What should a kitchen cabinet painting process include?

Most of the work happens before the finish coat. Cabinets carry years of kitchen grease, and paint does not hold on a dirty, glossy surface. The job comes down to degreasing, sanding, a bonding primer and finish coats, all named in writing. The price is prepared after the visit, once someone has counted your doors and drawers.

By Danilo Candido, Owner of JCIL Services Inc. · November 4, 2026 · 3 min read

Why does cabinet paint fail?

A wall gets touched now and then. Cabinet doors and drawer fronts are handled frequently, and cooking residue can build up on surfaces, especially near the stove and around hardware.

Paint over that film and it sticks to the grease, not to the cabinet. An adhesion problem may appear later around handles and door edges, where the surface is touched most often.

That is why a cabinet job should be judged by its prep. A first-day appearance does not show how well the coating will hold up to regular use.

What does the prep look like?

• Degreasing. The surface is cleaned to remove the grease, especially around handles and near the stove.
• Scuff-sanding. Sanding dulls the old finish so that the primer has something to hold on to.
• Bonding primer. This coat connects the old surface to the new paint.
• Finish coats. The paint product and the number of coats belong in the scope, not in a conversation.

For kitchen cabinets, our job is degreasing, sanding, bonding primer and coats. These are our general painting terms; on a kitchen job they apply to the doors, drawer fronts and frames:

Sanding, filling, drywall repair and primer are written into the applicable scope before paint.

Covering floors and furniture is included in every painting job.

What should you decide before the job starts?

• Which parts get painted. Doors, drawer fronts and cabinet frames are obvious. The insides and the sides that show should be a clear yes or no.
• The hardware. Who takes it off and puts it back, and whether it stays the same.
• The paint. Brand, line, color and sheen, by name.
• Using the kitchen. Decide before the day of the job which cabinet areas you can empty and how you will reach your dishes and cookware.

Your scope names the paint brand, line, color and sheen, so you know exactly what goes on the walls.

The timeline is written in the proposal, next to the price.

Should you paint or replace the cabinets?

Paint changes the color and the finish. It does not change the layout, and it does not fix what is broken. Check the boxes first: doors that hang true, drawers that slide, and shelves that are not swollen from a leak. If the boxes are sound and you like the layout, painting is worth pricing. If a cabinet has water damage, find the cause before anyone paints over it.

What changes the price?

Two kitchens of the same size can be very different jobs. The quote depends on the number of doors and drawer fronts, the condition and existing finish of the surfaces, which cabinet parts are included, and whether hardware is removed and reinstalled.

We price what we can see and measure.

No dollar range is published. The price is prepared after the visit.

You get the scope in writing before any work starts, and nothing is added or changed without your written approval.

The price we write down is firm. If the job takes longer than we planned, that is on us.

Does the age of the building matter?

Yes, and it decides whether we can take the job. Sanding old painted cabinets is the work the rule below covers, so check the year before you ask for a visit.

Paint from before 1978 can contain lead, and Massachusetts requires a lead-safe renovation license to disturb painted surfaces in homes and childcare spaces built before 1978. We don't hold that license, so we don't take painting jobs in homes, apartments or childcare spaces built before 1978, occupied or vacant. Offices and buildings from 1978 or later are fine.

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