Painted Cabinets Vs Replacement Cabinet Doors

It starts with an idea. “New flooring would look great in here”. “The countertops are getting outdated, let’s replace them”. “I hate our cabinets, we need a new look”. Throw in some new appliances and this can quickly turn into full-scale, expensive kitchen renovation. While flooring and countertops always mean demo and replacement, kitchen cabinets are one place where options are available. Refinishing with cabinet paint and replacing doors/drawer faces entirely both offer a new look and add value. An argument can be made for both routes. Let’s take a closer look at painted kitchen cabinets vs. replacement cabinets doors, and the pros and cons of each.

Painted Cabinets

Kitchen Remodel — Kitchen Cabinet Painting with existing doors, nearing completion!

Painted Kitchen Cabinets — Kitchen Cabinet Painting with existing doors, nearing completion!

How Much Does It Cost To Paint Kitchen Cabinets: Kitchen cabinet painting is the most cost effective solution for updating them. Prices vary greatly depending on wood species, size and layout of kitchen, and of course quality of craftsmanship. Expect to pay at least $100 per opening for a high quality contractor who knows what they are doing.

How Long Does It Take: This is an important question to ask your contractor upfront to make sure you are on the same page. Generally speaking, this process takes roughly one week.

What Are The Limitations: The main restriction here is that a customer can change the color, but not the style. Oak doors can be made to look less textured by filling the grain, however, some texture typically remains.

Click here for a short time lapse video of the process cabinet painting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-w3AdczDpM

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Painting kitchen cabinets is an inexpensive way to update and upgrade the appearance of aging cabinets. There is, however, a wide variety in the skill level of contractors that are out there, selling these services. The author suggests looking at some samples and discussing process/procedures before signing a contract for cabinet work. Things to remember when selecting a contractor for cabinet refinishing:

Sprayed finishes are superior in both appearance and durability than brushed/rolled finishes. Atomized paint from a professional spray gun will have more uniform appearance and thickness.

KCMA-rated materials are formulated specifically for kitchen application and are resistant to heat, moisture, and staining. Make sure your contractor knows the difference between an industrial cabinet coating and a house paint. I would be a rich man if I had a dollar for every kitchen I came across with failing paint from a well-intentioned house painter.

Your topcoat is only as good as what is underneath it. For this reason, it is never a good idea to simply paint over existing paint. Remove old coatings from kitchen cabinets to avoid risk of failure. And please note that stripping cabinet doors can cost almost as much as replacing the doors entirely. Which brings us to our next section…

Replacement Cabinet Doors

Vanity before replacement doors — Oak Vanity BEFORE replacement doors

How Much Does It Cost: New door and drawer faces can range widely depending on the size of the kitchen and the door style, but plan on at least a 50% markup from repainting.

How Long Does It Take: Raw materials shortages had the replacement door market in a holding pattern during parts of COVID. Things are, at the moment, back to a more reasonable wait time. New doors are typically shipped 3-6 weeks after the manufacturer has received measurements from a contractor. The actual time spent in house is roughly the same as with a cabinet door painting. Acquiring new doors and drawer faces ahead of time can even shorten the process. Painting of new doors at the shop ahead of time keeps the job moving and can save a day or two.

What Are The Limitations: The sky is the limit for replacement cabinet door and drawer faces. The main limitation is the layout of the existing cabinet boxes and their openings. Aside from that, order any style of door you like. Change the overlay/size of the door and make them slightly larger. Don’t like your existing oak wood? Change this out to maple of even MDF for a closed grain look.

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly: Replacement of cabinet doors and drawers is more costly than simply repainting existing cabinets. However, this can be a wonderful investment if budget allows. Think of it as a hybrid between painting and complete kitchen gut/demo. Cabinet door replacement offers the option to completely change door style without the massive price tag of all new cabinets. Remember, cabinet door and drawer faces take up the vast majority of the space on kitchen cabinets, and this is enough to make most people forget what they started with. Things to remember when selecting a contractor for door and drawer front replacement:

New doors and drawer fronts soak in paint more evenly than something previously finished. Primer sprayed on new wood adheres better that primer sprayed on an existing finish. New doors eliminate the possibility of surface contamination and compatibility issues with existing coatings. This makes new cabinet doors less likely to fail. Cabinets boxes get much less wear and therefore, have fewer issues. But this can be an important factor to consider with doors and drawers.

Materials shortages for replacement cabinet doors are not currently an issue, however, this can change quickly. Scheduling can be affected by holdups at the door factory. The most recent issues associated with cabinets is not the wood shortages for the doors, but rather things like hinges and drawer slides.

Make sure your contractor has done this before. Hanging new replacement cabinet doors and drawers is not rocket science, but it can be extremely challenging and requires a much larger skillset than simply painting. Warped and out of square frames can create complications. As can stripped screws, multiple overlays, and shoddy carpentry in general.

Don’t assume a great carpenter is necessarily a great cabinet painter. It is a good idea to see samples of new doors before signing a contract. Once again, make sure your contractor knows the difference between an industrial cabinet coating and a house paint.

Information on cleaning painted kitchen cabinets:

https://www.justaddpaint.net/how-to-clean-painted-kitchen-cabinets-just-add-paint

In Summation:

Cabinet door replacement is trending and is a nice upgrade between cabinet painting and gutting a kitchen. While more costly than simple cabinet painting, it is a great value-adding option. Replacement doors is a wise choice when dealing with heavily damaged/previously painted doors. Replacement cabinet doors are also a good choice for changing style without a complete renovation. And lastly, replacement cabinet doors are a good option when dealing with oak. Oak is an open pore wood that requires extra coats of primer to properly seal the grain, and replacing the doors often does not cost much more money.