Palm Beach County and Broward are full of homes built between 1985 and 2010 with solid wood raised-panel cabinets in honey oak, cherry, or maple. The kitchens look dated. The cabinets themselves are often better made than what you would buy today. That is the case for painting.
When painting makes sense
- The boxes are solid wood or plywood and the doors close properly.
- You like the layout and just want a different look.
- You are updating for sale and want the best return per dollar.
- You want a color, like navy, sage, or greige, that is hard to find in stock cabinetry.
- Your budget for a full replacement is not there yet, and you want the kitchen to look new now.
When replacement makes sense
- The layout does not work and you are moving walls, plumbing, or the island.
- Boxes are particleboard that has swollen from water damage.
- Thermofoil is peeling off the doors in sheets.
- Drawers are broken and hinges cannot be adjusted.
- You are doing a full gut renovation anyway.
What a proper cabinet painting job involves
This is where painted cabinets get their bad reputation. Brushed with wall paint over a kitchen's worth of grease, they chip within a year. Done correctly, they last a decade.
- Degreasing every surface with a commercial cleaner.
- Removing doors, drawers, and hardware and labeling every piece.
- Sanding to break the old finish.
- Bonding primer that sticks to oak, maple, laminate, and old finishes.
- Spraying two coats of a hardened cabinet enamel for a smooth, factory look.
- Curing flat before rehanging with adjusted hinges.
What about oak grain?
Oak has a pronounced open grain that shows through paint. Some people like the texture. If you want a perfectly smooth finish, the grain is filled before priming, which adds time but produces a look indistinguishable from new painted cabinetry.
Two-tone kitchens
The most requested look in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Fort Lauderdale right now is a dark island with white or cream perimeter cabinets. It adds depth without committing the whole kitchen to a bold color, and it costs nothing extra beyond the second color.
Cost and timeline
A typical kitchen takes four to six working days including cure time and costs a fraction of replacement. Bathroom vanities take one to two days. See our cabinet painting page for the full process, and every job gets 10% off, no code needed.
Want to see a sample on your own door?
We paint a sample so you can see the color and finish before committing.
