A kitchen refresh does not always require a full remodel. Many homeowners start with a simple question: how much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets? The answer depends on several real-world details like cabinet size, paint type, labor style, and finish quality. Painting cabinets has become a popular choice because it changes the entire feel of a kitchen without tearing anything apart.
Some people repaint cabinets on their own, while others hire professionals for long-lasting results. Both options come with different price points and outcomes. This guide breaks down pricing in a clear way, using real examples, practical cost ranges, and honest comparisons. Whether planning a budget update or a premium finish, this article helps you decide what makes sense for your kitchen and your wallet.
Average Cost of Painting Kitchen Cabinets
When you start researching cabinet painting, you’ll quickly notice that quotes vary wildly. One contractor might quote $3,000 while another says $6,500 for the same kitchen. What gives?
The average cost to paint kitchen cabinets depends primarily on your kitchen size, the number of cabinets, and whether you hire professionals or DIY. Let’s look at realistic numbers you can actually use for planning.
Professional Cabinet Painting Costs
Hiring experienced painters means you’re paying for skill, speed, and a durable finish that lasts. Here’s what most homeowners actually spend:
| Kitchen Size | Cabinet Count | Professional Cost Range | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Kitchen | 10-15 doors/drawers | $2,000 – $3,500 | Compact kitchens, basic upper and lower cabinets, apartments or smaller homes |
| Medium Kitchen | 20-30 doors/drawers | $3,500 – $5,500 | Full kitchen cabinets, upper and lower runs, small island or peninsula |
| Large Kitchen | 35+ doors/drawers | $5,500 – $7,000+ | Extensive cabinetry, large islands, pantries, specialty features |
The cost to repaint kitchen cabinets in a medium kitchen where most homeowners fall runs $3,500 to $5,500. This price includes proper prep work, quality paint, and a finish that stands up to daily kitchen use.
When contractors quote cabinet painting jobs, they bundle several services: removing cabinet doors and hardware, thorough cleaning and degreasing, sanding and surface preparation, priming, painting (typically 2-3 coats), reinstalling doors and hardware, and final touch-ups.
Labor accounts for 60-70% of professional costs. So if you’re quoted $5,000, roughly $3,000 to $3,500 goes toward the painter’s time and expertise, while $1,500 to $2,000 covers materials.
DIY Cabinet Painting Costs
Rolling up your sleeves and doing it yourself dramatically cuts expenses, though you’ll trade money for time. Here’s what you’ll spend on materials:
| Material/Supply | Cost Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet Paint | $100 – $250 | 2-3 gallons of cabinet-grade paint needed |
| Primer | $50 – $80 | 1-2 gallons depending on color and material |
| Brushes & Rollers | $30 – $60 | High-quality foam rollers give smoothest finish |
| Sandpaper & Deglosser | $25 – $50 | Multiple grits required for proper prep |
| Tape & Drop Cloths | $20 – $40 | Protect floors and countertops |
| New Hardware (optional) | $50 – $300 | If upgrading knobs and pulls |
| Paint Sprayer Rental (optional) | $50 – $100/day | Professional finish but adds cost |
| TOTAL DIY COST | $250 – $700 | Higher end includes hardware and sprayer |
Compare that to professional costs, and you’re saving $1,500 to $6,000 by doing it yourself.
The catch? A professional crew finishes in 3-5 days. Your DIY project will likely stretch across 2-3 weekends, and the learning curve can be steep if you’ve never painted cabinets before.
Understanding Per-Unit Pricing
Some contractors price by the unit rather than the whole kitchen. This helps when comparing quotes:
| Pricing Method | Cost Range | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Per Cabinet Door | $70 – $125 | Detailed quotes, custom projects |
| Per Drawer Front | $30 – $110 | Itemized billing |
| Per Linear Foot | $30 – $70 | Long cabinet runs |
Example Calculation: If you have 25 cabinet doors and 10 drawer fronts:
- (25 × $100) + (10 × $70) = $3,200 estimated cost
This falls right into the medium kitchen range and helps you verify contractor quotes are reasonable.
