Cabinets are furniture, not walls
A kitchen's cabinets are touched, bumped, splashed and wiped every day, so the paint on them has to be harder and smoother than anything on a wall. That makes cabinet painting closer to furniture finishing than to room painting, and it's priced that way: by the piece and by the prep, not by the square foot.
McAllen began when the railroad reached the Santa Anita Ranch on August 20, 1904, and the community was named for John McAllen; in 1911 the town was issued a charter of incorporation as McAllen. Whatever the age or style of your own kitchen, the cost factors below apply.
Counting what's being painted
Ask a painter for a cabinet quote and the first thing they'll do is count:
- Doors, front and back. Raised-panel and detailed doors take longer than flat slab doors.
- Drawer fronts. Usually painted on the face only.
- Cabinet boxes: the face frames and the visible end panels.
- Interiors, only if you want them; most jobs leave them unpainted.
- Extras: an island, open shelving, crown molding, a range hood surround or a bank of pantry doors.
Two kitchens of similar size can have very different counts.
Prep is most of the bill
Paint won't hold on kitchen grease or slick factory finishes. Expect the proposal to include:
- Removing doors, drawer fronts and hardware, and labeling them so each goes back where it came from.
- Degreasing every surface with a cleaner made for the job.
- Scuff-sanding to dull the old finish so primer can grip.
- Filling dents and, if you're changing hardware, old screw holes.
- Priming with a bonding primer suited to the surface.
- Caulking open seams in the face frames where wanted.
Each of these steps is hand work. Skipping any of them is the usual reason painted cabinets chip early.
What the cabinets are made of
Solid wood takes primer and paint well once cleaned and sanded. Open-grained woods such as oak show their grain through paint unless the grain is filled first, which is an extra step and an extra cost.
MDF and painted wood usually paint well after scuffing.
Laminate and thermofoil are harder. Some laminates can be painted with the right bonding primer; peeling thermofoil generally can't be painted successfully. A painter should tell you if they think your doors aren't good candidates.
Product class and finish
Cabinet paints range from good acrylic enamels to waterborne alkyds and two-part or catalyzed finishes. Harder products cost more and need more careful handling, but stand up better to wear. A satin or semi-gloss sheen is usual; higher gloss shows every flaw. Our guides to paint sheens and finishes and cabinet painting and refinishing explain the choices.
Brush, roll or spray, and where
Some painters brush and roll everything in place. Others spray doors and drawer fronts in a shop or a set-up area and finish the boxes on site. Spraying gives the smoothest finish but takes masking and ventilation, and off-site work adds transport. Ask where the doors will be painted, how long they'll be gone and how the kitchen will be protected while the boxes are coated.
Time out of the kitchen
Cabinet paint dries to the touch quickly but takes much longer to cure hard. A realistic schedule includes drying time between primer and each coat, and a careful rehang. Ask how many days your kitchen will be unusable, and when you can start using the doors normally.
Hardware and small extras
New hinges and pulls are often bought by the homeowner; installing them, especially if new pulls need new holes, is labor. Soft-close hinge conversions, new knobs and touch-up kits can all appear on a quote. Make sure they're listed, not assumed.
Lead in older kitchens
If your house was built before 1978 and the cabinets carry old paint, sanding can raise lead dust. Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, firms included, even sole proprietorships, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices. Ask the painter whether the firm holds RRP certification, and expect containment and cleanup to be priced in.
Comparing cabinet quotes
Check the piece count, the prep steps, the primer and finish by name, the number of coats, where doors are painted, the hardware work and the days the kitchen is out of action. A low price usually means less of one of those. The pricing guide has more on how painting is priced.