Cabinet Painting Cost: What It Costs to Have Kitchen Cabinets Painted

What is the average cost to have cabinets painted?

For a full kitchen with properly prepped, sprayed doors, expect quotes in the HomeGuide ranges below. The two big national guides land in different places because they count different jobs: HomeGuide prices a full professional repaint of an average 100 to 200 square foot kitchen, while Angi reports a wide spread of real projects, including smaller ones, with a typical range of about $425 to $1,466 and a national average around $942.

How much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets in Chicago?

National guides do not publish a Chicago-only figure. Angi notes that urban and high cost-of-living areas run higher than rural ones, so Chicago-area quotes usually land in the national ranges or above. Within the region, the spread comes from the kitchen itself more than the ZIP code: the number of doors, the door profile, the current finish and how much repair the boxes need.

Older Chicago homes add a few local factors. Painted cabinets from decades past can carry several layers of old finish, and homes built before 1978 may have coatings that call for lead-safe work practices, which adds containment and cleanup time.

Cabinet painting cost per door, drawer and linear foot

Painters price cabinets in several ways, and unit prices make quotes far easier to compare than totals. Ask each painter which unit they used and how many units they counted.

Why labor is most of the cabinet painting cost

HomeGuide estimates that labor makes up about 80% to 85% of the cost of painting kitchen cabinets, and Angi about 70% to 80%. The paint itself is a small line. The hours go into the steps that decide whether the finish lasts.

1. Remove and labelTake off doors, drawer fronts and hardware, and label every piece so it returns to the same opening.
2. DegreaseClean every surface, especially near the range, because paint will not bond to grease.
3. Sand and repairScuff-sand, fill dents and caulk open seams.
4. PrimeApply a bonding primer, more so on slick or previously finished surfaces.
5. Apply the finish coatsTwo coats of a cabinet-grade coating, with full drying time between them.
6. Rehang and adjustReinstall doors and drawer fronts and adjust hinges so the gaps are even.

Spray finish vs brush and roller

Spraying gives the smoothest, most factory-like finish on doors and is the usual choice for professional cabinet painting. Brushing and rolling can look good on simple Shaker or flat doors, but it shows strokes on detailed profiles. A common approach is to spray the doors and drawer fronts off-site and paint the frames in place, which keeps overspray out of the house and shortens the time the kitchen is out of use.

What makes cabinet painting cost more

Quotes for kitchens of the same size can differ a lot. These are the usual reasons, with market figures where the national guides publish them.

• Surface type: laminate and thermofoil need bonding primers and careful prep; peeling thermofoil usually cannot be painted at all.
• Old finishes: failing or multiple layers of paint may need stripping.
• Dark-to-light changes: going from dark stain to white often needs extra primer to stop bleed-through.

How to compare cabinet painting quotes

A low number often means less prep, a cheaper coating or brushed frames, without that being stated. Before you compare totals, ask each painter the same questions.

• How are the cabinets cleaned and degreased, and with what product?
• Is every surface sanded and primed, and which primer suits your cabinet material?
• What topcoat is used: a cabinet-grade waterborne urethane, acrylic or alkyd, or wall paint?
• Are doors and drawer fronts sprayed off-site or in the house, and how are the frames done?
• Are cabinet interiors, shelf edges and the inside of doors included?
• Are new hinges, pulls and hardware drilling part of the price?
• How long is the kitchen out of use, and what does the warranty cover?

DIY cost, and painting vs refacing vs replacing

Both national guides put DIY materials at about $200 to $600 for an average kitchen: paint, primer, sandpaper, degreaser, brushes or rollers and tape. HomeGuide estimates 30 to 60 hours of work for 200 square feet of cabinets, and Angi 20 to 40 hours or more. The savings are real, but most failures we see in repaints come from skipped degreasing or primer, or wall paint used on cabinets.

Painting does not change the door style: cathedral arches and raised panels stay arches and raised panels in a new color. If the door shape is what bothers you, refacing or new doors is the better spend.