Vetting cabinet painting contractors to find the most suitable one for your needs and style requires a substantial amount of effort. A good place to focus on is by understanding exactly what look you're trying to accomplish for your kitchen cabinets. You should ask contractors to see samples of their past work similar to what you're looking for beforehand to gain a sense of their experience and ability. Dependable contractors would be more than happy to accommodate this request, and many retain a portfolio for potential clients to browse through on their website.
You need to have a set budget in mind while shopping around for professional cabinet painting contractors, as prices often fluctuate widely. Ensure that any painter you hire gives written statements of all material and labor expenses as well as clear verbal communication throughout the project about it's expected completion. The last thing you want is for any surprises to pop up after the project has started that can raise costs above what you planned for.
Pay close attention to the contractor's reputation by assessing their online client reviews. Most experienced painters will have comments and reviews from past clients for view online, and these can be an efficient way to judge their ability to deliver the services you expect on time and within budget.
It's may be tempting to immediately begin dipping brushes into paint and get your home improvement project going, but there is some prep that needs to happen beforehand to ensure your cabinets look as envisioned and hold up to the heavy-use they will likely see in the future. Cabinet painting can quickly become an overwhelming task when attempting it on your own, but an expert can quickly and effectively bring your vision to life starting with the most common prepping phase of cleaning, sanding, and priming:
- Cleaning: It's crucial that all dirt and grease are fully cleaned from cabinet surfaces before painting or staining or it could hinder their adherence. The cleaning phase is also an appropriate time to take apart the cabinets and its hardware, such as doors, knobs, hinges, etc., to make the next steps easier and more effective.
- Sanding: The good news is that innovations in home improvement have made notable advancements, and there are products that contractors use to make one of these prepping steps easier. Deglossers, also referred to as liquid sandpaper, is a chemical product that easily strips gloss from cabinet surfaces so that the dusty method of sanding in the traditional way is virtually obsolete. Liquid abrasives can also penetrate to those nooks and crannies that are exceedingly difficult to get to with regular sandpaper.
- Priming: Priming is mandatory in some cases, and it serves many important purposes for the painting that comes next, such as enabling better adhesion, preventing stains and imperfections from bleeding through, and providing a protective layer over the cabinet surface. If the existing paint was oil-based and you apply a latex paint without priming, it will only chip away and require repainting sooner than you'd like.
Deciding if your kitchen cabinets are able to be painted or not mostly depends on their material. Nearly all solid wood cabinets are able to be refinished many times within their lifespan, though the process may be a bit more advanced for “open grain” woods such as oak. Solid hardwoods absorb stains and paints better than most other types of cabinets and can undergo repeated sandings to hide imperfections that accumulate over time from use. Manufactured woods like MDF, wood laminate, and even metal cabinets can also be painted relatively easy.
The most difficult type of kitchen cabinets to paint are economical thermofoil cabinets, which is an engineering process of applying a thin sheet of plastic over engineered wood. Some professional painters will recommend against painting these as the surface repels the paint trying to adhere to it, and even when scuffing and priming techniques are used, the paint will likely peel and chip much quicker than a better quality material like hardwood.
A more straightforward question some homeowners may need to ask themselves is should their cabinets be painted. If your cabinets are too old and worn out, it might be more cost-effective to purchase new models.
Painting current cabinets will typically always be the cheaper choice over buying new custom-built cabinets or even stock models. Painting and refinishing kitchen cabinets will be a good investment for your house's value, with many residents in Buena Park, CA reporting an return as high as 70%. Upcycling your existing cabinets in this manner offers you the chance to beautify your kitchen and stay up-to-date with present design trends, not to mention uphold your commitment to sustainable living.
The cost of replacing cabinets fluctuates around Buena Park, CA, but could be up to 300% more expensive than painting. This is also considering that cabinet paints are typically more expensive than wall paints due to them containing more resins that protect surfaces from fading, scratching, and stains.
Finding a contractor for your project rather than do the job yourself will add to the expense, but this, too, will likely be much cheaper than replacements. A talented contractor will understand what your cabinets are constructed with and how to apply different techniques to ensure they come out the way you've imagined when complete. If your cabinets have minor cosmetic issues like chips and scratches, they can use wood filler and specialized finishing techniques to cover them up. Painting cabinets is a more challenging task than it sounds, but a trained painting contractor will be an invaluable resource in helping you stretch your investment to the max.