Find a Cabinet Painter Near Me
If your kitchen cabinets are old and worn out, there are many reasons why painting them is a good idea. First, it will improve the look of your kitchen, instantly upping your home’s value. Painting is also an affordable quick fix that’s much less expensive and time-consuming than completely replacing all the existing cabinetry. But painting cabinets is a difficult task that’s best left to the professionals. It takes a lot of equipment and effort to properly sand, prime, and paint the cabinets so they look great and last.
If re-painting is the route you’ve decided to take, be sure to hire a reliable, licensed company to do the refurbishment properly. Great Guys Painting offers free quotes from painting contractors who are properly trained and insured to handle your kitchen reno project. Click now and receive free quotes in just minutes, making the search for a cabinet refinisher easy!
Cabinet Painting & Refinishing Services
The average cost to completely replace old kitchen cabinets in a 10’x10’ kitchen can go as high as $26,000. If you’re tired of looking at your old cabinets and would like to change their look, you might want to have them painted or refinished which costs considerably less and will transform the look of your kitchen in just days.
Following are some options to choose from:
Cabinet Refinishing
Cabinet refinishing involves changing the finish, or color, of the existing cabinetry. Refinishing is a great option if the cabinets are made of quality wood, have very little damage and you like the general style. The contractor will strip existing paint or varnish, sand and then paint or stain the cabinets. Staining can create the look of most woods. Or you can paint the stripped cabinets any color you’d like to match your décor. You can complete the transformation by changing out hardware, adding stylish door handles and drawer pulls. Refinishing is perfect for those on a budget as it costs about 2/3 the price of refacing.
Cabinet Painting
When it comes to painting kitchen cabinets, the material makes all the difference as to whether the paint will adhere to the surface properly and last for a long time. Solid wood cabinets can easily be spray painted, rolled, or brushed depending on the amount of detail. Once they are properly prepped—cleaned, sanded, sealed, and primed—they will paint up beautifully, giving you a high-end look for less. Cabinets that aren’t made of solid wood, like pressed wood, laminate, vinyl, or steel, will not be as easy to paint. If you choose to move forward with painting non-wood surfaces, make sure to hire a painter who is knowledgeable about what type of paint to use and any special painting techniques that may be required.
Cabinet Refacing
Cabinet refacing (or resurfacing) is the process of updating kitchen cabinets by replacing everything that’s visible when the cabinets are closed. This is most typically done when the cabinet frames themselves are in good shape, but the doors or drawers are worn out. Contractors will replace doors, drawer fronts, and handles. The frames of the cabinetry, end panels, and molding by your feet will also be refaced with a combination of laminate or thin wood veneers. The newly installed “face” will be easy to paint, instantly giving your kitchen a refreshed, modern appearance. Painters will clean the surfaces, sand, prime, and then paint. As a point of reference, refacing costs about 70-80% less than the cost of installing replacement cabinets.
Cabinet Restaining
Restaining your kitchen cabinets can update the room quickly and affordably. First, you’ll need to find out if your cabinets are made of real wood or another material. Solid wood can be stripped, sanded, and stained to almost any color you desire, depending on the type of wood. Some woods are beautiful enough on their own, like mahogany or rosewood, and only require a clear topcoat for protection. Other types, like oak, ash, and hickory, might be more porous and will be easier to paint. Once you’ve decided to restain, there are many types of stain to choose from including water-based, oil-based, gel-based, and combination stain/sealers. Then, your contractor will remove the old finish, sand, seal, stain, and finish with polyurethane sealer or clear varnish.
How Professional Painters Paint Kitchen Cabinets
After dreaming about a new kitchen for years, you’ve finally decided to go ahead with your remodel, starting with a kitchen cabinet makeover. Here’s what you can expect when you embark upon your cabinet repainting journey.
Develop the Vision
Your first step will be to establish what type of material your cabinets are constructed from. This will determine whether the paint will successfully adhere to the surface or not. Then, once you know what type of paint will work, it’s time for the fun part—choosing a color! Go to your local hardware store and get paint chips or tester cans to see what looks best.
Get Estimates & Choose Contractor
Next, you’ll want to get estimates from local painting contractors by visiting Great Guys Painting and getting recommendations from friends and family. Have likely candidates visit your home and check out the cabinets in person. Then, narrow down the field by getting more in-depth estimates. Choose the contractor that makes you feel most comfortable.
Prep for Painting
Once you’ve signed the contract, it’ll be time to begin. Start by creating an alternate kitchen space for food prep and removing everything from the cabinets and countertops. The painters will relocate all furniture and tape over countertops, flooring, and anything that could get damaged by dripping paint. They’ll mask off the wall around the cabinets to keep your paint job clean. Keep in mind that painting a small to medium kitchen takes about three days, while a larger space will take three to five days.
Remove Doors, Drawers & Shelving
The painters will then remove all cabinet doors, drawers, and shelves, labeling them so they know where to put everything after painting. They’ll remove hardware, like hinges and drawer pulls, labeling that as well.
Clean Surfaces
Each piece that’s about to be painted will need to be thoroughly cleaned to remove any cooking grease and built-up dirt. Hot water and detergent should do the job, but if the cabinets are especially grimy, they might need a more powerful cleaner like trisodium phosphate. Once they feel clean and smooth to the touch, they’ll need to dry thoroughly before painting.
Repair & Sand
Now the prepping begins. If there are holes or dings in the doors or drawer fronts, or you’re looking to move the hardware (i.e. installing different-sized pulls) the crew will fill the holes with wood filler. After it sets, they’ll remove any excess and sand the spots with medium-grit sandpaper. They’ll make sure the cabinets themselves are clean and free of dust that might ruin the finish by vacuuming them out thoroughly.
Prime
Depending on the condition of the cabinets, the painters will choose either a heavy or lighter-weight primer to prepare the surface for painting. They will use an oil-based or acrylic latex primer to match the paint type. Working from the top, they’ll follow the grain, carefully working to create as smooth a coat as possible. If there is paneling on the doors, they’ll prime that first and then cover the rest of the door’s front and sides.
Repair & Sand Cabinets
After the primer has dried, they’ll sand the surfaces until they are super smooth to the touch. The painters will also fix any holes in the framing with caulking, smoothed out with a putty knife. After that dries, they’ll sand again and prime the spot(s). Once the primer is dry, they’ll sand one final time. The framing will be vacuumed again and wiped down to ensure a completely dirt-free surface.
Paint
After all that prep, it’s finally time to paint. One or two coats should cover the cabinet properly unless it’s especially stained. The painters will work from top to bottom, painting across the grain. They’ll paint the inside of the cabinet, most likely with a small brush or roller. Between coats, they’ll sand the surfaces to make sure the painting surface is perfect. And then they’ll tackle the doors, drawers, and shelves, painting each piece, sanding, and painting again.
Replace Pieces
Once all of the pieces are dry, they’ll be replaced. Shelves will go in first, followed by doors and their hardware. Finally, the drawer pulls and hardware will be re-attached, and the drawers slid back into place.
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Painting kitchen cabinets gives them an instant makeover, but why do the work yourself? Request free quotes from licensed painting contractors in your area through Great Guys Painting, and then let the transformation begin!
