Cabinet Painting in Chicago & the Suburbs
A furniture-grade finish on the cabinets you already have — degreased, sanded, primed and sprayed.
What this covers
What our cabinet painting includes
Painting cabinetry is nothing like painting a wall. Cabinet doors live with grease, steam, fingernails and cleaning products, so the finish has to be hard, evenly built and mechanically keyed to the surface underneath. That means degreasing first, sanding the entire face to break the existing sheen, and using a bonding primer suited to what the doors are actually made of — solid wood, veneer, thermofoil or melamine all behave differently.
Doors and drawer fronts come off, get labeled, and are sprayed off-site or in a controlled area rather than brushed in place, because spraying is what gives a cabinet its flat, brush-mark-free surface. Boxes and face frames are masked and finished in place. Hardware comes off and goes back on, and hinges are adjusted so the doors line up when we hang them.
Included in the scope
- Kitchen cabinet doors, drawer fronts, boxes and face frames
- Islands, end panels, and open shelving
- Bathroom vanities and linen cabinetry
- Built-in bookcases, window seats and mudroom lockers
- Interior of cabinet boxes on request
- Hardware removal, refit and hinge adjustment
- Color changes from stained wood to a painted finish
How we do it
Our cabinet painting process
Every step below happens on every job of this type. Nothing here is an optional extra we quote separately later.
- 01
Survey and label
Every door and drawer front is numbered to its opening so nothing goes back in the wrong place.
- 02
Degrease
Kitchen cabinetry carries cooking residue that no primer will bond through. Everything is cleaned before it is touched with abrasive.
- 03
Sand and de-gloss
Faces, edges and profiles are sanded to a uniform key, and grain is filled where you want a fully smooth painted look.
- 04
Bonding primer
A primer matched to the substrate — wood, veneer, thermofoil or laminate — and sanded again once it is dry.
- 05
Sprayed finish coats
Cabinet-grade coating applied in thin, even passes so the finish levels flat and cures hard rather than staying soft.
- 06
Rehang and adjust
Doors are rehung, hardware refitted and hinges adjusted so gaps are even and doors close square.
Timeline & pricing
A cabinet finish needs curing time between coats, and the kitchen is partly out of use while doors are off. Your estimate sets out the day-by-day sequence for your kitchen so you know exactly when the doors come off and when they go back on.
Materials we use
Bonding primers and cabinet-grade enamels selected for the substrate and sprayed rather than brushed. Sheen is usually satin or semi-gloss for cleanability. The product and sheen are named on your estimate.
Why it matters
What you get from doing it this way
A new kitchen look without a new kitchen
If the boxes and doors are sound, refinishing changes the whole room for a fraction of a replacement.
Sprayed, not brushed
Spraying is the only way to get a cabinet face flat and free of brush texture.
Doors that line up afterwards
Labeling and hinge adjustment on refit is the difference between a refinish and a repaint.
Questions
Cabinet Painting FAQs
Can my cabinets be painted, or should they be replaced?
If the boxes are solid, the doors are not delaminating and the layout works for you, painting is usually the better value. If doors are swollen from water damage or the hinges have pulled out of the frames, we will say so — a good finish on failing cabinetry is still failing cabinetry.
Will the finish chip or peel?
That is what the degreasing, sanding and bonding primer are for. Cabinet finishes fail when someone paints straight over kitchen grease and factory sheen. Ours are keyed to the substrate and given time to cure hard before the doors go back on.
Can you paint over stained or varnished wood?
Yes. The grain is sanded and, where you want a completely smooth painted look, filled before priming. Deep oak grain can be left visible or filled flat — it is your call and we will show you the difference.
Do I lose the use of my kitchen?
Partly, and only for part of the job. The doors and drawer fronts come off and are sprayed away from the room, so you keep the counters, sink and appliances while the openings are bare.
Also available
Other services
Most projects combine more than one of these. Quote them together and we sequence them in the right order.
- Interior PaintingWalls, ceilings, trim, doors and stairwells — prepped, patched and finished coat by coat.View
- Exterior PaintingSiding, brick, stucco, soffits, fascia and front doors, prepared to survive a Chicago winter.View
- Drywall RepairCracks, dents, nail pops, water stains and full sheet replacement — sanded flat before we paint.View
- Color ConsultationSheen, undertone and whole-home palettes worked out on your walls, in your light, before we buy paint.View
- Commercial PaintingOffices, retail, HOA and multifamily, industrial facilities and hospitality — scheduled around your operation.View
Where we work
Cabinet Painting across Chicagoland
We provide cabinet painting throughout Chicago, IL and the surrounding suburbs across Chicagoland. Choose your area for what we plan around locally.
Ready to see what a premium finish looks like?
Tell us about the space and we'll put together a free, no-obligation estimate — with a clear plan, timeline and transparent pricing.