Factors Affecting the Cost of Painting Kitchen Cabinets
Understanding what drives your cabinet repainting cost helps you make informed decisions and potentially save money without sacrificing quality. Let’s break down the main cost drivers.
Kitchen Size and Cabinet Count
This one’s straightforward more cabinets mean more work, more paint, and higher costs. Count every door, drawer front, and cabinet box. Don’t forget to include upper wall cabinets, lower base cabinets, island or peninsula cabinets, pantry units, and cabinet sides and ends if they’re visible.
A typical 10×10 kitchen has about 20 cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Larger kitchens with islands can easily double or triple that number. Each additional cabinet adds roughly $70-$125 to your total cost.
Cabinet Material and Condition
Not all cabinets paint equally. The material significantly affects prep time and paint adhesion, which directly impacts your final bill.
Solid Wood Cabinets are the easiest to paint. Wood accepts paint beautifully with minimal prep work beyond cleaning and light sanding. Oak, maple, and cherry cabinets fall into this category. If you have wood cabinets in good condition, you’re getting the best value for your painting dollar.
Laminate or Thermofoil Cabinets require special bonding primers and extra surface preparation. The smooth, non-porous surface doesn’t grip paint naturally, which adds $200-$500 to professional costs. Painters need to rough up the surface more aggressively and use specialized primers that actually stick to slick surfaces.
Previously Painted Cabinets can go either way. If the existing paint is in good shape, you’re golden just a light sand and you’re ready to go. But if you’ve got multiple layers of chipping or peeling paint, professionals may need to strip old paint first. This adds $300-$800 to the project cost and considerable time to DIY efforts.
Damaged Cabinets need repair before painting. Cracks, water damage, or loose joints must be fixed or the paint job won’t last. Budget an extra $100-$400 per damaged cabinet for professional repairs. Trying to paint over damage just means you’ll see every flaw highlighted in your fresh paint color.
Paint Quality and Type
The paint you choose directly impacts both cost and longevity. Cheap paint costs less upfront but rarely lasts, meaning you’ll repaint sooner—and that’s not actually saving money.
Budget Paint ($20-$40 per gallon) might work for bedroom walls, but struggles in high-traffic kitchens. You’ll see wear, chipping, and yellowing within 2-3 years. Skip this tier unless you’re painting a rental you plan to flip quickly.
Mid-Range Cabinet Paint ($40-$70 per gallon) offers quality acrylic or latex-enamel blends designed specifically for cabinetry. These provide decent durability for 5-7 years with proper care. Brands like Behr Premium Cabinet & Trim or Valspar Cabinet Enamel fall here.
Premium Cabinet Enamel ($70-$100+ per gallon) represents professional-grade options like Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane or Benjamin Moore Advance. These paints resist chipping, scratching, and yellowing far better than cheaper alternatives, lasting 8-12 years. The extra $30-$60 per gallon pays for itself by doubling your paint job’s lifespan.
Finish Selection
Your chosen finish affects both appearance and price and how well your cabinets handle daily wear.
Matte or Flat Finish looks modern and forgives surface imperfections, but shows wear quickly in kitchens. It’s the lowest-cost option but not practical for cabinets you touch daily.
Satin Finish offers a subtle sheen with decent durability. It’s easy to clean and hides minor flaws. This middle-ground choice works well for most homeowners and represents mid-range pricing.
Semi-Gloss or Gloss Finish provides the most durable, wipeable surface perfect for kitchens. It reflects light beautifully but shows every surface imperfection, meaning more prep work and higher costs. The extra durability often justifies the upcharge, especially for families with kids.
Labor Costs by Region
Where you live significantly impacts how much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets professionally. Metropolitan areas command premium rates while rural regions cost less.
