Cabinet Painting / Refinishing
Handis cabinet painting and refinishing is the finish-trade work that resets the look of a kitchen without touching the cabinet boxes — from $2,500 for a partial paint to $15,000 for a full kitchen of 30 to 50 doors and drawers in a premium urethane enamel. The 1990s honey-oak kitchen that has good bones and a tired color. The painted-white shaker where the finish is chipped at every door pull and the boxes are scuffed at every drawer face from a quarter-century of toes. The maple cabinets that the homeowner has been wanting to paint navy since 2019. We TSP-degrease every box and door (cooking-grease aerosol that no primer bonds through, skipped at the painter's peril), sand to a fine grit, prime with a bonding primer, and finish in two coats of cabinet-grade urethane enamel sprayed off-site on the doors in a controlled environment and brushed-and-rolled on the boxes in place. Done right the first time, the finish lasts a decade.
Service
What Does a Cabinet Paint / Refinish Include?
Cabinet painting and refinishing is the finish-trade work that resets the look of a kitchen without touching the cabinet boxes — TSP degrease, sand, bonding prime, and two coats of cabinet-grade urethane enamel on every door, drawer face, and visible box face — from $2,500 for a partial kitchen to $15,000 for a full kitchen of 30 to 50 doors and drawers in a premium finish. The work breaks into prep, prime, finish, re-hang, and walk-through. The prep is the part that decides whether the finish lasts a decade or six months — every cabinet box in a kitchen carries a film of cooking-grease aerosol from a quarter-century of stovetop steam, and no primer bonds through it. Skip the degrease and the finish flakes at the door pulls and the drawer tops within six to twelve months. We do not skip the degrease.
TSP Degrease — the Step That Decides the Outcome
Every cabinet box and every door face washed with TSP (trisodium phosphate) or a phosphate-free TSP substitute — a sponge-and-bucket wash with rubber gloves, two rinses with clean water, dry with a microfiber. The wash cuts cooking-grease film, nicotine residue (on older homes), and the surface oils from years of handling. Without this step, even a bonding primer will not adhere to the cooking-grease layer and the finish flakes at the high-touch points within a year. A standard kitchen of 30 doors and 50 box faces takes about 3 to 4 hours to degrease properly.
Sand to a Fine Grit — 220 on Flat, 320 on Profile
After the TSP dries, every surface gets a fine-grit sand — 220 grit on the flat door fronts and the box faces, 320 grit on the profile detail of a shaker, raised-panel, or beadboard door. The sand does not strip the existing finish — it scuffs the surface for primer adhesion and knocks down any high spots from chips, dings, or filler. Random-orbit sander on the flats, sanding block on the profile. Vacuum thoroughly between sand and prime to remove every dust particle from the surface.
Bonding Primer — BIN, STIX, or Cover Stain
One coat of bonding primer on every surface — BIN (shellac-based, the fastest dry time and the toughest bond on stained wood, but pungent during application), STIX (acrylic-urethane, low VOC and the most-recommended for water-based topcoats), or Cover Stain (oil-based, the best stain blocker for tannin-prone woods like oak, cherry, and pine). The primer bonds the finish coat to the existing surface and blocks any tannin bleed-through that would yellow the topcoat. Roller and brush on the boxes, sprayer on the doors. Light scuff sand after prime dries.
Two Coats of Cabinet-Grade Urethane Enamel
Two coats of a cabinet-grade urethane enamel — Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel, Benjamin Moore Advance, or PPG Breakthrough are the three lines we use most. The doors and drawer fronts come off the boxes, get tagged for re-hang order, and get sprayed off-site in a controlled environment (no dust, no breeze, even temperature, full-room cure space). The boxes get brushed and rolled in place. Each coat cures 24 hours before the next coat or before re-hang. The finish lays down smooth on the doors and crisp on the boxes; the urethane chemistry gives a cured finish that does not chip at the door pulls.
