Labeled door removal
Each door, drawer front and hinge is tagged to its exact opening so everything goes back where it came from, aligned and closing properly with the same even gaps it had before.
Kitchen and bath cabinet painting in Sarasota
Solid wood or MDF cabinets that still work fine but look dated, yellowed or worn around the handles do not need to be torn out to look new again.
Quick answer
Cabinet painting is a refinishing job, not a quick wall coat. Doors and drawer fronts come off and are sprayed in a controlled area, while frames are degreased, sanded, primed with a bonding primer and finished in place. Done right in Sarasota humidity, the enamel cures hard and resists kitchen grease and wiping.
Plenty of Sarasota kitchens were built or remodeled in the 1990s and 2000s with honey oak or cherry stained cabinets. The boxes are often solid and well built, and the layout still works. What has aged is the color. Painting them is one of the best value changes you can make in a house, but it is also the paint job most likely to go wrong when someone rushes it. Grease, residue from cleaning sprays and the slick factory topcoat all fight new paint, and any shortcut shows up as chipping around the knobs within a year.
Our approach treats cabinets like furniture. Every door and drawer front is numbered, removed and taken to a spray setup where it can be cleaned, scuffed, primed and finished on both sides without dust or drips. Cabinet frames stay in the kitchen, masked tightly, and are finished in place with the same products. Hinges can be reused or swapped for soft-close hardware, and we can fill old handle holes if you want new pulls in a different spot. The kitchen stays usable for most of the project.
Every step that goes into a lasting cabinet finish
Real degreasing
Kitchen cabinets carry years of cooking grease, especially near the range and trash pull-out. We clean with a dedicated degreaser and rinse, because sanding over grease just pushes it into the wood.
Scuff sanding and filling
The old finish is scuffed to give primer something to grip, open grain on oak can be filled for a smoother look, and dings along the edges are filled and sanded flush.
Bonding primer
A primer made to stick to slick finishes goes on next, and it also blocks tannin from oak and cherry that would otherwise bleed yellow through a white topcoat over time.
Sprayed enamel topcoats
Doors and drawer fronts get two sprayed coats of a urethane-modified or waterborne alkyd enamel, which levels out brush marks and cures to a hard, washable surface.
Hardware and reinstall
Hinges are cleaned or replaced, new pulls are installed if you choose them, doors are rehung and adjusted, and bumpers are added so painted surfaces are not slamming together.
Why cabinet finishes need extra care on the Gulf Coast
Humidity is the main challenge for cabinet work in Sarasota. Enamels need dry air to level and cure properly, and a kitchen with the slider open on a muggy August afternoon can stretch dry times and leave a soft film. We keep the air conditioning running during the project, watch moisture readings, and space coats out so each one has time to harden. That patience is the difference between doors that feel tacky and stick together for weeks and doors that are ready for normal use.
The other local factor is how homes are used. Seasonal owners often want the kitchen finished before they arrive in winter, and rental condos on the keys need cabinets that tolerate heavy turnover. For those we lean toward the hardest enamels and lighter colors that hide wear. Bathroom vanities near showers get extra attention on the bottom edges of doors, which swell first when wet. Salt air near the beaches also corrodes cheap hinges, so we check hardware and suggest stainless or coated replacements where it makes sense.
Signs your cabinets are ready for paint
- Finish is worn through to bare wood around knobs and pulls
- Stained oak has turned orange or yellow under kitchen lights
- Cabinet boxes are solid but the color dates the whole kitchen
- New countertops or backsplash clash with the old cabinet tone
- Previous paint is peeling because it was rolled over grease
Our cabinet painting process from removal to rehang
Measure, label and remove
We photograph the layout, number every door and drawer front, remove hinges and hardware, and bag everything by location so reinstalling is exact and nothing goes missing.
Clean and sand
All surfaces are degreased and rinsed, then scuff sanded. Frames are vacuumed and wiped with tack cloths, and counters, appliances and floors are masked with plastic and paper.
Prime and fill
Bonding primer goes on frames and both sides of each door. Once dry, small defects show clearly, so we fill, sand and spot prime them before any color goes on.
Spray the finish coats
Doors and fronts are sprayed flat in our setup for an even film with no drips. Frames get the same enamel, applied carefully in place, with light sanding between coats.
Cure, rehang and adjust
Pieces cure before handling, then go back on with cleaned or new hinges. We adjust every door so gaps are even and check that drawers slide without rubbing paint.
What sets the cost of cabinet painting
We price cabinet painting after seeing the job, and the written quote lists every item below that applies.
- Number of doors and drawers
- Cabinet jobs are priced mostly by piece count. A galley kitchen with twenty pieces is a very different job from an open kitchen with an island and a full pantry wall.
- Wood type and grain
- Open-grain oak needs grain filling if you want a smooth modern look, which adds steps. Maple, MDF and previously painted cabinets are usually quicker to prepare.
- Condition of the old finish
- Heavy grease, water damage near the sink, failing old paint or veneer peeling at the edges all require extra cleaning, repair or stripping before primer can go on.
- Color and extras
- Two-tone designs, glazed finishes, painting cabinet interiors, new hardware and filling old pull holes each add labor. We quote after a walk-through you set up by phone.
Get a written quote for cabinet painting
Call the office any hour and we will set a walk-through time.
Cabinet Painting questions
How long does cabinet painting take in a Sarasota kitchen?
Most kitchens take one to two weeks from removal to rehang, mainly because each coat needs time to dry in our humidity before the next goes on. You can use the sink and appliances during most of that period, though counters near the frames will be masked while we finish them in place.
Will painted cabinets chip in a busy Sarasota household?
Any painted surface can chip if it is hit hard enough, but cabinets that are properly degreased, sanded, primed with a bonding primer and finished in a hard enamel hold up well to daily use. Most early chipping we see on other jobs comes from skipped cleaning or ordinary wall paint rolled onto cabinets.
Can laminate or thermofoil cabinets be painted?
Laminate can usually be painted with the right bonding primer if it is still firmly attached. Thermofoil is different: the vinyl skin often peels near heat sources and paint will not stop that, so if it is already lifting we will tell you honestly that replacing those doors is the better route.
Do you paint bathroom vanities and laundry cabinets in Sarasota homes too?
Yes. Vanities get the same removal, priming and sprayed enamel as kitchen cabinets, with extra sealing on the bottom edges of doors that face shower moisture. Many homeowners add vanities and laundry cabinets to a kitchen project so all the painted woodwork in the house matches.
Often booked together
Interior House Painting
Walls, ceilings and trim repainted with proper patching, primer where it matters and two even finish coats, one room or the whole house.
Read moreTrim & Baseboard Painting
Baseboards, door casings, window trim and crown molding cleaned, caulked, sanded and brushed in a hard enamel that wipes clean and stays white.
Read moreColor Consultation
In-home help choosing interior and exterior colors with large sample boards, HOA palette guidance, undertone checks and sheen advice for each surface.
Read moreWhere we do this work
Cabinet Painting is available across our whole service area, including: