Cabinet painting & fine finishing
New doors and a color change do to a kitchen what a full remodel does, at a fraction of what a remodel costs.
How cabinets are done properly
- Doors, drawer fronts and hardware come off and get labeled so everything returns to the opening it came from.
- Everything is degreased — cabinets near a stove hold more oil than they look like they do, and paint will not stick through it.
- Surfaces are scuff-sanded to give the primer something to bite, and grain is filled where you want a smooth modern face.
- A bonding primer goes on first. This is the step that separates a finish that lasts from one that chips off the edge of the door in six months.
- Two coats of cabinet-grade enamel, finished for a hard, wipeable surface.
- Hardware back on, doors rehung, hinges adjusted so the gaps line up.
Beyond the kitchen
- Built-in bookcases, window seats and cubbies
- Fireplace mantels and surrounds
- Stair rails, newel posts, balusters and treads
- Interior and exterior doors, finished flat rather than hung and dripping
- Wood refinishing and re-staining where you want the grain kept, not covered
- Custom and specialty finishes when a room calls for something other than a flat color
What to expect
A standard kitchen runs about three to five days on site. You lose the use of the cabinet boxes for part of that, but the kitchen itself stays walkable. Enamel is dry to handle within a day and keeps hardening for a couple of weeks — go gently on the doors during the first stretch and the finish will pay you back for years.
Questions about cabinet painting & fine finishing
Can you paint oak without the grain showing?
Yes, if you want it gone. Filling and sanding open oak grain adds a day or two, and the result is a smooth modern door. Some people like the grain — we will show you both before we start.
Will the paint chip around the handles?
Not if it is prepped and primed correctly and given time to cure. The chipping you have seen elsewhere almost always traces back to a skipped degrease or a missing bonding primer.
Do you replace doors or hardware?
We paint and finish what you have, and we are glad to hang hardware you have bought. Full door replacement is a cabinet shop's job, not ours.
Get a free estimate
Jason answers his own phone. Tell him what you are looking at and he will come and price it.