follow specific work practices. In a kitchen, that matters because sanding produces dust where you prepare food. If your home was built before 1978, ask whether the firm holds that certification and how they'll contain and clean up the dust.
What a cabinet proposal should list
- The number of doors, drawer fronts and boxes, and whether the insides are included.
- The cleaning, deglossing and repair steps.
- The primer and topcoat by product name, and the number of coats.
- Whether doors are sprayed on-site, off-site or brushed.
- How long the kitchen will be out of use.
- Hardware: reused, replaced, and who installs it.
Our page on cabinet painting and refinishing explains each step, and the guide to paint sheens and finishes helps you choose a sheen that cleans well. The pricing guide shows how this job compares with others.