Kitchen Cabinet Painting

PAINTING Guys - Specializing in high quality kitchen cabinet painting.

Edmonton to Lloydminster and all surrounding areas.
Call or text: 780-815-3039

Kitchen Cabinet Painting

Is it a good idea to paint kitchen cabinets?

Painting kitchen cabinets is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to give any kitchen a brand-new look.

If you are happy with the layout of your kitchen and the cabinetry is in good condition, you do not need to replace or reface them. Painting kitchen cabinets is a great way to update dark or dated cabinets to look new again!

Can all types of kitchen cabinets can be painted? 

All wood products including laminates, melamine and even thermofoil cabinets can be painted.

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Can all types of kitchen cabinets can be painted?

What is the average cost to paint kitchen cabinets?

The average cost to professionally paint kitchen cabinets is between $4,000 and $6,000 CDN. This includes, cleaning, sanding, spray finishing, all labour, paint and supplies.

If you are on a budget and are good with a brush and roller you can save thousands painting them yourself. However, it's important to know what your expectations are and how good you want the cabinets to look.

If you aren't too fussy and don't expect perfect, DIY kitchen cabinet painting is a great way to update a kitchen for a few hundred dollars.

Costs are based on:

What is the best method to paint kitchen cabinets?

It's important to know that once cabinets have been poorly painted, it may cost a lot more money to fix them than its worth. Painting cabinets to look new again is tedious process that requires above average painting and refinishing skills.

See bad kitchen cabinet painting

Who should paint your kitchen cabinets?

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Who should paint your kitchen cabinets?
Cleaning and sanding before painting

Should you hire a painter?

If you want your cabinets to look better than DIY, consider hiring a cabinet painter. Many residential painting contractors include kitchen cabinet painting as part of their services.

House Painters vs Cabinet Painters

The average residential painter should be able to paint cabinets better than DIY however, don't expect high quality results. Most painting contractors ARE NOT actual cabinet paintersHouse painters usually paint kitchen cabinets and cupboards like they spray paint houses.

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Spray painting kitchen cabinet boxes - residential kitchen cabinet painting
Example of using an airless sprayer to paint kitchen cabinet boxes

Kitchen Cabinet Painters

Kitchen cabinet painting is a specialized trade.

If your goal is to paint kitchen cabinets to look new again, consider hiring a professional kitchen cabinet painter

Kitchen cabinet painters are a combination of wood finisher and high-end residential painter able to hand paint details to MATCH high quality spray finishing. Cabinet painters will clean, sand, remove old finishes, including shellac, lacquer & varnish down to clean wood. This is the best method to paint kitchen cabinets.

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Kitchen Cabinet Painters
PAINTING Guys - Professional Kitchen Cabinet Painters

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Kitchen Cabinet Painting - Step 1
Typical stained kitchen cabinets before painting begins
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Kitchen Cabinet Painting - Step 2
Doors and drawer are removed and taken off site to be spray painted
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Kitchen Cabinet Painting - Step 3
Exterior cabinets and cupboards are primed and painted.
NOTE:  cupboards do not need to be emptied during the entire painting process.
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Kitchen Cabinet Painting - Step 4
Reassembled kitchen cabinets, clean, no messy construction.
Now that you know what to expect here are some basic things you should know before you consider painting your kitchen cabinets.

Do you need to paint inside the cupboards or shelves?

Most cupboards are laminated with a durable surface so it's not necessary to paint inside them. However, if they are open shelves or behind glass doors, you may want the inside to match the exterior of the cabinets, walls etc.

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Kitchen Cabinet Painting - Do you need to paint inside the cupboards or shelves?
Painting cupboards behind glass doors

Cabinet paint and colours

We use Benjamin Moore paint so you have over 3500 colours to choose from!
If you have a custom colour instead, we can colour match as well.

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Cabinet paint and colours

Two-tone cabinets

If you want more than one colour or shade of white, you can paint the uppers, lowers, islands and even bathroom vanities any colour you like.

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Two-tone cabinets - kitchen cabinet painting
Two-tone kitchen cabinets

Paint vanities, bookcases, mantles and more!

We often paint bathroom vanities, built-in cabinets, laundry room cupboards, bookshelves pantries and even fireplace mantels. This can be a huge savings if you choose to have everything done at the same time.

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How to paint vanities, bookcases, mantles and more!
Before painting
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How to paint bookcases - kitchen cabinet painting
After painting

Paint bathroom vanities

The average cost to include bathroom vanities are between $350.00 to $700.00

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How to paint bathroom vanities
Paint bathroom vanities and colour

How long does kitchen cabinet painting take?

Start to finish is usually about 10 days or less. 

Anytime you paint wood that has been previously stained, it requires extra steps and time to prevent (bleeding) old stain and grime from being exposed. These steps require extra attention to detail which can never be done professionally in one day.

PAINTING Guys

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PAINTING Guys: Edmonton Lloydminter kitchen cabinet painters

Mission Statement:

Our goal is to achieve the best looking cabinet refinishing possible. We never rush and do not call it a day until we've achieved the best results possible.

