Painting your kitchen cabinets is a heck of a lot cheaper than gutting your kitchen and buying all new cabinets. If your current cabinets are in good shape but looking a little dated, or you simply want to spruce them up and enjoy a new color, painting is an ideal solution. But you probably have some questions about cost, the process involved, and more. Great Guys Painting answers the 10 most common questions about painting kitchen cabinets.
1. How Long Does Painting Kitchen Cabinets Take?
The length of time it will take to paint your kitchen cabinets will depend on how many cabinets you have, how many coats of paint you want applied, and how much prep work is involved.
A painting professional (one who is licensed, insured, experienced, and reputable) will be able to complete the many steps much faster than a handyman. What you don’t want is for a painter to cut out critical steps in the effort to say they can do the job quickly.
On average, you can expect that a professional painter will need from 4 to 7 days to paint your kitchen cabinets. Depending on the number of cabinets, an expert DIYer will need from 4 to 7 weekends to paint kitchen cabinets.
2. How Long Will the New Paint Last?
The life span of your newly painted kitchen cabinets will depend on the quality of paint you chose, how many coats were applied, if a clear finish coat was added, how much you cook, and how you maintain your cabinets. If the cabinets are properly prepped, high quality paint is used, and you don’t wrangle around in the kitchen like the competitors on Chopped or Top Chef, the finish can last for up to ten years or even more.
3. What is the Process Involved in Painting Kitchen Cabinets?
Here are the following steps typically involved in painting kitchen cabinets:
- Remove doors: The painter will remove all the doors, drawers, hinges, and hardware. Some professional painters will take the cabinet doors and drawers to their shop to paint them while others will set up a space outside your home to complete the job.
- Prep for painting: Then all the pieces that were removed, plus the fixed cabinet frames that remain in place, will be cleaned, sanded, and primed. The painter will tape off areas where the cabinets meet the walls, doors, or windows and lay down drop cloths or plastic sheeting on floors, countertops, and other areas.
- Paint: Then the painter will either spray, roll, or brush on the paint, allowing it to dry completely between coats.
- Reinstall: Once all is dry, the cleaned hardware (or new) will be reattached and all the doors and drawers reinstalled.
- Final clean-up: Finally, the painter will remove all tape, tarps, supplies and tools, leaving your kitchen cabinets fresh, clean, and beautiful.
4. How Should I Maintain My Newly Painted Kitchen Cabinets?
Once you start working in your newly painted kitchen again, you’ll probably want to baby your gorgeous new cabinets. As time wears on, you don’t need to baby them but you should keep them clean.
Moisture is hard on anything inside a home, so be sure you have a good ventilation system that will control the humidity levels in your kitchen. If your cabinets will be exposed to direct sunlight, be sure to select a paint with UV properties, otherwise your new paint will begin to fade and your cabinets won’t match.
5. What Type of Paint is Typically Used for Kitchen Cabinets?
The qualities of paints range from just OK to outstanding. Kitchen cabinets take a lot of wear and tear so choose a good quality paint that is known to be durable. Your budget will help determine the paint you choose, but a professional painter will recommend alkyd paints that have either zero- or low-VOC content. Some pros also recommend acrylic latex-based paint.
6. What Are the Most Popular Paint Colors for 2022-2023?
Cool grays have been very popular for kitchen cabinets until just recently. Now, stylists and designers are favoring warm grays, soft gray-greens, grayed blues, coffee stains, and deep bronze. And of course white is timeless.
Whichever color you choose, be sure to buy a small quantity of paint or stain first so you can see how it will look in your own kitchen. Your lighting and wall colors will affect the color of the paint you select.
7. Should I Hire a Professional Painter or Can I Paint My Kitchen Cabinets Myself?
If you’re an expert DIYer, you can paint your kitchen cabinets because you know the value of taking your time to prep and the importance of using the proper tools and materials to do the job right. But even an experienced DIYer will need patience and time to paint kitchen cabinets because the many steps are time consuming.
8. How Much Does it Cost for a Professional Painter to Paint My Kitchen Cabinets?
The average kitchen cabinet painting job will cost about $5,000 to $6,000. The range of costs will depend on how many cabinets you have, their condition (do scratches and dings need to be filled?), the quality of paint you want to use, where in the country you live, and more. Even various zip codes in a large city can affect the price. Small kitchens with basic simple cabinets can cost as little as $1,200 to paint. A large kitchen with many cabinets, an island, lots of drawers, and some built-in appliances housed in specialty cabinets can cost as much as $12,000 to paint.
9. What Do I Need to Do To Prepare for Painting my Kitchen Cabinets?
If you hire a professional painter, ask the painter exactly what you’ll need to do to get ready before the painting process begins.
If you DIY, clear off all of your countertops because they’ll need to be protected with kraft paper or plastic sheeting. If you want the insides of your cabinets painted, obviously you’ll need to empty them.
10. Do I Need to Hire a Painter Who is Insured and Licensed?
You’re really taking a risk if you hire anyone to work in or around your home who isn’t insured.
Without insurance, if the worker causes damage or gets hurt, it will be your responsibility. When a painter is insured and licensed, if anything happens, their insurance covers the repair expenses. Also make sure that your painting contractor has workers’ compensation if they have anyone else helping them paint your kitchen cabinets. Be sure to see copies of the painting contractor’s license and insurance documents.
We hope we’ve answered your questions about painting your kitchen cabinets. If you need more information, check out Great Guys Painting. Our website is full of helpful information. And if you’re ready to hire a professional to paint your kitchen cabinets, Great Guys Painting can connect you with experts near you who are insured and licensed. Ask for a free quote so you can find out how affordable it can be to have your kitchen cabinets painted by a professional.
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Time to paint your kitchen cabinets? Great Guys Painting will connect you with professional cabinet painters near you who are licensed and insured. Ask for a free quote right now!