Major cities like Seattle, San Francisco, or New York charge $75-$125 per hour for skilled cabinet painters. Mid-size cities run $50-$85 per hour. Rural areas often see rates of $35-$65 per hour.
A medium kitchen taking 40 hours of labor shows dramatic regional variation. Urban areas might hit $3,000-$5,000 in labor alone, while suburban projects run $2,000-$3,400, and rural work costs $1,400-$2,600.
Surface Preparation Requirements
Proper prep separates amateur results from professional finishes. The condition of your cabinets determines prep intensity and your final bill.
Light Prep ($200-$400) covers clean, modern cabinets needing just thorough degreasing, light sanding, and spot priming.
Standard Prep ($400-$800) handles average wear with deep cleaning, complete sanding, full priming, and minor repairs.
Heavy Prep ($800-$1,500+) tackles heavily worn or damaged cabinets requiring paint stripping, extensive repairs, multiple primer coats, and detailed sanding between coats.
Skipping proper prep is the number one reason DIY cabinet painting fails. The paint simply won’t adhere without it, and you’ll see peeling within months instead of years of beautiful finish.
Color Change Complexity
Painting dark cabinets light, or vice versa, requires extra coats and specialized primers. This adds 20-30% to costs. Going from dark espresso to white cabinets might need 3-4 coats instead of 2, plus tinted primer to prevent bleed-through. Budget an extra $300-$800 for dramatic color changes.
Hardware Considerations
Reusing Existing Hardware: costs nothing but time. You’ll remove, clean, and reinstall existing knobs and pulls.
Painting Hardware: runs $1-$3 per piece for spray paint a budget-friendly refresh.
New Hardware: offers the biggest visual impact. Quality pulls and knobs cost $3-$15 each. For 30 cabinets needing 60 pieces of hardware, that’s $180-$900 added to your project.
Pro tip: changing hardware during painting makes sense because the holes already exist, and new hardware completes your cabinet transformation.
Why Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets?
Beyond the obvious aesthetic refresh, painting cabinets offers compelling practical and financial benefits that make it one of the smartest home improvement investments you can make.
Massive Cost Savings vs. Replacement
Kitchen cabinet replacement typically costs $8,000 to $25,000 for materials and installation. The paint kitchen cabinets cost runs 60-80% less while delivering a dramatic transformation. You could paint your cabinets three times over and still spend less than replacing them once. That’s money you can put toward new appliances, countertops, or your savings account.
Faster Timeline Means Less Disruption
Cabinet replacement disrupts your kitchen for 2-4 weeks. You’re eating takeout, washing dishes in the bathroom, and essentially camping in your own home. Professional painting takes 3-5 days, and even DIY projects wrap up in a long weekend or two. You’ll be back to normal life much faster.
Eco-Friendly Choice
Tossing functional cabinets into landfills wastes resources and contributes to environmental problems. Painting extends their life by 8-12 years, reducing your environmental footprint while saving money. If sustainability matters to you, painting is clearly the greener choice.
Unlimited Customization Freedom
Want trendy navy cabinets? Classic white? Maybe two-tone with blue lowers and white uppers? Painting lets you customize colors to match your exact vision. Stock replacement cabinets come in limited colors, and custom options cost thousands more. Paint gives you complete creative control.
Boosts Home Value
Real estate agents consistently report that updated kitchens sell homes faster and for more money. Fresh cabinet paint offers impressive returns, typically recouping 70-80% of your investment when you sell. That’s significantly better than most home improvement projects, which often return just 50-60%.
Fixes Outdated Styles Without Structural Changes
Those honey-oak cabinets screaming “1990s” can transform into sophisticated modern cabinetry with the right paint color. You’re not changing the bones or layout just updating the appearance to current trends. If your cabinet boxes are solid but the style is dated, painting delivers maximum impact for minimum investment.
Comparing Cost: Painting and Alternatives
Let’s see how much to paint kitchen cabinets stacks up against other kitchen refresh options. Understanding your alternatives helps you make the right choice for your situation and budget.
