How Much Does Kitchen Cabinet Painting Cost in Summerville, SC?

One of the first questions people usually ask about cabinet painting is, "How much is it going to cost?"

Like most painting projects, there isn't one price that fits every kitchen.

The number of doors and drawer fronts matters, but so does the condition of the cabinets, the type of wood, whether there is damage to repair, and even whether the hardware is being changed.

What I can do is give you a real example of what we charge and explain what goes into the price.

What Does It Cost to Paint Kitchen Cabinets?

For a fairly typical kitchen with around 20 cabinet doors and 10 drawer fronts, you're probably looking at around:

$4,000 for labor + roughly $300 in paint and materials.

So for that example, you'd be somewhere around $4,300 total.

That's not meant to be a guaranteed price for every kitchen with 20 doors and 10 drawer fronts. It's just a realistic example based on the type of work we normally do.

Some kitchens will be less. Some will be more.

What Can Make the Price Go Up or Down?

There are a few things I’m looking at when I price a cabinet job.

Condition of the cabinets

If the cabinets are in good shape, that obviously makes things easier.

If there are damaged areas, failed previous repairs, loose joints, chips, dents or other issues, those need to be fixed before we start painting.

The finish is only going to look as good as the surface underneath it.

Oak grain

Oak cabinets can take more work.

The grain in oak is pretty pronounced, and depending on the finish you’re looking for, it may require additional filling and prep.

If you want the grain to still show, that’s one thing.

If you’re expecting a much smoother, more filled finish, that’s more work.

Damaged areas

Any damaged wood or areas that need repair add time.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the job becomes dramatically more expensive, but it definitely affects the amount of prep involved.

Changing the hardware

If you’re keeping the same hardware, that’s pretty straightforward.

If you’re changing from one type of handle or knob to another, we may have to fill the old holes and drill new ones.

That can add quite a bit of extra work, especially when you’re dealing with a lot of doors and drawer fronts.

What Is Our Cabinet Painting Process?

This is where cabinet painting is a lot different from just painting a wall.

We remove the cabinet doors and drawer fronts and take them back to our shop.

At the shop, we clean them, sand them and wood-fill them as needed.

Once the prep is finished, we spray them with Zinsser BIN primer.

After that, we spray two finish coats of Sherwin-Williams Gallery Series.

The cabinet frames stay in the home.

We use basically the same prep process on the frames—cleaning, sanding and filling where needed—but instead of spraying them in the house, we brush and roll them.

That lets us get a clean finish without turning your kitchen into a spray booth.

Why Does Cabinet Painting Cost So Much?

A lot of people look at cabinet painting and think it’s basically just putting paint on the doors.

That’s really not the case.

Most of the work is in the preparation.

The doors have to come off.

They have to be cleaned.

They have to be sanded.

Damage has to be repaired.

Old hardware holes may need to be filled.

Everything has to be primed properly.

Then the finish coats have to be applied.

After that, everything has to be handled carefully, transported back to the house and reinstalled.

There are a lot of steps involved, and every one of them matters if you want the finish to hold up.

How Long Does It Take?

A typical cabinet job with around 20 doors and 10 drawer fronts usually takes about 4–5 days from start to finish.

That can change depending on the condition of the cabinets, the amount of repair work involved and whether we’re changing hardware.

But 4–5 days is a pretty normal timeframe for a job that size.

Why Do We Use Zinsser BIN?

We use Zinsser BIN because adhesion and stain blocking are extremely important on cabinets.

Kitchen cabinets see grease, oils, food residue and years of normal wear.

Good prep matters, but the primer matters too.

BIN gives us a strong foundation for the finish coats.

Why Sherwin-Williams Gallery Series?

We’ve used a lot of different coatings over the years.

For cabinet doors and drawer fronts, we currently use Sherwin-Williams Gallery Series because it sprays well and gives us a durable finish that works very well for cabinetry.

We spray the doors and drawer fronts at the shop so we can control the environment and get a smoother finish.

Do You Spray the Cabinet Frames Too?

No.

We spray the doors and drawer fronts at the shop, but we brush and roll the cabinet frames in the home.

There are painters who spray everything in place, but that requires a tremendous amount of masking and containment.

Our process lets us get a clean result without spraying throughout the kitchen.

Is Cabinet Painting Worth It?

If your cabinet boxes and doors are in good condition, painting can completely change the look of the kitchen without replacing everything.

That’s one of the reasons cabinet painting has become so popular.

You can go from dated wood cabinets to a completely different look in less than a week in many cases.

It can also make sense when you like the layout of your kitchen but just don’t like the color or finish of the cabinets anymore.

What Does a Typical Project Look Like?

The attached kitchen photos are a good example of the type of finished result we’re aiming for.

The finished appearance is the part everyone sees.

The prep is the part that makes it last.

Can You Give Me a Cabinet Painting Quote From Pictures?

A lot of times, yes.

If you send me clear pictures of the kitchen, I can usually get a pretty good idea of the number of doors and drawer fronts, the condition of the cabinets and the overall scope of the job.

There are situations where I’ll still need to see the kitchen in person, especially if there’s significant damage or if the wood condition is hard to judge from pictures.

But photos are a good place to start.

So, How Much Will It Cost to Paint My Cabinets?

For a typical example, a kitchen with around 20 doors and 10 drawer fronts would be about $4,000 plus roughly $300 in paint and materials.

That puts the total at around $4,300.

The final price depends on the condition of the cabinets, the wood species, damage, grain filling and whether we’re changing hardware.

If you’re thinking about having your kitchen cabinets painted, send me some pictures and I can usually tell pretty quickly whether it’s something I can price remotely or whether I need to come take a look.

Paragon Painting has been in business since 1978 and has been serving the Summerville and Charleston area since 2012.

If you’d like a quote, give us a call or send us some pictures and we’ll take a look.

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