Painting
Cabinet Painting and Refinishing in Charleston, SC
The kitchen change that does not involve a new kitchen.
The kitchen change that does not involve a new kitchen.
Quick answer: Cabinet painting is the cheapest big visual change in a kitchen when the boxes and layout work: doors come off and are sprayed flat after degreasing, sanding and a primer suited to the existing finish. Published examples: $5,000–$8,500 for a Charleston kitchen (Pathway Paints) and $2,500–$8,500 in the Charlotte area by kitchen size (Carolina Renew) (cost guide; not our quotes). A painting subcontractor does the work under our SC general contractor license, CLG.127339. Call (843) 718-8177.
Plan the scope: Charleston painting cost guide · York County cost guide · Painting preparation and service options.
Cabinets are handled constantly, so the finish has to be harder than wall paint and the preparation more thorough. Degreasing comes first — kitchen surfaces carry cooking residue that nothing bonds to — then sanding, then a primer chosen for the substrate.
Doors come off. Spraying them off the frames, flat, is what produces a finish without brush marks and without runs on the vertical faces, and it is the main thing separating a professional result from a weekend one.
The honest caveat: painting cabinets does not fix cabinets. If the boxes are failing, the hinges are worn out or the layout is wrong, paint makes them look better and changes nothing else.
We take this work across greater Charleston, from Summerville and Goose Creek to Mount Pleasant, West Ashley and the sea islands, and on the York County side around Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Tega Cay and Lake Wylie. More on our painting services.
Start with the condition of the cabinet boxes and whether the kitchen layout works. A different color, a different door style and a different layout are three different projects. For a Charleston, West Ashley or Summerville kitchen, choose the scope around the cabinets you have before choosing a finish.
Painting keeps the existing boxes and doors. It suits a kitchen where the layout works and the surfaces can be prepared for a new coating. Ask how grease, the existing finish and worn edges will be handled. Paint does not repair swollen boxes or solve a layout problem.
Cabinet refacing keeps the cabinet boxes while changing the doors, drawer fronts and visible facing. It can change the style while keeping the existing layout. The substrate still needs to be sound and dry; damage around the sink or dishwasher should be assessed before selecting this route.
If the cabinet boxes are failing or the kitchen does not function the way you need, compare replacement within a kitchen remodeling scope. Decide whether the work also involves countertops, appliances, plumbing locations or walls, because those choices change what needs to be included in the estimate.
Bring photos of the full kitchen, a close view of the current finish, and any damaged edges or areas below the sink. Note whether you want the same doors and layout. A useful written scope answers these questions:
Compare estimates with the same surfaces and preparation included. Discuss failing boxes, loose finishes or layout changes at the start so the proposal addresses the problem you actually want solved.
Call (843) 718-8177 to discuss your cabinet project, or review the Charleston painting cost guide before the scope conversation.
A properly prepared and sprayed finish lasts years of daily use. A poorly prepared one chips at the edges and around the handles within months — and the difference is degreasing and priming, not the paint.
Sometimes, with the right primer, and it is worth being honest that it is a harder job with a shorter life than painting wood.
Thermofoil that is already lifting is not a candidate.
If the boxes are sound and the layout works, painting gets you most of the visual change for a fraction of the cost.
If the boxes are failing or the kitchen does not work, paint is money spent on a problem it cannot solve.