What is Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing?

This is the process of taking the existing cabinet boxes, doors, and drawer faces and applying a new finish over the existing one. Refinishing is not to be confused with refacing, which is the process of replacing cabinet doors, and applying a wood veneer to the existing boxes.

There are also other options as well. Sometimes a kitchen can be re-configured by adding or subtracting cabinets, replacing cabinet doors, replacing handles, the addition of new moldings such as crown or corbels, and the popular option of replacing visible hinges with hidden European type hinges.

Is Refinishing Durable?

Yes, provided it is done correctly. We cannot stress how important the material choice and application techniques are in a successful refinishing project. We use industrial wood coatings, which is what the industry standard is for new cabinet construction. We do not use Urethane Enamel Trim paint that is commonly sold at paint stores.

This type of material is great for doors and trim, but is not designed for the rigors of kitchen cabinets and other cabinet applications. Professional cabinet shops do not use this type of paint either. They are using industrial wood coatings like lacquer and conversion varnish.

The use of industrial coatings is the key to offering you a durable and attractive finish for your project. Providing you a durable finish involves thorough surface preparation, correct material choice, and proper application techniques. We spray all of our finishes onsite and in our shop.

Note: sometimes we are underbid by other contractors using trim paint, and we are frequently contacted later by these clients asking us if we can “fix” their cabinets. Unfortunately, the only way to fix a job like this is to remove all the trim paint, which is not cost-effective due to labor required. However, we can replace your doors & provide the correct finish on your entire cabinets.

Is Refinishing Expensive? Should I just Re-face or replace my cabinets? 

Every project is different, in size and detail. A general rule of thumb comparison: refacing a kitchen is about 40% more expensive than refinishing. Replacing a kitchen is about 80% more expensive than refinishing. These percentages will vary depending on the details, but this is a pretty accurate comparison based on information from my clients that obtained bids to replace and reface their kitchen cabinets.

How long does it take to refinish a kitchen?

Of course, it depends on how big the kitchen is and how complex the finish is, but on average most projects take 4-6 working days to complete. 

How does the process work? 

Once we have met, discussed your project, previewed samples, decided on the right details for your kitchen, have a contract, and set the schedule, the work process is set into motion. 

We remove all of the doors and drawer faces and take them to our shop for finishing. At the same time, we begin the process of masking, sanding, and spraying all the surfaces onsite. During this process, you do not have to remove any of your items that are inside the cabinet boxes. We mask the boxes in a way that allows all the contents to stay where they are. The on-site work usually takes 3-4 days and once we have sprayed the final finish, the masking is torn down, and we install all the doors and drawer faces. The final step is to install all the hardware.

Do you provide other finishing services? 

Yes. We can refinish most surfaces that currently have a paint/finish on them. Stairs, built-ins, mantles, etc.  We can also refinish entire house trim details, windows, doors

We offer wall painting for our cabinet refinishing clients only, as our schedule permits.

Also, check out the Refinishing Furniture section on this website. We can refinish many types of heirloom quality furniture that your family will enjoy for generations.