Stain-Grade Refinishing — Sand to Bare Wood, Re-Stain, Topcoat
Stain-grade refinishing on a true wood door (oak, maple, cherry, walnut) is the alternate path — sand to bare wood with progressive grits (80, 120, 180, 220), apply a wood conditioner where needed (cherry, pine, alder), apply the new stain (Minwax, General Finishes, or Varathane), and topcoat with two coats of lacquer or polyurethane. The look stays wood-grain, the color changes. From $3,500 for a partial kitchen to $15,000 for a full kitchen with a premium stain and finish.
How Cabinet Painting / Refinishing Works
Six sequential steps from the TSP degrease through the final re-hang — the actual sequence we follow on every full-kitchen cabinet paint.
TSP Degrease Every Box and Door
Every cabinet box face and every door front washed with TSP (or phosphate-free TSP substitute) — sponge-and-bucket with rubber gloves, two rinses with clean water, dry with a microfiber. Cuts the cooking-grease aerosol layer that no primer bonds through.
Sand to a Fine Grit and Vacuum
220 grit on flats, 320 grit on shaker, raised-panel, or beadboard profile. Random-orbit sander on the flat door fronts and box faces, sanding block on the profile detail. Thorough vacuum to remove every dust particle before prime.
Remove Doors and Drawer Fronts, Tag for Re-Hang
Every door and drawer front removed from the box, hinge plate stays on the door, hardware stays in a labeled bag taped to the door, every door tagged with painter's tape and a Sharpie for re-hang order. Doors and drawer fronts loaded into the truck for off-site spray.
Bonding Primer — Boxes In Place, Doors Off-Site
BIN, STIX, or Cover Stain primer on every surface. Boxes get brushed and rolled in place with masking and floor protection. Doors get sprayed off-site in a controlled environment. Light scuff sand after prime dries on both.
Two Coats of Urethane Enamel
Two coats of cabinet-grade urethane enamel (Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel, Benjamin Moore Advance, or PPG Breakthrough) — sprayed off-site on the doors, brushed-and-rolled on the boxes in place. Each coat cures 24 hours before the next.
Re-Hang Doors, Touch-Up, Walkthrough
Doors and drawer fronts cured at the off-site station for 48 to 72 hours, then re-hung in tagged order. Any final touch-up on box edges and hinge plates done on the wall. Walkthrough with the homeowner, punch-list review, before the one-year project warranty starts.
Cabinet Painting / Refinishing Pricing
Final pricing depends on cabinet count, door style, finish brand, and whether the scope is paint or stain-grade refinishing. Stain-grade refinishing on true wood doors prices higher than paint because the sand-to-bare-wood step adds a day. Premium urethane enamels and custom-color matches add a small premium on the finish. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Send a photo of the kitchen and the door count — we will quote the paint or refinish.
Why Handis for Cabinet Painting / Refinishing
Every cabinet paint we are asked to redo skipped the degrease. The painter rolled cabinet paint over a kitchen-cooking-grease film, the finish looked fine for three months, then flaked at the door pulls and the drawer tops by month six. The fix is not a touch-up — the fix is to strip the failed finish back, degrease properly this time, prime, and recoat. Done right the first time, with TSP, a bonding primer, and two coats of urethane enamel, the finish lasts a decade. We do not skip the degrease. We do not skip the bonding primer. We do not spray a single finish coat hoping it covers in one pass. That is the difference between a cabinet paint that lasts and one that fails at month six.
TSP degrease on every box and door — no exceptions
Kitchen cabinet boxes carry a film of cooking-grease aerosol that no primer bonds through. We TSP-degrease every box and door face on every cabinet-paint and refinishing project, with rubber gloves, two clean-water rinses, and a microfiber dry. The wash takes 3 to 4 hours on a standard kitchen and it is the single step that decides whether the finish lasts a decade or six months.
