Cabinet Painting with your painting project

What is cabinet painting?

From a painting contractor’s perspective, cabinet painting is a high-visibility finish job that does not behave like wall paint. Doors usually come off, grease must be removed, and cure time takes the kitchen offline. The specialist cabinets guide owns adhesion science and substrate choice; this page is about whether cabinets belong on your interior painting contract and how to sequence them so walls, trim and doors do not fight each other.

How cabinet painting actually works

1. 1

   Decide if cabinets are in the painter’s contract at all

   Some painters excel at sprayed cabinet finishes; others are wall and trim crews who will struggle on thermofoil or heavy grease. Honest decline is better than a peeling kitchen.

   Watch forA wall-paint price with “cabinets included” and no prep narrative. That is how kitchens fail in a year.

2. 2

   Sequence: cabinets before or after walls

   Common pattern: empty kitchen, doors off, cabinets finished and cured enough, then wall and ceiling work - or the reverse with heavy protection. Dust from sanding cabinets will ruin wet walls if order is wrong.

   Watch forSanding doors in the same air volume as open paint cans on walls. Containment is not optional.

3. 3

   Prep standard in writing

   Degrease, abrade, prime for the substrate, spray or brush plan, number of coats, and whether boxes are painted in place. Match the specialist expectations even if a general painter does the work.

   Watch forBrush-only over greasy oak with no bonding primer. Adhesion is the whole game - see the cabinets canonical for depth.

4. 4

   Lead-safe rules on pre-1978 coatings

   Old cabinet paint can contain lead. Firms disturbing it need the right compliance approach. This is a legal and health issue, not a nicety.

   Watch forDry sanding antique finishes without any lead discussion in an older home. Stop and hire compliant crews.

What does cabinet painting cost?

Cabinet painting on a painter’s invoice is usually a distinct package from wall square footage - door count, finish system and whether spray booth or on-site. Bundling with an interior repaint can save mobilisation; it should not hide a lower prep standard. See cabinet specialist pricing guidance for finish-system detail.

See the full cabinet painting cost guide - by material, size and region →

If the number is the problem, here are the ways people pay for it →