How Much Does it Cost To Paint Kitchen Cabinets Mechanicsburg

Just Add Paint Cost of Cabinets — How much does is cost to paint kitchen cabinets in Mechanicsburg, PA?

How much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets in Mechanicsburg, Harrisburg, and Carlisle? Just Add Paint reluctantly joins this conversation to help decision making easier for the homeowner…

My friend Brad recently had me over for an estimate on his cabinets. Well it was technically Brad’s wife Natalie, but either way they had lots of questions. Specifically, “We have 4 different quotes ranging from $1950 – $18000, how can this be”? Cabinet prices are all over the board, even more so than regular painting. This is for a handful of reasons. Partially it is due to some painters not understanding the process of refinishing cabinets in a way that lasts (see $1950 quote here). Some companies are quoting for a completely unnecessary reface job (see $18000 quote here). And then there are a whole lot of non-standardized processes that account for the middle of the road pricing with different companies having different ideas of what works best. In some cases they are considering what works best for THEM, and less often they are considering what works best for their customers.

I don’t mean to sound pessimistic. But the amount of calls we get for botched cabinet jobs that cost thousands of dollars is staggering. This puts homeowners in a tough position. How can you trust someone who didn’t do the job right in the first place to fix their own work? The worst part of this is that it costs WAY more to fix a botched job than the original quote. In fact, the cost to strip doors and start over is roughly the same as replacing the doors and drawers. So it is important to hire someone reputable with a proven and lengthy track record to do the job right. Said differently, this is not a good place to go with the “cheap guy”. I have some suggestions for figuring out who those companies are, which I will get to shortly…

Painted/refinished kitchen cabinets in Mechanicsburg typically start around $4,000 for a smaller set, and go up from there.

Just Add Paint, Cabinets only in Mechanicsburg — Recent cabinet project in Harrisburg, PA by Just Add Paint

The size, layout, and condition of cabinets are the main factors that determine cost. Carpentry, such as adding trim or bead board, also commonly influence the cost of refinishing kitchen cabinets. Hardware and hinge upgrades are another significant factor (soft close drawers I’m looking at you). And probably most of all, PROCESSES for prep and finishing are the biggest determining factor for any company that is trying to do things correctly. How does one learn what the best processes are? Familiarization of KCMA requirements is a good start. Attending seminars from industry leaders and experts is another great place to improve processes. And I will even mention the often achieved and rarely talked about “learning through failure”. Yes I said that out loud. And anyone with doesn’t admit to occasionally needing to do some problem solving is probably full of, well, you know…

We have discussed the cost of painting kitchen cabinets. Now let’s look at ways to determine if a company actually knows what they are doing.

Kitchen Cabinet Refinising Processes of High Quality Craftsmen and Craftswomen.

**Disclaimer: We do not claim to be perfect and may have missed a few things. But in general here are some things that companies that don’t suck usually do…**

Have a handful of sample doors that show the quality of work. These samples should look at feel like a piece of furniture. Is there a good reason to not have samples? I can’t think of one.
Have a detailed cleaning and prep process that they review with the homeowner. Cleaning with Dawn dish soap is a great way to prep your cabinets BEFORE the professionals get there. Cleaning usually involves a degreaser (Krud Kutter, TSP, or TSP substitutes work well). This is typically followed by something solvent-based, such as denatured alcohol, naphtha, or acetone. All of the products work differently, but one (or a combination) is usually needed.
Have the ability to spray your cabinet boxes on-site with professional equipment. The vast majority of cabinet boxes look best and will be more durable with a sprayed finish. Usually companies that don’t offer in-house spraying don’t know how to do it. Although expect a long list of reasons why they don’t recommend it.
Own equipment required for in-house spraying. This included a dustless sanding system, Zip pole set-up to quarantine kitchen, ventilation system for removing contaminants and vapors, HEPA air scrubber with charcoal filter for the same reason, and lots and lots of plastics/roofing under-laminate, and masking paper for protecting floors/countertops/appliances, etc.
Have knowledge of industrial cabinet paints that meet KCMA requirements. To be clear, KCMA (Kitchen Cabinets Manufacturers Association) ratings do not apply to refinishing standards. Yes you read that correctly. KCMA is not in a position to certify refinishes because they only apply to new wood in a controlled environment. HOWEVER, it is a good bet that materials with this rating work better than over the counter house paints. Why? Because they are stringently tested for resistance to chemicals, heat, moisture, and cold. So their standard is much higher than what you can buy off- the-shelf. Industrial cabinet paints often have a hardener that can be mixed in for additional durability, similar to epoxy. They have much higher levels of adhesion, and are more resist to staining, chipping, and burnishing. And most important, THEY DO NOT ABSORB HAND GREASE, which is the number 1 failure we see on botched jobs. Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore make wonderful house paints, they do NOT make good cabinet paint. Look for name like Milesi, Envirolak, Renner, Cernturion, Gemeni, and Hartley Italia ICRO.
Offer a warranty. See here for more details on this https://www.justaddpaint.net/kitchen-cabinet-warranty
Have references. The more the better. Look to Google and Facebook for unbiased references. Remember that Angieslist, Porch, Home Advisor, and even Better Business Bureau are paid advertisements. Actual people you can call are also a sign of a great customer experience.
Have lots of experience. This one speaks for itself. How much experience is enough? We have refinished roughly 300 sets of cabinets and are still learning.