Cabinet refinishing is one of the highest-leverage things you can do to a kitchen short of a full remodel. Done right — proper prep, sprayed application, proper cure time — it makes a 15-year-old kitchen look like it came out of a new build. Done wrong, it looks worse than the original within a year.
Here’s how we do it.
How cabinet refinishing actually runs
Day 1: Walkthrough done, doors off
We pull every cabinet door and drawer front, label them, and take them to a controlled environment to spray. All hardware (hinges and pulls) comes off. The boxes stay in place. You can use the kitchen — the boxes are accessible — but the doors and drawer fronts are off for the rest of the job.
Days 2–4: Box prep in place + door spray off-site
Cabinet boxes get prepped in your kitchen — degreased (kitchen cabinets have years of cooking oil residue), sanded, deglossed, and primed with a bonding primer. Cheap cabinet jobs skip the degreaser; paint doesn’t stick over oil residue.
Doors and drawer fronts receive the same prep off-site, then are typically coated with cabinet-grade systems. Typical cabinet systems may include professional-grade bonding primers and cabinet-rated finishes selected based on substrate, existing coating, project conditions, and desired finish.
Days 5–7: Cure time
Cabinet enamels require cure time, not just dry time. Cure and rehang timing vary by product system, conditions, and written scope. Cure times may change based on product and environment; expectations are documented in the project schedule.
Day 8: Re-hang and final walkthrough
Doors and drawer fronts come back, get re-hung with the original hardware (or new hardware you’ve provided), adjusted for alignment, and we do a final walkthrough. Touch-ups happen on the spot.
What sets a cabinet job apart
The primer
Original cabinet finishes — factory lacquer, factory melamine, polyurethane on solid wood — are slick and don’t take new paint without a bonding primer. We use SW Extreme Bond or BM STIX as a base coat. Without bonding primer, the new finish peels within months.
Spraying, not brushing
Cabinet doors and drawer fronts are typically sprayed when project conditions, access, and approved scope allow. Other application methods (brush and roll) can be used per client preference and project requirements, with the trade-offs documented in the proposal. Cabinet boxes are typically sprayed where masking allows, or brushed and rolled in tight areas where spraying is not practical.
The cure window
Cabinet enamel hardens over weeks. The 5–7-day cure window before re-hang is the difference between cabinets that take normal kitchen use for a decade and cabinets that get marks pressed into them within months.
Hardware
Every piece of hardware gets pulled, organized, and labeled by door before painting. Re-installed at the end. If you’re upgrading hardware, bring the new hardware to the walkthrough so we can confirm hole spacing and plug-and-re-drill anything that doesn’t match.
Bath vanities and built-ins
Same approach. Vanities are smaller jobs (1–3 days typical), but the prep is the same. Built-in bookcases, entertainment centers, and millwork all qualify — anything with cabinet-grade finishes can be refinished. We’ll look at the piece on the walkthrough and tell you what makes sense.
What is and isn’t automatically included
Hardware removal, hardware replacement, hinge replacement, soft-close hinge upgrades, new pulls, new knobs, door adjustments, and replacement doors or drawer fronts are included only when listed in the written proposal.
Cabinet interiors, shelves, drawer boxes, and inside faces are not automatically included unless specifically listed in the written proposal.
When refinishing isn’t the right call
- Cabinet boxes are particle board that’s swelling or falling apart.
- You want to change the layout, add an island, or move walls — refinishing keeps the existing layout.
- The door style is something refinishing can’t fix (raised-panel oak from the 1990s with heavy grain often shows through paint even when prepped well).
- You’re already doing a full kitchen remodel and the cabinets are part of the scope.
We’ll tell you when replacement is the better answer. Honest answer beats a refinishing job that looks bad in a year.
Common cabinet refinishing questions
Typical kitchen: 5–8 working days. We pull the doors and drawer fronts on day one, prep the boxes in place, take the doors off-site to spray, and re-install after they cure. You can use the kitchen with the doors off during that period — boxes are accessible.