Oak grain showing through
On 1970s oak cabinets the choice is grain-filled and smooth or painted with the texture showing — we show you both on a sample door.
Serving Northbrook & nearby Glenview, Highland Park
Kitchen Cabinet Painting in Northbrook, IL
Make your Northbrook kitchen look new without replacing the cabinets — for a fraction of the cost.
- Serving Northbrook ZIP 60062
- A new look without tearing the kitchen out
- Clean, protected work area every day
Cabinet problems a paint job fixes
If your Northbrook cabinets are solid but the color is tired, painting is the fastest way to a new kitchen. Doors and drawer fronts are sprayed off-site, frames are painted in place, and you keep your counters and layout.
Worn finish around handles
Bare wood around pulls and the trash pull-out gets repaired and primed, and new hardware keeps hands off the paint.
Dark kitchen
Dark cabinets make a small kitchen feel smaller. A lighter painted finish brightens the whole room.
Yellowed white cabinets
Old white finishes yellow with age. A modern waterborne urethane or acrylic cabinet paint stays white.
Peeling or chipped paint
Chips along door edges and peeling by the sink come from skipped degreasing or the wrong paint. We take it back to a sound surface and start right.
Sticky, greasy cabinet doors
Years of cooking grease build up near the range. We degrease with a cabinet cleaner before sanding — paint will not stick to grease.
Dated oak or honey maple
If the wood tone is the problem, paint fixes it — white, warm gray, sage or deep blue — while the cabinets stay put.
Holes from old hardware
Switching from knobs to pulls leaves old holes. We fill and sand them flush before primer, so they disappear under the new finish.
What we do on the job
- Cleaning and degreasingA full degrease of doors and frames, especially near the range and sink.
- Sanding and repairsScuff sanding, filling dents and gouges, fixing loose trim and edge damage.
- Bonding primerPrimer matched to the surface — wood, MDF or old paint — so the topcoat bonds.
- Frames and end panelsFace frames, end panels and crown molding are painted in place with masking and floor protection.
- Reinstall and adjustmentDoors rehung, hinges adjusted so gaps are even, and touch-ups done on site.
- New hardware and hingesOptional new pulls, knobs and soft-close hinges installed during reassembly.
- Island and bathroom vanitiesWe can paint bathroom vanities and the island along with the kitchen.
Materials and finishes
Grain filling for oakFilling the open oak grain gives the smooth finish most people expect from painted cabinets.
Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore cabinet coatingsCabinet-grade enamels such as Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane or Benjamin Moore Advance, tinted to any color.
Catalyzed finishesTwo-part coatings sprayed on doors for maximum hardness in busy kitchens.
Painted with the wood grain showingSome owners like oak painted white with the grain still visible; we skip the grain filler for that look.
Popular colorsOff-whites, soft greens and deep blues — we bring large samples so you can see them in your light.
Before and after: kitchens near Northbrook
Before
In progress
After
DetailBefore and after: a 1960s ranch in Northbrook
A 1960s ranch near Downtown Northbrook, a typical kitchen for Northbrook. Before: original birch cabinets painted white decades ago, sagging doors, chrome pulls. What bothered the owners most: an old paint job failing at the edges. Finished kitchen: the same doors sprayed in deep navy, new satin brass pulls; counters and floor stayed as they were. The job covered bonding primer, frames and end panels, plus island and bathroom vanities.
Before
AfterBefore and after: a postwar bi-level in Glenview
This one is a postwar bi-level in Glenview. Before: dark walnut-stained flush-panel cabinets with brass pulls. The reason for the call: the dated wood tone. After: the same doors sprayed in pale sage, new polished nickel pulls; counters and floor stayed as they were. On site this meant sanding and repairs, bonding primer, plus frames and end panels.
Kitchen Cabinet Painting in Glenview →
Before
AfterBefore and after: a 1980s two-story in Buffalo Grove
A 1980s two-story in Buffalo Grove, a typical kitchen for Buffalo Grove. What we started with: honey-oak cathedral raised-panel cabinets with worn finish near the handles, brass knobs. The reason for the call: orange-looking wood that made the room feel old. After: the same doors sprayed in creamy white uppers and navy lowers, new satin brass pulls; counters and floor stayed as they were. On site this meant cleaning and degreasing, sanding and repairs, plus bonding primer.
Kitchen Cabinet Painting in Buffalo Grove →
Before
AfterA Northbrook postwar bi-level: before and after
What changed: wood cabinets stripped and refinished in a deep espresso-brown stain, grain still showing.
Cabinet Refinishing & Staining in Northbrook →
Before
AfterCabinet Refacing in a 1950s ranch, Northbrook
Finished: new five-piece shaker doors in soft white on the existing boxes, matching face-frame veneer and satin brass pulls.
Cabinet Refacing in Northbrook →How your cabinet painting goes
- Estimate and colorWe check the cabinet material, count doors and drawers and help you choose color and sheen.
- Doors come offDoors and drawer fronts go to our spray area; the kitchen stays usable with open shelves.
- Prep and primeClean, sand, fill and prime — the steps that decide how long the paint lasts.
- Finish coatsDoors get sprayed finish coats while frames are painted in place.
- ReinstallDoors go back on, hinges adjusted, hardware installed and touch-ups done.
Kitchen Cabinet Painting questions from Northbrook homeowners
My cabinets have old paint. Is that safe to sand?
We follow lead-safe practices on older paint — containment, wet methods and HEPA vacuums — so dust stays out of your home.
Will there be brush marks?
No — doors are sprayed. On the frames we use spray or fine finishing tools to keep it smooth.
Do you paint the inside of the cabinets?
Usually no — the interiors are left as they are. We can paint them for an extra charge if you want.
How long does painted cabinet finish last?
With proper prep and a cabinet-grade coating, many years of daily use. Most early failures come from skipped degreasing, not the paint.
Can you paint laminate or thermofoil cabinets?
Laminate, yes, with a bonding primer. Thermofoil that is peeling needs new doors; we can paint them to match.
Northbrook contractor registration: do kitchen contractors need it?
Village contractor license required, good for one year: general contractors $100; electrical $70. We take care of that before work starts.
Do I need a permit for cabinet painting in Northbrook?
It depends on the scope. Northbrook's rule in short: Village lists separate permit types: Single Family Alterations - Interior, Electrical (new wiring/outlets), and Plumbing (new fixtures). We handle the permit when one is needed with Development & Planning Services.
Do you work in my part of Northbrook?
Yes. Our crews work across Northbrook, including Techny, Downtown Northbrook — ZIP 60062 — and nearby Glenview, Highland Park, Mount Prospect.
Working in Northbrook
- A lot of Northbrook kitchens date from the 1970s. We know these layouts well and what is worth keeping.
- Most Northbrook homes are single-family. We protect floors and driveways and leave the site clean every day.
- We know how Development & Planning Services handles kitchen permits and pull them for you.
TechnyDowntown Northbrook
ZIP 60062
Kitchen Cabinet Painting nearby
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Other kitchen services in Northbrook
Cabinet Refinishing & StainingRe-stained wood cabinets with the grain still showing.
Cabinet RefacingNew doors and fronts on your existing cabinet boxes.
Kitchen Cabinet & Drawer RepairHinges, drawer slides and water-damaged sink bases fixed.
Kitchen RemodelingFull kitchen remodels, from layout to last cabinet pull.
Countertop Fabrication & InstallationQuartz, granite and butcher block, templated and installed.