- How long does cabinet painting take from start to finish?
- Most kitchen cabinet painting projects take 5-7 working days. This includes removal of doors and hardware, cleaning, sanding, priming with bonding primer, multiple coats of paint with proper dry time between each, and reinstallation. Rushing any step compromises the factory-smooth finish.
- What paint do you use on cabinets?
- We use Benjamin Moore Advance for most cabinet projects — a waterborne alkyd that levels beautifully and cures to an extremely hard, furniture-grade finish. For specialty applications, Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane is another option. Both are far superior to standard wall paint.
- Will painted cabinets chip or peel over time?
- Peeling is a prep failure and it shouldn't happen: grease that wasn't removed, gloss that wasn't dulled, or a finish that never bonded. Our degreasing, scuff-sanding and bonding primer are there to rule it out, and the five-year workmanship warranty stands behind it. Chips are a different story. Any painted finish can chip where a pan handle or a ring strikes an edge, and a sprayed enamel like Advance is harder than wall paint but not harder than cast iron. When it happens, a chip on a sprayed finish is small and touches up cleanly; we leave you labeled touch-up paint for exactly that.
- Can you paint oak cabinets to look smooth?
- Yes. Oak's open grain requires grain filling before painting — a step many painters skip. We fill the grain, sand smooth, apply bonding primer, then build up paint coats using HVLP spray in a cross-hatch spray pattern. The result is a smooth, modern finish with no visible wood texture.
- Can my cabinets be painted at all?
- Most can. Solid wood, veneered wood and previously painted cabinets are the easy yes. Laminate and melamine are usually a yes with the right bonding primer, after we test a door. Thermofoil, the vinyl skin on many 1990s and 2000s doors, is a maybe: if it's tight it can be primed and sprayed; if it's lifting at the edges, paint won't hold it down and we'll say so. Swollen MDF around a sink and boxes that have gone soft are a no, because paint can't fix water damage. We check all of that in the first visit, before anything is priced.
- When would you tell me not to paint my cabinets?
- When painting would cost you money without solving the problem. Boxes that are failing, doors swollen from a leak, a layout you dislike, or a thermofoil skin that's peeling are all reasons to look at refacing or replacement instead, and we'll say that in your kitchen rather than after the deposit. We paint cabinets; we don't reface or replace them, so there's no reason for us to steer you wrong. Our guide on painting, refinishing, refacing and replacing cabinets walks through the choice.
- Does spraying make the finish more durable?
- Spraying makes it smoother; preparation makes it durable. An HVLP gun lays enamel down in thin, even passes with no brush marks and no roller texture, which is why the doors look like they came from a shop. But a sprayed coat over a greasy, glossy door fails exactly as fast as a brushed one. The durability comes from the steps before the gun: degreasing, scuff-sanding, bonding primer, and letting each coat reach its recoat time before the next one goes on.
- What's the difference between dry, recoat and cured?
- Three different clocks. Dry to the touch is when the surface stops being tacky, four to six hours for Advance. Recoat is when the next coat can go on without disturbing the last one, sixteen hours for Advance, which is why a rushed one-day cabinet job can't be done with this product. Cured is when the enamel has reached its final hardness, which Benjamin Moore puts at up to 30 days; it's ready for careful everyday use after about a week. We schedule the work around all three, which is the main reason a kitchen takes five to seven working days and not two.
- How should I compare two cabinet painting quotes?
- Line them up by what's included, not by the number. Does each one name the products, and are they cabinet enamels or wall paint? Are doors and drawer fronts removed and sprayed, or brushed in place? Is degreasing listed, or just "prep"? Is a bonding primer specified? Are hardware removal, old-hole filling and reinstallation in the price? Is there a cure-time plan and a warranty in writing? Two quotes that differ by a thousand dollars usually differ on three or four of those lines.
- How much does cabinet painting cost?
- Every cabinet project is priced to the kitchen, not to a chart — no two kitchens are the same. What shapes the number is the size of the kitchen, how many doors and drawers there are, the condition of the existing finish, and the color you choose; a dark-to-light change, for example, needs additional primer coats. We look at your cabinets in person with you, then you get a detailed written estimate with a firm number. The consult is free.
- Why is cabinet painting more expensive than wall painting?
- Cabinet painting requires more specialized technique — HVLP spray equipment, bonding primer, grain filling, multiple thin coats with sanding between each, and careful hardware reinstallation. The labor-to-surface-area ratio is much higher than walls, and the finish quality expectation is furniture-grade.
- Is cabinet painting better than replacing cabinets?
- For structurally sound cabinets, painting is often the better path. Well-built solid-wood boxes and doors are worth keeping, and a sprayed, furniture-grade finish gives them a new look without tearing out a kitchen that was built to last. During the estimate, we'll tell you plainly whether painting is the right fit.
- How long should I wait before using newly painted cabinets normally?
- Gently, right away; normally, after about a week. Doors and drawer fronts are sprayed and cured before they come back to your kitchen, so you can open and close everything the day they're rehung. The enamel keeps hardening for days after that: Benjamin Moore puts Advance at five to seven days before heavy use or scrubbing. So for the first week, no harsh cleaners, no leaning pans against the doors, and let the cabinet bumpers do their job. After that, it's a kitchen again.
- Is cabinet painting covered by your warranty?
- Yes. Cabinet projects carry the same five-year workmanship warranty and manufacturer’s limited lifetime paint warranty as every project we paint. Chips from impact and everyday wear aren’t covered; peeling or finish failure caused by our workmanship is. read how the warranty works →
- Can I choose Concierge for a cabinet project?
- Yes. Concierge adds removal and reinstallation of the hardware we’ve agreed on, help choosing color through our five-step process, and a Project Consultant who schedules the work around your kitchen and keeps you updated.