Painting vs. Complete Cabinet Replacement
Cabinet Replacement Cost: $8,000-$25,000+
- Timeline: 2-4 weeks of major disruption
- Lifespan: 20-30 years
- Best for: Damaged cabinets, layout changes, structural problems
Cabinet Painting Cost: $2,000-$7,000 (professional) or $250-$700 (DIY)
- Timeline: 3-5 days (professional) or 1-2 weekends (DIY)
- Lifespan: 8-12 years with proper care
- Best for: Structurally sound cabinets needing aesthetic updates
The verdict? Painting wins for budget-conscious homeowners with functional cabinets. Replacement makes sense only when cabinets are falling apart or you’re changing your kitchen layout entirely.
Painting vs. Cabinet Refacing
Cabinet refacing involves replacing doors and drawer fronts while covering existing cabinet boxes with veneer. It’s a middle-ground option that costs more than painting but less than full replacement.
Refacing Cost: $4,000-$12,000
- Timeline: 1-2 weeks
- Lifespan: 10-15 years
- Pros: New doors, updated style, faster than replacement
- Cons: Limited customization, still pricey, doesn’t fix structural issues
Refacing makes sense if your doors are damaged beyond repair but boxes remain solid. Otherwise, painting offers better value—you can paint your cabinets twice for the cost of refacing once.
Painting vs. Cabinet Wrapping
Cabinet wrapping applies vinyl film over existing surfaces a newer option gaining popularity with some homeowners.
Wrapping Cost: $3,000-$8,000
- Timeline: 2-4 days
- Lifespan: 7-10 years
- Pros: Durable, moisture-resistant, quick installation
- Cons: Limited colors, can peel at edges, difficult to repair if damaged
Painting remains more versatile with unlimited color options and easier touch-ups down the road.
Tips for Saving Costs
Looking to reduce your kitchen cabinet painting cost estimator results? These strategies help without sacrificing quality or longevity.
Consider a Hybrid Approach
Hire professionals for the most challenging parts—spraying, complex prep work, specialty finishes while handling simpler tasks yourself like removing doors, cleaning hardware, and reinstalling. You’ll save 30-40% on labor costs while still getting professional-quality results where they matter most.
Time Your Project Strategically
Painters often offer discounts during slower seasons, typically late fall and winter. You might save 10-20% by booking in November instead of peak spring and summer months when everyone wants their kitchen painted.
Reuse and Refresh Hardware
New hardware looks great but adds $200-$900 to your project. Clean existing hardware thoroughly, then spray paint it for a fresh look at a fraction of replacement cost. A $15 can of spray paint can transform 30 pieces of hardware.
Shop Paint Sales
Big-box home improvement stores regularly run paint sales, especially during holiday weekends. Stock up when quality cabinet paint goes on sale—you might save $100-$200 on materials. Just make sure you’re buying paint formulated specifically for cabinets, not general-purpose wall paint.
Prep Work Yourself
If hiring professionals, ask if they’ll reduce the quote if you handle prep work. Removing doors, cleaning cabinets, and taking off hardware yourself might cut $300-$600 from your bill. Just make sure you’re truly capable of doing thorough prep poor preparation ruins paint jobs.
Skip Unnecessary Extras
Do you really need the insides of cabinets painted? Most people don’t look inside cabinets much, and painting interiors adds 20-30% to costs. Focus your budget on visible surfaces that actually impact your kitchen’s appearance.
Get Multiple Quotes
Always get at least three quotes from different contractors. Prices can vary by 30-50% for identical work. Just make sure you’re comparing apples to apples verify what each quote includes before deciding based solely on price.
Choose Mid-Range Paint
You don’t need the absolute cheapest paint, but you might not need ultra-premium either. Quality mid-range cabinet paint ($40-$70 per gallon) often delivers 80% of the performance at 60% of the cost. For most homeowners, this sweet spot makes perfect sense.
