Cabinet painting/refinishing
If your cabinet boxes and door fronts are still in good shape but you want a different color, painting is a much cheaper alternative to refacing. Cost in The Woodlands: $3,000–$6,000 for a typical kitchen.
What we do
- Remove all doors and drawer fronts
- Sand all surfaces to bond with new paint
- Spray apply premium primer (oil-based for stain block on wood cabinets)
- Spray apply 2 coats of premium paint (Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel or equivalent)
- Replace hardware (optional — we recommend it for fully refreshed look)
- Reinstall doors with proper alignment
Sprayed vs brushed
We always spray cabinets, never brush. Brushed cabinets show brush strokes, take 2-3x longer to dry between coats, and don't have the smooth factory-finish look. Spraying requires equipment and a clean spray booth (we set up tarps and HVAC isolation in your home).
Realistic expectations
- Painted cabinets last 5-10 years if cared for properly
- High-traffic areas (around handles, near sink) will show wear sooner
- Touch-up paint kit included so you can repair small chips
- Not as durable as factory finish — but 1/5th the cost of new cabinets
Spray vs brush: why method matters
The single biggest factor in a quality cabinet paint job is application method. We use HVLP (high-volume low-pressure) sprayers in an off-site spray booth for door and drawer fronts — this produces a factory-smooth finish with no brush marks, no roller texture, and even coverage in profiles and panels. Cabinet boxes (which stay attached to walls) get sprayed on-site with masking, or hand-brushed with high-quality finish-grade brushes for areas where overspray would be a problem.
The difference shows up in two ways: visible quality (sprayed finish looks like new factory cabinetry; brushed finish always shows brush marks under raking light) and longevity (sprayed factory-grade lacquer or 2K urethane lasts 12–20 years; brushed latex paint over poorly prepped cabinets often shows wear in 3–5 years).
Why prep is 70% of the job
Cabinet refinishing is mostly preparation, not painting. The actual color application takes a fraction of the project time. Proper prep includes:
- Degrease — Kitchen cabinets carry years of cooking grease residue, especially around the range and hood. We use TSP (trisodium phosphate) or alternative degreasers and rinse with clean water.
- Sand — Light sanding with 220 grit to give the existing finish "tooth" so primer can adhere. We sand all surfaces — fronts, sides, profiles. Heavily varnished or oil-finished oak gets a more aggressive 150 grit pass.
- Tannin block / stain block — Required for oak, knotty pine, mahogany, and other tannin-rich woods. Without a quality stain-blocking primer (BIN shellac primer or pigmented shellac), tannins bleed through white paint and turn it pink or yellow within months.
- Bonding primer — Specifically formulated to adhere to slick or glossy surfaces (laminate, thermofoil, polyurethane'd wood). We use Insl-X Stix or BIN Advanced.
- Filler — Wood filler in any nail holes, dings, or grain patterns the client wants smoothed out. Sanded flush before primer.
- Repair — Loose hinges, broken drawer slides, separated joints — we fix these before paint, not paint over them.
Cost ranges
- Small kitchen (15–20 cabinets, 12–16 doors) — $3,500–$5,500 for a quality spray-applied finish on doors and drawers, brushed/rolled finish on boxes. Single solid color.
- Medium kitchen (22–30 cabinets, 18–28 doors) — $5,500–$9,000.
- Large kitchen with island (30+ cabinets, 30+ doors) — $9,000–$15,000.
- Two-tone (different color island vs perimeter, or upper vs lower) — Add 15–25%.
- Distressed or glazed finishes — Add 30–50% (more labor per door).
Color trends 2025–2026
What our Woodlands clients are choosing most often:
- Warm whites — Sherwin-Williams Alabaster, Benjamin Moore White Dove, BM Swiss Coffee. Replacing the cool stark whites that dominated 2018–2022.
- Sage and muted greens — BM Vintage Vogue (muted sage), SW Evergreen Fog, Farrow & Ball Vert de Terre. Strong upward trend through 2025.
- Charcoal and soft black — SW Iron Ore, BM Wrought Iron. Often used as island accent paired with white perimeter.
- Navy and deep blue — BM Hale Navy, SW Naval. Still popular but past peak.
- Warm naturals — Stained or limewashed oak, alder, or walnut. Replacing painted finishes in some luxury homes that want to show natural wood again.
What can and cannot be successfully painted
- Can be painted with great results: Solid wood (oak, maple, cherry, alder, pine), MDF, properly prepped thermofoil if intact, painted cabinets being repainted.
- Can be painted but with caveats: Laminate (requires bonding primer; finish is good but vulnerable to chips at edges), high-pressure laminate countertops (requires special prep, results vary), heavily damaged thermofoil (won't hold up — replacement is better).
- Should not be painted: Particle board with water damage or swelling (won't hold paint, and underlying problem doesn't go away), cabinets with active mold, cabinets that are structurally failing.