When everything is put back together the end result is always amazing. Kitchen cabinet painting is definitely worth every dime spent. Our clients are constantly amazed over how beautiful their kitchen cabinets look!

We know you will be thrilled when you see how great your cabinets will look!

Our testimonials

Painting Shop

We have a dedicated spray painting shop outside Edmonton where we do the bulk of the sanding and spray painting.

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Alberta PAINTING Guys
Professional Spray Painting Shop

Service Locations 

We will pickup and deliver cabinets in the following Alberta locations: Service Area

Edmonton including all surrounding communities north to Cold Lake and east to Lloydminster Alberta.

How to paint kitchen cabinets to look new again

Overview

Realign all cabinet doors, disassemble doors and drawers, clean, sand, patch, caulk and apply 2 coats of undercoat, apply 2 coats of finish coat and allow everything time to cure. Reassemble, add new felt door and drawer bumpers and we are done! 

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How to paint kitchen cabinets to look new again
Reassembling kitchen cabinets

The 12 steps to quality kitchen cabinet painting:

  1. Align doors and drawers before disassembling;
  2. Remove and label cabinet doors, drawer fronts, and hardware;
  3. Clean the cabinetry (DO NOT soak or use TSP);
  4. Patch and repair scuffs, nicks and dents and allow to dry;
  5. Sand exterior cabinets, doors and drawers;
  6. Vacuum or air blast everything;
  7. Apply shellac primer until opaque;
  8. Caulk solid seams and cracks and allow everything to cure for a min of 24 to 48 hours;
  9. Sand everything again and prime where needed;
  10. Paint the kitchen cabinets;
  11. Reassemble;
  12. Install new felt bumpers on doors and drawers

Spray painting cabinet doors and drawers

The most important step in kitchen cabinet refinishing revolves all around how well the doors and drawers are refinished. When they are smooth, they not only look good but they will also stay cleaner if they are smooth.

Kitchen cabinet painting - spraying doors and drawers PAINTING Guys

Cleaning and degreasing 

DO NOT use Trisodium phosphate (TSP) heavy-duty degreaser as a substitute for cleaning or sanding. TSP will cause a chemical incompatibility issue with primers. Always read the labels before you use the product.

If you are washing cabinets before priming do not get excessive amount of water between the gaps and seams of the the doors and drawer because water will cause swelling and expansion.

The best way to prep cabinets before painting is by using a scraper then a sander. We recommend Festool products and their air extraction systems. 

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Cleaning and degreasing kitchen cabinets for paint Never use TSP
Professional Kitchen Cabinet Painters

Sanding Kitchen Cabinets

When it comes to refinishing older kitchen cabinets, if you do not sand everything properly, the finish will not only look cheap but it can also scratch or peel much easier. Sanding the old finish down to clean wood, patching dents and fixing cracks is how to properly refinish cabinets to look like new again! This process is particularly important when refinishing darker stained cabinets to a lighter colour and shade of white.

Sanding is the nasty part of cabinet refinishing and there is no fast and cheap way to do it without compromising the end result. Refinishing the doors and drawers requires about a week to sand, clean, patch and allow the spray finish to set and cure properly before reassembling back in the home.

How to sand kitchen cabinets to paint

Dealing with dust

We use Festool hepa filter vacuum sanders and their world class air extraction system on-location and in our shop. Our process is very clean.

Drying racks!

Freshly spray-painted doors and drawers that are placed on drying racks in a vented dust-free environment ensure a satin smooth finish every time!

Drying racks for kitchen cabinet spray painting
Kitchen cabinet drying racks 

Painting exterior sections of the cabinets and cupboards

The exterior sections of the kitchen cabinets, which include the face frames, any exposed cupboards, shelving, crowns, valances, gable ends, kick plates are always done by hand before finish coating.

These sections should be cleaned, sanded, sealed and undercoated in place so they do not expose old stain, bleed or any gaps around the walls and ceiling. This is why you do not remove these section and why you take the time to allow everything to cure.

Other than having cabinets without the doors and drawer fronts on them, you are able to use your kitchen throughout our entire process and you do not have to empty the cupboards!

Kitchen CUPBOARDS
without doors and drawers 

Kitchen CUPBOARDS without doors and drawers - kitchen cabinet painting Step 3

Painting crowns, valances and trim

When the goal is to repaint any previously stained cabinet "to look new again", do not remove crowns, valances or any trim that will show old stain between cracks, joints and seams. Sealing everything in tack is how you do it and always use high-quality paint-able products that do not shrink at different cure speeds of the top coat.

Always allow everything time to cure before finish coating. You do not want anything to crack open 12 months down the road.

Quality vs speed drying painting products

We do not use chemical based products to speed up the drying and curing process (formulate the coatings). Quick dry chemicals tend to be more brittle and problematic to cracking around seams and joints as seen in the example below. This is why we take time to prep and refinish cabinets properly using latex and acrylic based products. The down side is these products take a few days to cure between our steps but in the long run these products also stands the test of time, remaining stable which is particularly important in climates that go from very dry conditions to humid, thus expanding and contracting. 

Lacquer vs Paint, which is better?