Doors sprayed off-site in a controlled environment
Every door and drawer front comes off the box, gets tagged for re-hang order, and ships to our off-site spray station in the garage or shop. Spray work in a controlled environment — no dust, no breeze, even temperature, full-room cure space — lays the finish down flat with no orange-peel, no brush marks, no fish-eye, and no dust nibs. Brushed-and-rolled finishes on cabinet doors always read as brushed-and-rolled. Sprayed finishes read as factory.
Bonding primer and two coats of cabinet-grade urethane enamel
One coat of bonding primer (BIN, STIX, or Cover Stain), light scuff sand, two coats of cabinet-grade urethane enamel (Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel, Benjamin Moore Advance, or PPG Breakthrough). Each coat cures 24 hours before the next. The urethane chemistry cures hard — the finish does not chip at the door pulls and does not soft-mark from a fingernail at six months.
Doors cure 48 to 72 hours off-site before re-hang
The doors and drawer fronts stay at the off-site spray station for 48 to 72 hours of cure time after the final coat before they come back for re-hang. Urethane enamel cures by oxidation and the first 48 hours are the most vulnerable to soft-marking. Hanging a freshly-painted door before it has cured leaves fingerprint dents at the hinge plate and a stack-mark on the face. We do not re-hang until cure time is full.
Boxes brushed and rolled in place — masked floor to ceiling
The cabinet boxes get brushed and rolled in place with the kitchen masked floor to ceiling — plastic-zip wall at the doorway, runners down the hallway, taped masking on the countertop and the floor at the toe-kick. Painter cuts the corners with a 2-inch sash brush, rolls the flats with a 4-inch high-density foam roller, lays off with a brush. The box finish reads as smooth as the spray finish on the doors at conversational distance.
Insured, background-checked, one-year project warranty
Handis carries general liability and workers' compensation; every technician has cleared a background screening before the first job. The one-year project warranty covers the finish — if the paint chips at a door pull, peels at a drawer top, soft-marks from a fingernail, or fails at any high-touch point inside a year, we come back and refinish at no extra charge. Manufacturer defects on the paint product itself route to the paint brand.
Estimate
Tell us the cabinet count (count door fronts and drawer fronts), the existing finish (painted, stained, oak, maple, cherry), the new finish you have in mind (paint color and brand, or stain color), and any known constraints — a smoker's kitchen with heavy nicotine residue, a previous paint that is peeling, an unusual cabinet style. We send a clear estimate with the prep and finish steps named line by line.
Customer Reviews
Cabinet painting and refinishing reviews from real Handis customers.
1992 maple kitchen, 32 doors and 18 drawer fronts, painted Sherwin-Williams Alabaster in Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel. The tech TSP-degreased every box and door before sanding, sprayed the doors off-site in his garage, brushed-and-rolled the boxes in place. Six months in, no chip at the door pulls. Worth every dollar.
Honey-oak 1998 kitchen taken to Benjamin Moore Hale Navy. Stain-grade base, so they had to fully prime with Cover Stain for tannin block. Two finish coats in Advance. The grain is a tiny bit visible under the paint — which I actually like — and the doors look like they came out of a custom shop. Eight days end-to-end.
Stain-grade refinish on our 1980s walnut kitchen — sanded to bare wood, re-stained in a slightly darker color, two coats of lacquer. The grain pops, the color is even, and the finish is hard. The tech laid every door out flat at his shop so there are zero drip marks at the edges.
Smoker's kitchen — previous owner smoked indoors for thirty years. The tech still TSP-degreased twice instead of once, used BIN primer for the nicotine block, then two coats of Sherwin-Williams Emerald. Six months later the cabinets read pristine — no yellowing, no bleed-through at the door pulls.
Partial kitchen paint — just the lower cabinets, in a contrasting color from the uppers. 12 doors and 8 drawer fronts. TSP, sand, prime, two coats in Benjamin Moore Advance. Tech sprayed off-site, two days for doors to cure, came back to re-hang. Final result reads like a designer kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis cabinet painting and refinishing.