Cabinet Painting vs Refinishing: Which One Is Worth It?

Cabinet Painting vs Refinishing: What Homeowners Need to Know Before Spending a Dime

Home Cabinet Painting Cabinet Painting vs Refinishing: What Homeowners Need to Know Before Spending a Dime

Sure, your cabinet doors may need to go and be replaced, but this doesn’t mean that the rest of your kitchen won’t benefit from being refinished. If you plan on refinishing your cabinet doors, as they only look like they need a coat of paint, we bet that you will experience a difficult decision: should you paint them or restain/finish them?

This decision can really depend on which of the points above matters most to you, as well as what type of cabinet you already have, and what look you want your cabinets to achieve. If your primary goal is to entirely transform the look of your kitchen without spending a ton of money, you might consider refinishing. If your goal is just to enhance the natural wood grain of your cabinets, you would refinish. If you are getting a complete remodel and are unsure whether new cabinets or refinishing is best for your budget, knowledge is power!

Table of Contents

Cabinet Painting

Cabinet painting is applying a finish to your existing cabinets. This process includes cleaning, sanding, priming, and applying a superior washable cabinet paint as a complete surface covering over the existing cabinet wood surface. The finish is not visible through the finish as the wood pattern peaks through the color but rather a solid covering. Has many color choices.

Has expanded to include the finishing touch on renovated kitchens, giving them a fresh new look at a fraction of the price of new cabinets. As to the variety of options, whatever your interior decor theme – sophisticated white, bold navy or inviting greige, the choice is yours!

Benefits of Cabinet Painting

Painting is one of the many benefits that painting has to offer over changing the color of your cabinets. Not only can painting brighten up darker kitchens; it can also conceal minor scratches and will renew old cabinetry to a factory-finish appearance.

If your cabinet doors are of MDF or laminate, they can be stained as these materials aren’t stainable. Drawing attention to painting as an option is also another viable option, as it takes less work to strip the wood finish than varnish.

Drawbacks of Cabinet Painting

Painted cabinets are hard-wearing as the finish is sitting on top of the surface rather than soaking in as a penetrating stain would. They are prone to scratching and chipping if the finish receives a direct blow or if it is not properly prepared to begin with.

There’s a very real chance your beautiful cabinets are solid hardwood. Painting your cabinets would completely obscure the lovely grain in the wood and, most likely, make it impossible to return them to their former glory.

Cabinet Refinishing

Varnishing/refinishing is usually what most people think of as “wood furniture refinishing”. You usually can see more of the original wood with varnishing/refinishing as opposed to what’s explained in varnishing (the next section). The goal is to retain and refinish the original wood.

This is the most commonly used method of veneering, and is certainly the finest way to save the true essence of the texture, grain, and color of the wood, which is why it is a very common type of cabinetry chosen by homeowners who want to preserve the warmth and beauty of natural wooden cabinetry. With the fact that it is a renovation of the surface and not a replacement, the finish is very full and timeless:

Advantages of Refinishing Cabinets

Reasons for refinishing kitchen cabinets abound, one being that refinishing the kitchen cabinets will take a long time. A resealed surface can be sustained over a significant amount of time, assuming appropriate treatment and routine civil maintenance.

This is also a positive, as the stain removes the accumulation of old layers of paint, ageing and diminishing, scratches, and general wear and tear on the surface and emphasizes the natural figure of the wood rather than masking it. As the stain permeates the grain of the wood rather than adhering to the surface, this technique results in a finish that is less likely to chip away than painted surfaces.

Limitations of Cabinet Refinishing

Refinishing can only be done on wood with a wood veneer cabinet. Laminate, thermofoil, and MDF cabinets cannot be refinished as they do not have a natural wood surface.

The whole process is also more time-consuming than painting. Having to do additional sanding, staining, and sealing prolongs the total time taken and the total cost, although the finished result generally lasts longer.

Cabinet Painting vs Refinishing: Which Option Should You Choose?

It is true that in a perfect world, neither one is better than the other. But you have a real-world scenario with real cabinets with you to decide, so if there’s a need for a deciding factor… I don’t see how you can.

Consider Your Cabinet Material

Know what your cabinets are made of. If they are all wood, then you should be able to paint/refinish them, unlike many other material types.

Items that are easily manufactured from engineered materials such as laminate, thermofoil, and MDF are desirable for applying paint. However, selecting the most appropriate process based on the finished cabinet design will ultimately result in a more durable finish and costs saved on costly rework later.

