Cabinets are a finish job, not a wall job
Painting cabinets is closer to furniture finishing than to painting a room. Every door and drawer front has to be cleaned, sanded, primed and coated on both faces, and the finish has to stand up to hands, water and grease every day. That's why a cabinet job can rival a whole room in price. This guide explains what drives that price without quoting any.
Counting doors and drawers
The first number a painter wants is a count: doors, drawer fronts, end panels, fillers, open shelves and crown. Raised-panel doors take longer than flat ones. Glass-front doors need careful masking. Cabinet interiors are usually extra. Ask for the count to be written into the proposal so you can compare bids on the same basis.
Cleaning and sanding
Kitchen cabinets carry cooking grease, even when they look clean. Paint doesn't stick to grease, so the first step is a thorough degreasing. Then the surfaces are scuff-sanded so the primer can grip. Dents, chips and old filler get repaired. Skipping or rushing this stage is the most common reason cabinet paint fails early.
Primer for slick finishes
Factory finishes and old varnish are slick and hard. They need a primer made to stick to them, and some painters use a second primer coat on dark wood to stop it showing through. Ask what primer they'll use and why.
Spray or brush, on site or off
- Brush and roller can give a good finish, though brush marks show more on flat doors.
- Spraying gives the smoothest finish but needs masking of the whole kitchen, or doors taken to a shop.
- Off-site work frees your kitchen sooner but adds transport and reinstallation.
Each method prices differently. Ask which the painter uses for doors and which for the cabinet boxes.
Cure time in a closed-up house
NOAA's engineering weather data for Traverse City gives about 7,730 heating degree days and 629 cooling degree days a year (base 65°F), with January the peak heating month at 1,355 and July the peak cooling month at 210. Those figures describe the station's heating season, and they're a reason many owners plan cabinet work for the months when the house is closed up and outdoor projects are on hold.
That timing has its own cost factors. With windows shut, the crew needs a plan for fresh air and fumes, and for keeping dust out of the rest of the house. Cabinet coatings can take a long time to reach full hardness, so doors may be rehung while still soft. Ask how long you should wait before using the kitchen hard.
Hardware and hinges
Hinges, pulls and knobs come off, get labeled and go back on. New hardware is a good time to change hole positions, but filling old holes adds time. Ask whether the crew removes and replaces hardware and adjusts the doors afterward.
Older paint
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, and workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices. Old painted cabinets in an older home can fall under that rule when they're sanded. Ask whether the firm holds RRP certification.
The state's position on painters
Michigan's Occupational Code list of crafts and trades for a residential maintenance and alteration contractor license (MCL 339.2404) does not include painting and decorating; 2018 Public Act 527, effective March 28, 2019, removed that trade so residential painters no longer need that license. The written proposal is where your count, products and finish should be settled.
Our cabinet painting and refinishing page goes deeper into the process, and the pricing guide explains other cost factors.