Count the pieces, not just the cabinets
Every door and drawer front is labeled, removed, cleaned, prepared, coated, dried, and put back in the right opening. A small kitchen with many narrow doors can take longer than a larger kitchen with a few wide ones. Raised panels, routed edges, glass inserts, and decorative molding add more hand work.
A clean-looking cabinet may still need serious cleaning
Cooking grease, furniture polish, silicone, wax, and old cleaner residue can all interfere with adhesion. A sound factory finish may only need thorough cleaning, scuffing, and bonding primer. Peeling paint, damaged veneer, open seams, or heavy brush marks add repair time before the color work even starts.
Going from very dark cabinets to white may also change the primer and number of finish coats.
Read the list of included surfaces carefully
One quote may cover the door fronts and exposed box faces. Another may include both sides of every door, end panels, crown, toe kicks, shelving, and cabinet interiors. Those are not the same job. Interiors add a surprising amount of work because everything must be unloaded and there are many more corners and edges to protect and coat.
- Door fronts only or both sides
- Exposed frames, end panels, crown, and toe kicks
- Drawer boxes, shelves, and cabinet interiors
- Island panels and decorative trim
- Existing hardware reuse, replacement, or hole filling
Door handling and kitchen protection show up in the price
Doors may be sprayed in a separate work area while the fixed cabinet boxes are finished in place. That means masking, ventilation, overspray protection, drying racks, transport, and return trips. A lower quote may simply cover fewer surfaces or allow less time for setup, so compare the written process before comparing the total.
What to ask before choosing a quote
The quote should show how many doors and drawers were counted, which faces are included, what repairs are allowed for, how the old finish will be cleaned and primed, and whether hardware work is included. Optional work should have its own price. That makes it much easier to spot a real bargain versus a smaller scope.
Frequently asked questions
Is cabinet painting priced by the square foot?+
Usually not by room square footage alone. Door and drawer count, profiles, surface condition, included faces, repairs, setup, and coating process are more useful measures of the work.
Why can two cabinet quotes be far apart?+
They may include different surfaces, preparation, primers, application methods, repairs, or hardware work. Compare the written scope line by line before comparing the totals.
Does changing cabinet hardware affect the estimate?+
It can. Reusing hardware is straightforward when it is in good condition. Changing handle sizes or hinge styles may require filling old holes, drilling new ones, making alignment templates, or repairing visible impressions.