Cabinet Painting & Refinishing
A new kitchen, minus the tear-out.
Solid boxes and a colour you hate don't need a remodel. Refinishing keeps your layout, counters and backsplash exactly where they are.
Recent cabinet work — every photo is ours
Same kitchen. No new cabinets.
Galley Kitchen — Honey Oak to Warm Greige
Wayne County, MI · Doors, drawer fronts, boxes & face frames · Counters and tile untouched
Refinish or replace?
We'll tell you straight at the quote.
Not every kitchen is a refinishing candidate, and we'd rather send you to a cabinet company than take a job that won't hold up.
Refinish if…
The boxes are solid, the doors close square, the layout works, and the only real problem is the colour or a dated finish. This is most kitchens.
Replace if…
Boxes are water-damaged or delaminating, the layout genuinely doesn't work, or thermofoil is already lifting from the substrate. Paint won't fix any of those.
The order of operations
Why painted cabinets fail — and how we stop it.
Cabinets fail for three avoidable reasons: grease that was never fully cleaned off, a glossy factory finish that was never scuffed, and wall paint used where a cabinet-grade coating belongs.
- Doors and hardware off and labelled so everything goes back where it came from
- Degrease every surface — the step that decides whether the finish bonds
- Sand and scuff the factory sheen so primer has something to grip
- Bond-prime with a product made for slick, previously-finished surfaces
- Spray doors and drawer fronts for a factory-smooth face with no brush marks
- Boxes and face frames in place, masked off from the rest of the kitchen
- Cabinet-grade topcoat built for daily hands, not wall paint
- Reinstall and adjust once the finish has hardened enough to handle
Dry is not the same as cured. Go easy on the doors for the first couple of weeks and the finish will outlast anything you'd get from a spray-and-go outfit.
Proscope Home Painting LLCWhat moves the number
Cabinet quotes are counted, not estimated.
Door and drawer count
We count every door and drawer front, because that's the actual labour. A 22-door kitchen and a 34-door kitchen aren't the same job even at the same square footage.
Grain fill or not
Oak has a deep open grain that reads through paint as texture. Some people like it. A perfectly smooth modern finish means grain-filling first — an extra step and extra cost.
Material
Wood is straightforward. Laminate in good condition usually takes a specialty bonding primer. Thermofoil that's already lifting is a replace, not a refinish.
Hardware and interiors
New hardware, drilling for different centres, or finishing the inside of the boxes are all optional and all add time. Your call at the quote.
Questions
Answered before you ask.
Is painting cabinets cheaper than replacing them?
Substantially, in most kitchens. Refinishing keeps the boxes, layout, countertops and backsplash where they are, so you're paying for labour and materials rather than new cabinetry, demolition, disposal and the trades that follow a tear-out.
How long will my kitchen be out of commission?
A typical kitchen runs several days from first prep to reinstalled doors. Counters and sink stay usable through most of it, but there's a stretch where the boxes are open and the doors are off being finished. You get a day-by-day plan with the quote.
Will painted cabinets chip or peel?
Not if the prep is right. We degrease, sand, bond-prime and finish in a product made for cabinetry. That combination is what makes the finish hold up to daily use.
Can you paint oak, and will the grain still show?
Yes, oak paints beautifully. The one thing to decide up front is grain — oak's open grain will read through paint as texture unless it's filled first. Some homeowners prefer that, since it keeps the cabinets looking like wood. We'll show you both.
Can laminate or thermofoil be painted?
Sometimes, and we'll tell you honestly which case you're in. Solid laminate in good condition can often be scuffed and coated with a bonding primer. Thermofoil is riskier — where the vinyl skin is already lifting, paint won't fix it, and we'd rather say so than take the job and have it fail.
Do you spray or brush?
Doors and drawer fronts get sprayed — it's the only way to a factory-smooth face with no brush marks. Boxes and face frames that stay on the wall are done in place, masked off from the rest of the kitchen.
Let's look at your kitchen.
Free on-site cabinet quote for Westland, Canton and nearby Wayne County. We count the doors, then give you a number.