Think About Your Budget and Style

Painting at the beginning of the process is generally cheaper and has a wider range of colors to choose from. It is also really good if you are after an entirely new appearance to your kitchen but do not want to dish out a lot of cash.

Refinishing may be the best choice if this is the aesthetic you’re going for while still having a classic, elegant kitchen. It is going to be more expensive up front, but more often than not this investment will be worth it as you will end up having very enduring, attractive cabinets.

You may also want to read these posts:

Painted vs Stained Cabinets

How to paint kitchen cabinets

How to paint melamine cabinets

How to paint laminate cabinets

How to remove kitchen cabinets

Can you paint oak cabinets

The Middle Ground Many Homeowners Overlook

Sometimes you do not have to demand that all the cabinets be stripped, and that all of the cabinets be painted over the other cabinets. For some of them, your expert might recommend cabinet restoration, cabinet refinishing, and painting with a modern color.

Homeowners might refinish their natural wood cabinets by light sanding and adding a new clear protective top coat if they want to go for a more conservative look. On the other hand, maybe they won’t have the budget to replace their countertops; they’ll paint the upper cabinets and refinish the lower cabinets for a two-tone look that says high Style.

Flexible5 With this flexibility, New Yorkers can work with a professional to design kitchens that can work to their specific needs and specifications without losing style, durability, and total project cost.

Real Costs: What to Expect

The cost of cabinets can vary with the size, material, and labor cost in the area; however, painting versus refinishing costs are both far less than replacing the cabinets.

Service	Typical Cost	Average Lifespan
Cabinet Painting	Reduced up-front expenditure. Provides access to goods and services which would otherwise be prohibitively expensive on a one-off basis.	8–12 years
Cabinet Refinishing	Moderate investment	15–20 years
Cabinet Replacement	Highest cost	20–30 years

As far as value, numerous consumers felt that refacing/repairing the old cabinets resulted in just about the same eye appeal as a new buy for nearly the same expense.

How Climate Can Affect Cabinet Finishes

The finishing of your kitchen cabinets can wear off over time regardless of what finishing you chose, but it can be drastically sped up due to factors that come from the working environment of the kitchen, like water, moisture, grease, and heat.

When we work through the prep stages professionally, washing, sanding, priming, and sealing our paint will less likely chance of chipping and staining. And also, wear and tear will be significantly reduced, especially with higher quality paints.

Why Professional Cabinet Painting Makes a Difference

Kitchen cabinets can be a very good project to attempt as a do-it-yourself project. However, poorly done by an amateur with the wrong products, it can be a very uneven, imperfect finish that peels, takes a lot of time to paint, or very quickly wears out.

The process: They take the doors and hardware off and spend time on repairs on any small blemishes, then add a better primer before spraying. They spray the cabinets with top-grade equipment for a highly detailed finish similar to a factory finish; also, the same coat of paint is durable enough for everyday use around the kitchen.

The Value of Hiring Experienced Professionals

Armed with an experienced team of craftsmen, your cabinets will receive the necessary attention depending on the type and age of the wood. The workmen may be able to determine very quickly how effective restoration or repainting will be, thus saving you time, money, and tears.

Using a dependable company that applies quality superficial finishes will result in less peeling, cracking, and damage caused by moisture, stains, and regular usage, which, in time, will keep your cabinetry looking optimal and increase your overall investment.

Conclusion

Whether to choose refinishing or cabinet painting is a matter of how much work you are willing to do on your existing cabinetry and what the finished appearance is to be. If you are simply changing to a dramatic new color, or using laminate or plywood, then Painting is preferable. If, however, you wish to maintain the inherent splendor of your quality hardwood cabinetry, then Refinishing might be the choice.

Unsure which option is best suited for your interior? The experienced painters at SD Custom Painting will help you decide which is best for your home. They will examine your kitchen cabinets and recommend which will be most beneficial. Or you could redesign your whole kitchen to achieve a deeper feeling, or you could just have the cabinets look better, and then the professional painters will help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can all kitchen cabinets be refinished?

Number. Acid-etched, good-quality solid wood or laminated veneer cabinets can usually be restored to a high level. Tables, thermofoil, and MDF‘s are usually more likely to be painted.

How do I know whether my cabinets should be restored or replaced?

If the cabinet boxes are in good shape, and it is only the finish that looks scruffy or old, restoration will normally be a cheaper option than buying new. If the cabinets are hugely damaged or badly made, new ones will have to be bought.

How can SD Custom Painting help with my cabinet project?

SD Custom Painting offers expert cabinet assessments and restoration, surface preparation, and a high-quality painting team to create beautiful, durable finishes that will add beauty, warmth, and value to the kitchen.