Painting guide
When kitchen cabinets look tired, you usually have three paths. Paint or refinish the cabinets you have, reface them, or replace them. This guide explains what each option actually changes, when painting is a strong fit, and how Paul's Precision Painting handles the work we do, which is painting and refinishing only.
Licensed and insured in Idaho, RCE-40798. Free, in-person and no obligation.
Kitchen cabinet painting in Meridian, Idaho, on the cabinets the home already had
The options
It helps to separate the three options before you compare anything else.
Painting or refinishing is a finish change. Doors and hardware come off, the surfaces are cleaned, sanded and repaired as needed, and a new coating goes on, often as a sprayed, factory-smooth paint finish, or as stain or clear-coat when that is the better match. You keep the cabinets you have.
Refacing is a facing change. The boxes usually stay. New doors, drawer fronts and a new skin or veneer on visible box faces give the kitchen a different look and can change door style. It is cabinet work, but it is not painting, and it is not a service we offer.
Replacement is a cabinet change. The old boxes come out and new cabinets go in. This is the path when boxes are damaged, when you want a new layout, or when storage and features need to change. It is general cabinet installation, not painting, and it is not a service we offer.
Every kitchen is different, so a useful comparison starts with what each option actually does to the room.
Painting is often the right fit when the boxes are solid, the drawers still run true, the layout already works, and what you want is a new color, a shift from stain to paint, or a finish that looks fresh again.
Kitchens are good candidates when the doors and boxes can be cleaned of grease, sanded and coated so the new finish can bond. The surrounding kitchen has to be masked and protected, because a sprayed finish belongs on the cabinets, not on the counters or the floors.
Painting will not straighten a failing box, add a missing cabinet, or change the footprint of the kitchen. If those are the goals, a different path is more honest.
Want an honest read on whether your cabinets are good candidates for paint? We can look at them with you at a free in-person estimate.
Refacing can make sense when the boxes are sound but you want new door styles or a fully new face, not only a new coating. Replacement can make sense when boxes are damaged, swollen or failing, when hardware and structure are worn past a finish repair, or when you want to change the layout.
We will tell you if the cabinets we see are not good candidates for paint. We will not bid refacing or replacement, and we will not pretend those are part of our work. The value of this conversation is a clear recommendation, even when the recommendation is to take a path we don't offer.
Our process
We paint and refinish. We are family owned in Boise since 2015, with 20+ years of painting experience, and licensed and insured in Idaho, RCE-40798. We don't build cabinets, reface them, replace them or act as a general contractor. That limit is a feature of the way we work. It keeps the estimate honest and the job focused on a finish we can stand behind.
At a free in-person estimate we look at the existing finish, the condition of the boxes and doors, and the color and sheen you have in mind. You get a written scope before any work starts.
On a painting job we remove doors and hardware, clean away grease, sand the surfaces, handle minor repairs, mask the surrounding kitchen and spray a smooth, even finish. Then we put the doors and hardware back on, clean up and walk the work with you. Final payment is collected that day. If paint we applied peels, blisters or flakes because of our workmanship within a year, we fix it.
Want to know if your cabinets are a good fit for painting? We'll look at them in person and give you a clear written scope, free and with no obligation.
A real kitchen
This Meridian kitchen kept its existing cabinets. The uppers were finished in a clean white and the island in navy, with the great room open to the new look. The second photo, from a Meridian cabinet project, shows a kitchen masked for spray work, which is how we keep the rest of the room protected.
Customer review
I have worked with Paul a few times now, and he is fantastic! I'm terrible at painting. (I always end up spilling and then stepping in what I spilled. Every. Single. Time.) Paul is a perfectionist at his craft, spending a good amount of time on prep, which is key. I highly recommend Paul!
FAQ
No. We paint and refinish the cabinets you already have. We don't reface, replace or build cabinets, and we don't do general contracting.
Painting is a strong fit when the boxes are structurally sound, the layout already works and you want a new color or a fresh finish. If the boxes are failing or you want a new layout, replacement or another path may be more honest, and we will say so.
After prep and masking, we spray a smooth, even finish. That's how you get a factory-smooth look without replacing the cabinets, as long as the cabinets were sound to begin with.
Yes. The free in-person estimate is where we look at the cabinets with you and give you a clear written scope, or an honest recommendation if painting is not the right fit.
Next reads
Get a free in-person estimate, a clear scope before any work starts and an honest answer on whether painting is the right path for your cabinets. If paint we applied peels, blisters or flakes because of our workmanship within a year, we fix it.
Licensed and insured in Idaho, RCE-40798 · 1-year workmanship warranty
