If you are weighing a kitchen refresh, the first question is almost always about cost. The good news: painting your cabinets costs a fraction of replacing them, and it skips the demolition and the weeks of living without a kitchen. The honest answer to the exact number is that it depends, and any painter who quotes you a firm price over the phone without seeing your cabinets is guessing. After twelve years of refinishing kitchens across the Seattle area, here is what actually drives the price and how to get a real number.
What drives the cost
Two kitchens that look similar from the doorway can land at very different prices. These are the factors that move the number:
- Cabinet count and size. More cabinets, and larger ones, mean more surface to prep and spray.
- Number of doors and drawers. Each door and drawer front is a separate piece to remove, label, prep, prime, and spray. A kitchen heavy on drawers takes more labor than the cabinet count alone suggests.
- Condition of the existing finish. Sound, previously painted cabinets prep faster than oil-painted or varnished surfaces, which need extra degreasing, sanding, and bonding primer to hold a new coat.
- Boxes too, or doors only. Refinishing the boxes along with the doors and drawer fronts adds masking, prep, and spray time.
- Color change. Going from dark to light, or covering a strong stain, can mean an extra coat for full, even coverage.
- Hardware. Reusing existing hardware is straightforward; new hardware or filling and re-drilling for different pulls adds work.
- Repairs. Loose doors, worn hinges, dings, or minor wood damage handled during prep add to the scope.
None of these are regional markups. They are simply the real work that goes into a finish that lasts.
Cost ranges by project size
Because every kitchen is different, we quote in ranges and confirm with an on-site look. The relative tiers below show how scope drives price, without a fabricated dollar figure that would not fit your kitchen.
| Project scope | Relative cost | What it usually involves |
|---|---|---|
| Small kitchen, doors and fronts only | Lowest range | Fewer pieces, sound existing finish, no box refinishing |
| Medium kitchen, doors plus boxes | Mid range | More pieces, full box prep and spray, possible color change |
| Large kitchen or heavy prep | Higher range | Many doors and drawers, oil or varnish prep, repairs, color change |
In every case, cabinet painting costs a fraction of what replacement would, which is the real headline. For the exact number that fits your kitchen, we provide a free written estimate.
Why a quote needs a walkthrough
A phone quote sounds convenient, but it almost always misleads. We cannot see whether your boxes are sound or quietly water-damaged at the sink base. We cannot tell whether the existing finish is a friendly previous paint or a stubborn old varnish that needs heavy degreasing and a bonding primer. We cannot count the drawers or spot the repairs.
That hidden prep is exactly what separates a finish that lasts a decade from one that peels in a year, and it is the difference between an honest written number and a low-ball quote that grows into surprise change orders. An on-site walkthrough is the only way to give you a price you can actually rely on.
Painting vs. replacing
The cost gap between painting and replacing is wide. Replacement means demolition, new boxes, new doors, installation, and often weeks without a working kitchen. Painting sound cabinets gives you a fresh, factory-smooth look in a few days for a fraction of that. The full breakdown of when each makes sense is in our guide on painting vs. replacing kitchen cabinets.
The Pacific Northwest angle
Greater Seattle and Eastside kitchens, especially in older homes, often have oil-painted or varnished cabinets. Those surfaces need extra degreasing, sanding, and a bonding primer before any new coat goes on. That added prep can shift a quote, but it is not a regional markup, it is the work that makes a sprayed finish actually last in our humid, damp-shoulder-season climate. Quality prep is the reason the finish holds up here.
How Hedlund prices it
We price cabinet work the same way we price every job: a clear written estimate after an on-site look, with no surprise change orders. We are not the lowest bid, and we will tell you why. A real refinish means we degrease, sand, prime, and spray cabinet-grade coatings from Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore, then back the work with our 10-year workmanship warranty. Most local painters will not warranty cabinets at all. The right paint choice matters too; see our guide to the best paint for kitchen cabinets.
“I am so pleased with my experience with Hedlund Painting. I contacted Zakary to repair trim and banister damage from an anxious puppy, as well as paint my kitchen cabinets and walls.” Rachel S., 5 stars (Google)
We refinish cabinets across Seattle, Kirkland, and the greater Eastside.
