By Absolut Painting · Published October 27, 2026 · No prices in the guides
When painting is the right call
Most kitchens from the last thirty years have perfectly good boxes under tired doors. Oak, maple and painted MDF doors all take a sprayed enamel well. If the layout works, the hinges and drawer runners are sound and the only thing wrong is the colour or the finish, painting gives you a new-looking kitchen in days rather than weeks, with no demolition, no new countertop and no plumber.
It is also the right call when you want a colour that is not on any catalogue. A sprayed cabinet can be any Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams colour, which is not something a stock or semi-custom replacement offers.
What fails, and why replacement is sometimes honest
Some kitchens should not be painted, and a good painter says so on the walkthrough. Thermofoil and laminate doors that are already lifting at the edges will keep lifting under paint. Particleboard boxes that have swollen around the sink or dishwasher will not take a finish and will not hold screws. Doors that are warped or cracked through need replacing, not coating.
If the layout is the problem, paint will not fix it. A kitchen with too little storage or a bad work triangle is a replacement or a reconfiguration, and painting the wrong layout only delays that.
- Peeling thermofoil or laminate on the doors.
- Water-damaged, swollen or crumbling boxes.
- Broken hinges, runners or face frames that cannot be re-screwed.
- A layout that does not work, regardless of colour.
How a proper cabinet finish is done
The difference between a sprayed kitchen that lasts and one that chips in a year is almost entirely preparation. Absolut takes every door and drawer front off, labels them and takes them to a dust-free spray set-up. Each one is degreased, because kitchen grime is the first thing that makes paint let go. Then it is sanded, filled where needed, and primed with a bonding primer that suits the substrate.
Two coats of cabinet enamel follow, Benjamin Moore Advance or Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane depending on the schedule and finish. The boxes are masked and sprayed in place, with the kitchen sealed off from the rest of the house. The doors go back on once the enamel has cured enough to handle, and the hinges are adjusted so everything closes as it should.
How long it lasts and how it holds up
A sprayed enamel cures over the first few weeks, hardening as it goes. Once cured it wipes clean, resists grease and does not block, which is the sticking you get when a soft paint meets a door bumper. Knocks from pots and keys can chip any finish, and the fix is a touch-up rather than a redo. Absolut's [2-year] written workmanship warranty covers the finish, and the crew comes back for a touch-up visit after the job.
What moves a cabinet painting quote
The number of doors and drawer fronts is the biggest factor, since each one is handled through every step. After that it is the condition of the existing finish, the colour change, whether the insides of the boxes are being painted, and whether a glazed or two-tone finish is wanted. New hardware is a small line. A kitchen island or a run of tall pantry units counts the same way as the rest: by the front.