When it comes to refinishing older kitchen cabinets to be painted, which is better to use, lacquer, pre- or post-catalyzed lacquer (epoxy formula) or paint?

Below is an example of why we don’t use pre- or post-catalyzed lacquer (epoxy formula). Example of a pigment lacquer cabinet door finish failing only after a few years. Pre or post-catalyzed lacquer (epoxy formula) fails like the rest of the finishes, especially if they weren’t primed properly.

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Lacquer vs Paint, which is better? Kitchen cabinet painting
Why we DO NOT use fast dry painting products including lacquer, alkyds or catalyst paint.
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Prepping cabinets for climate and humidity changes

Wood cabinets expand as humidity increases and shrink as humidity decreases.

Most cabinet door and drawer panels are designed to expand and contract throughout seasonal climate changes. This is purposely done to prevent cracking between the profile and the panel. When shrinking happens during the dry seasons the gaps between the panels are purposefully stained so you do not notice any unstained wood from suddenly appearing.

How to prevent stain bleed during the climate changes

When you paint over any previously stained cabinet door: example shade of white, to prevent any old stain from becoming  noticeable and unsightly, we always prep cabinets in a specific way to prevent any old stain from suddenly appearing on your newly painted cabinets.

To prevent this from happening, we always clean gaps and seams thoroughly, air blast debris out and then hand brush a flood coat of shellac so it soaks deep into the wood. This method is hands down the very best way to paint kitchen cabinets.

When TO caulk and when NOT to caulk cabinets

Sometimes we caulk and other times we do not. Every kitchen is designed and built differently and therefore we decide how to seal something based on the type of profile and condition the cabinets are in.

Some areas have large gaps, others are built tight but you always need to get primer further into the gap so caulking holds and most importantly so the top coats adheres to to the primer and the paint never cracks open exposing old stain.

In the end we caulk and fill every kitchen cabinets in the way possible so they will look as new as possible. This is why we never just tape off cabinets are start spraying them. The better you clean, prep and prime everything, the less chance you will see old stain or any cracks from suddenly exposing old stain from bleeding through.

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Prepping cabinets for climate and humidity
  1. To overcome these issues we must clean the joints, vacuum out dust and hand paint shellac based bonding primer into these gaps and joints. This process cannot be done with sprayers. It must be done by hand.
  2. After priming we use high end caulk and acrylic paint because these products expand and contract far better than composites, lacquer or alkyds as these products are prone to cracking over time.
  • Using products that bond and work together prevents down-the-road warranty problems.

  • Using products that work together is difference between cheap looking repaints and beautiful long lasting kitchen cabinets that look great for years.

Spraying cabinets on the walls

Many residential painting contractors include "kitchen cabinet painting" as part of their painting services today. They set-up a "spray-net" to help reduce dust and fumes from entering the house and then mask off the kitchen and cupboards so they can spray everything quickly without getting paint all over the ceiling, walls, inside the cupboards, flooring etc.

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Spraying kitchen cabinets on the walls
 We NEVER spray kitchen cabinets on the walls

What is the best way to paint kitchen cabinet boxes

  • We always hand finish kitchen cabinet boxes to match the spray finishing. We NEVER  spray cabinets in a home for a variety of reasons.

What kind of sprayer do we recommend

We always us an HVLP system to spray paint kitchen cabinets.

  • Spraying kitchen cabinet boxes and walls always creates excessive paint build-up and over-spray from the back pressure. You can reduce this pressure using an HVLP but the problem still exists;
  • Hand painting these areas to match spray finishing always looks best.
How to prime oak so the open grain does not show.

Spraying cabinets on the walls is fast but not better.

Detail Hand Painting 

Part of this beautiful built-in refrigerator cabinet was spray painted and other sections of it were hand painted. Being able to seamlessly paint what cannot or should not be disassembled is why we have decades of thrilled clients throughout Western Canada. 

Hand painting the boxes always looks superior. Tape lines on wood look cheap, tend to chip and bleed old stain between the frames and the cupboard shelves. Therefore, it makes no sense to spray cabinet boxes when you still need to paint these areas by hand.

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Painting a built-in refrigerator - PAINTING Guys
Some sections of kitchen cabinets cannot be removed to paint properly.
Part of this built in refrigerator is hand paint to match the spray finishing. Can you tell the difference?

The Finished Product!

On the last day of  the process we return back with the beautifully spray painted doors and drawers to complete the finish coating of the cupboards.

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Edmonton kitchen cabinet painting contractors - PAINTING Guys
Start to finish, 10 days or less!

Beautiful kitchen cabinet painting 

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Beautiful kitchen cabinet painting - PAINTING Guys Alberta

Your search for “kitchen cabinet painters" is over!

FAQ

Service areas

Cities and towns we paint kitchen cabinets near me include:

  • Edmonton
  • Sherwood Park
  • Lloydminster
  • Bonnyville
  • St. Paul
  • Fort Saskatchewan
  • St. Albert
  • Lac La Biche
  • Mundare
  • Smoky Lake
  • Athabasca
  • Cold Lake
  • Elk Point
  • Vegreville
  • Barrhead
  • Radway
  • Innisfree