Thinking about painting kitchen cabinets for a fresh, updated look? Repainting your cabinets is the most cost effective way to achieve the look you want. From crisp white cabinets to more trendy greens, blues or even reds, freshly painted cabinets and brand new hardware will completely transform your entire room. But what is the process and what should you expect?
The Process
Stain to Paint
So, your cabinets are stained, but you have chosen a great, updated color and you are ready to paint your cabinets. There are a number of steps to get from point A to point B.
- Kitchen counters and floors must be protected with drop cloths
- Doors and hardware must be removed
- Everything must be sanded and wiped down
- A coat of primer must be applied to one side of the doors and allowed to dry thoroughly for a day (the cabinet box must be sanded and primed, too)
- This process must be repeated on the back side of the cabinets doors
- Everything should be lightly sanded one more time
- Top coat must be applied and allowed to dry before replacing doors and hardware
NOTE: Due to the number of steps and drying time, this process usually takes several days.
Stain to Stain
If you are just having the stain refreshed or going to a darker color, the process is basically the same except for the priming step.
- Kitchen counters and floors must be protected with drop cloths
- Doors must be removed and hardware removed from them
- Everything must be sanded down to the bare wood (removing all previous stain) and wiped down
- The stain must be applied one side of the doors and allowed to dry thoroughly for a day (the cabinet box must be sanded, too)
- This process must be repeated on the back side of the cabinets doors
- Everything should be lightly sanded one more time
- Final application of stain followed by sealer and allowed to dry before replacing doors and hardware
NOTE: Due to the number of steps and drying time, this process usually takes several days.
Cost
You can expect to pay about $100 for a drawer face and $175 per cabinet door, but that cost does vary. Additionally, a lot depends on the other aspects of your kitchen, including islands, molding and shelves. For a medium size kitchen this usually averages out to about $5000. While this may seem like a lot, remember you are essentially giving a whole new look to your kitchen without remodeling and the process is labor intensive.
New cabinets are an option, but the national average is $11,000 with a range of $4,000 – $15,000 depending on the size of your kitchen. It can cost even more for custom or top-grade cabinets. Prepare for your kitchen to be totally disrupted and plan for replacing the counter surfaces.
Hiring a Professional or DIY
Watching home improvement shows on TV lead a lot of people to think about DIYing many home projects. While re-painting or re-staining your kitchen cabinets is a possibility, usually driven by the cost of hiring a professional, it requires a lot of time, knowledge, skill and the proper tools and supplies. That being said, there are plenty of DIYers that are capable and enjoy the feeling of a job well done. The only caveat is don’t take on more than you can do. It is easy to get in the middle of a project and feel overwhelmed.
Paint professionals, like ColaTown Painting, will be in and out and leave your kitchen the way they found it. Afterwards, the only thing you have to do is enjoy the finished product. If we can help, give us a call! 803-603-6486 or e-mail us at ellisb@colatownpainting.com.
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