How Long Will Painted Cabinets Last?
You’re investing thousands of dollars and days of disruption, so naturally you want to know how long the results will last. The answer depends on several factors.
Professional vs. DIY Longevity
Professionally painted cabinets typically last 8-12 years with proper care. Professionals have the equipment, experience, and high-grade materials to create an exceptionally durable finish. They know proper surface prep, apply thin even coats, and use spray equipment that creates smoother, harder finishes than roller application.
DIY painted cabinets generally last 5-8 years, assuming you do quality prep work and use good paint. The difference comes down to technique—professionals simply have more practice achieving flawless finishes that stand up to daily wear.
Factors That Affect Longevity
Paint Quality matters enormously. Premium cabinet enamel lasts 3-5 years longer than budget paint. That extra $60 spent per gallon translates to several more years before you need to repaint.
Prep Work Quality determines how well paint adheres. Thorough degreasing, proper sanding, and complete priming create a foundation that helps paint last years longer. Skimping on prep is the fastest way to see your paint job fail prematurely.
Daily Wear and Tear impacts lifespan. Busy family kitchens with kids see more wear than empty-nester kitchens used occasionally. Cabinets near the stove face more grease and heat exposure. High-traffic cabinet doors show wear faster than rarely-opened upper cabinets.
Maintenance Habits extend painted cabinet life significantly. Regular gentle cleaning, immediate spill cleanup, and avoiding harsh chemicals help painted finishes last longer. Treating your cabinets well adds years to their life.
Signs It’s Time to Repaint
You’ll know it’s time for a fresh coat when you see chipping or peeling paint, yellowing or discoloration (especially on white cabinets), visible wear on high-touch areas, staining that won’t clean off, or when the color simply feels dated again.
The good news? Repainting already-painted cabinets costs less than the initial job because much of the prep work is simpler. You’re looking at $1,500-$4,000 for professional repainting versus $2,000-$7,000 for initial painting.
Conclusion
So, how much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets? Most homeowners spend between $1,500 and $8,000, based on kitchen size, finish style, and labor choice. Painting remains one of the smartest ways to refresh a kitchen without full renovation expenses.
If you are planning cabinet updates in Washington, working with trusted Interior Painting Services in Seattle brings experience, proper prep, and lasting finishes. At Seattle Painting Expert, cabinet painting receives the same attention to detail as full interior projects, helping homeowners achieve clean results that hold up over time.
FAQs
How much does it cost to paint 20 kitchen cabinets?
For 20 cabinet doors and drawer fronts, expect to pay $2,500-$4,000 for professional painting. DIY costs run $300-$500 for materials. The exact price depends on your cabinet material, chosen paint quality, and local labor rates.
Is painting kitchen cabinets worth the money?
Absolutely. Cabinet painting costs 60-80% less than replacement while delivering similar visual impact. You’ll recoup 70-80% of your investment when selling your home, making it one of the best home improvement ROI projects available.
Can I paint my kitchen cabinets myself to save money?
Yes, but be realistic about the time and skill required. DIY saves $1,500-$6,000 compared to hiring professionals, but takes 2-3 weekends of hard work. If you’ve never painted cabinets before, start with a small bathroom vanity to practice technique.
How long does cabinet painting take?
Professional crews typically complete medium kitchens in 3-5 days. DIY projects usually stretch across 2-3 weekends, depending on your experience level and how many hours you can dedicate each day.
What type of paint lasts longest on kitchen cabinets?
Premium cabinet enamel like Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane or Benjamin Moore Advance lasts longest typically 8-12 years. These paints resist chipping, scratching, and yellowing better than standard latex paint.
Do I need to sand cabinets before painting?
Yes, sanding creates surface texture that helps paint adhere. Even if using a bonding primer, light sanding improves results significantly. Skip this step and you’ll likely see peeling paint within months.
