Vetting cabinet painting contractors to find the perfect one for your specifications and vision requires a substantial amount of effort. A good place to begin is by knowing precisely what style you're trying to achieve for your kitchen cabinets. You should ask contractors to see a sample of their previous work matching what you're looking for beforehand to gain a sense of their experience and ability. Dependable contractors would be pleased to grant this request, and many keep a portfolio for potential customers to browse through on their website.
You should have a defined budget in mind while shopping around for professional cabinet painting contractors, as costs sometimes fluctuate widely. Make sure that any contractor you hire gives documentation of all material and labor costs as well as clear verbal communication throughout the process about it's timeline. The last thing you need is for any surprises to pop up once the project commences that will raise costs above what you budgeted for.
Pay close attention to the contractor's reputation by evaluating any online customer reviews. Most professional painters will have comments and reviews from past customers available online, and these are also a great way to find out if they have a history of delivering the services you need on time and on 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 be done first to ensure your cabinets look as envisioned and are protected from the heavy-use they will likely see in the years to come. Cabinet painting will quickly become an overwhelming project when attempting it alone, but an expert will quickly and effectively bring your vision to reality beginning with the most common prepping steps of cleaning, sanding, and priming:
- Cleaning: It's critical that any dirt or grease are thoroughly removed from cabinet surfaces prior to painting or staining or it could affect their adherence. The cleaning step is also a good time to disassemble the cabinets and its components, such as drawers, knobs, hinges, etc., to make the next stages easier and more efficient.
- Sanding: The good news is that efficiencies in home improvement have made notable advancements, and there are products that professionals use to make some of these prepping steps easier. Deglossers, also referred to as liquid sandpaper, is a chemical abrasive that quickly strips gloss from cabinet surfaces so that the messy method of sanding in the old way is virtually obsolete. Liquid abrasives will also reach any places that would be exceedingly challenging to get to with regular sandpaper.
- Priming: Priming will be mandatory in some cases, and it serves a vital purpose for the painting that comes next, such as facilitating better adhesion, preventing stains and imperfections from bleeding through, and providing a protective layer over the cabinet surface. If the previous paint was oil-based and you cover it with a latex paint before priming, it will only flake off and need to be repainted sooner than you'd like.
Deciding if your kitchen cabinets are able to be painted or not ultimately depends on their quality. Nearly any solid wood cabinets are able to be painted multiple times throughout their lifespan, though the techniques necessary may be a little more advanced for “open grain” woods such as oak. Solid hardwoods adhere to stains or paints better than most other surfaces and can undergo repeated sandings to get rid of imperfections that develop over time with use. Engineered woods like MDF, wood laminate, or even metal models can also be painted relatively easy.
The most challenging kind of kitchen cabinets to paint are economical thermofoil cabinets, which is an engineering process of placing a thin sheet of PVC over manufactured wood. Some painting contractors will recommend against painting these as the surface repels the paint trying to stick to it, and even when scuffing and priming methods are employed, the paint will likely peel and chip much sooner than a better quality material like hardwood.
A more straightforward question many people may want to consider is should their cabinets be painted. If your cabinets are too aged and worn out, it might be more cost-efficient to purchase new units.
Painting existing cabinets will almost always be the more affordable option than buying new custom-built cabinets or even stock models. Painting or refinishing your cabinets is also an excellent investment in your property's value, with many residents in Jacksonville Beach, Florida reporting an ROI as high as 70%. Upcycling your existing furniture in this way gives you the chance to beautify your kitchen and stay up-to-date with current design trends, as well as uphold your commitment to sustainable living.
The price of replacing cabinets varies around Jacksonville Beach, Florida, but could be up to 300% more expensive than painting. This is also taking into account that cabinet paints are usually more expensive than wall paints due to them containing more resins that protect surfaces from fading, scratching, and staining.
Employing a contractor to paint your cabinets instead of doing the job yourself will add labor costs, but this, too, will likely be much cheaper than replacing them. An experienced contractor will understand what your cabinets are made with and how to apply different materials to ensure they look the way you've envisioned when complete. If your cabinets show small cosmetic issues like chips and cracks, they will use wood filler and paint to cover them up. Painting cabinets is a more difficult project than it sounds, but a trained painting contractor will be an invaluable resource to help you stretch your investment to the max.