Cabinets are furniture, not walls
Painting kitchen cabinets is closer to refinishing furniture than to painting a room. Every door has two faces and four edges, every drawer front has to come off or be masked, and the finish has to stand up to hands, steam and cleaning for years. That's why cabinet quotes are built around counts and process rather than square footage. This guide explains what those quotes are made of. It doesn't give prices.
The pieces that get counted
Doors and drawer fronts
The count of doors and drawer fronts is the core of most cabinet quotes. Large pantry doors, glass-panel doors and doors with deep profiles take longer than flat slab doors. Ask whether the quote counts each piece and whether both sides of the doors are included.
Cabinet boxes and face frames
The face frames and the visible end panels are painted in place. Open shelving, the insides of glass-front cabinets and the toe kicks may or may not be in the quote; ask.
Extras
Crown molding, light rails, an island, a bar or a built-in desk all add pieces. So do bathroom vanities if you want them to match.
Prep is most of the job
Removing and labeling
Doors, drawers and hardware come off, and each piece is labeled so it goes back where it came from. Hinges and pulls are bagged by location. If you're replacing hardware, decide before the work starts: new pulls with a different hole spacing mean filling the old holes.
Degreasing
Kitchen cabinets carry cooking grease and hand oils, especially near the range and around pulls. Paint won't hold over them. A thorough degreasing is a separate step, done before sanding so the grease isn't ground into the wood.
Water spotting near the sink
Lake Havasu City's 2025 water report lists total hardness averaging 19 grains per gallon, in a range of 18 to 20, from calcium and magnesium that occur naturally in the source. Around the sink base and the dishwasher, splashes can leave mineral residue on cabinet faces. Like grease, it needs to come off before sanding and priming, and a painter may spend extra time on those doors.
Sanding and repairs
Factory finishes are smooth and hard. They need scuff-sanding so primer can grip. Dents, chips and worn edges get filled and sanded smooth. Water-swollen panels under the sink may need repair or replacement before paint.
Primer
A bonding primer suited to the existing finish is usually used on cabinets. Stain-blocking primers stop wood tannins or old stains from bleeding through light colors. Our cabinet painting and refinishing page describes the full sequence.
The finish and how it's applied
- Spray: gives the smoothest finish. Doors and drawers are often sprayed in a shop or a set-up area, while the boxes are masked and sprayed or brushed in place.
- Brush and roller: slower, and may show brush marks, but avoids masking the whole kitchen.
- Product class: cabinet-grade enamels and hybrid finishes level out and harden better than wall paint, and cost more.
- Coats: primer plus at least two finish coats is common; dark-to-light changes may need more.
Time and disruption
Cabinet painting takes the kitchen out of service. Doors may be away for days while coats dry and cure. Ask:
- how long the kitchen will be unusable;
- whether the doors are finished off site;
- when doors and hardware go back on;
- how long before the finish can be scrubbed.
A rushed rehang can stick doors to frames or mark the finish.
When the cabinets are old
If the kitchen is in a home built before 1978, the existing finish might contain lead. Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, firms included, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices. EPA runs the program in states it has not authorized; Arizona isn't among the states EPA lists as running their own EPA-authorized programs. A cabinet job that involves sanding old painted surfaces should be planned with that in mind; ask the painter how dust will be contained.
Comparing cabinet quotes
Make sure each quote states:
- the number of doors, drawer fronts and panels;
- whether door backs and box interiors are included;
- the degreasing, sanding and primer steps;
- the finish product and number of coats;
- spray or brush, and where the doors will be painted;
- hardware handling, and filling of old holes if needed;
- the timeline.
Our pricing guide explains other reasons painters price differently, and the sheens guide explains why cabinets usually take a satin or semi-gloss.