Cabinet painting is priced per door/drawer front or per linear foot of cabinets — not by square footage. It is among the most time-intensive painting work due to prep, priming, and the multiple thin coats required for a durable finish.
Cabinet Pricing Formula
Total = (# door faces × per-door rate) + (# drawer fronts × per-drawer rate) + box painting (per LF)
Example
24 door faces at $85 each + 8 drawer fronts at $45 each + 20 LF boxes at $35/LF = $2,040 + $360 + $700 = $3,100
Waste factor: 15% on primer; 10% on finish coats
Count door faces (both sides if painting inside), drawer fronts, end panels, and exposed cabinet boxes. Photograph the kitchen layout. Note door style — flat slab doors are fastest; raised panel and inset doors require more brushwork in recesses.
Identify the substrate: painted wood, raw wood, thermofoil, or laminate. Thermofoil and laminate require special bonding primer — add $150–$300 to materials. Existing painted surfaces in good condition need light sanding only; damaged or glossy surfaces need chemical deglosser or sanding to bare wood.
Deglossing, cleaning with TSP substitute, filling grain or dents, and light sanding: budget 3–5 minutes per door face for basic prep, 8–12 minutes for heavy-prep doors. Prep is typically 30–40% of total labor on cabinet jobs.
Cabinet primers (shellac-based or water-based bonding primer) cost $50–$80/gallon. One coat covers approximately 8–10 cabinet doors per gallon depending on door size. Budget 1 gallon of primer per 8–12 door faces.
Two finish coats of cabinet enamel or alkyd-urethane hybrid is standard. Budget 0.5–0.75 gallons per 10 doors for two coats. At $65–$90/gallon, materials per door are $3.25–$6.75. Mark up at cost + 25%.
Interior box painting (inside of cabinet openings) adds 20–30% to labor. Exterior box painting (visible sides and face frame) is often included in the base rate. Clarify scope upfront — box painting surprises are a frequent source of disputes.
Remove doors and spray off-site when possible
Cabinet doors sprayed flat in a controlled environment produce a vastly superior finish vs. in-place brushwork. Offer two price points: in-place brush/roll and off-site spray. Most clients choose spray when they see the quality difference.
Charge a day rate for kitchen use disruption
Clients lose kitchen access during cabinet painting. Acknowledge this and charge a 'kitchen prep and protection' line ($150–$250) for dishwasher removal, countertop protection, and appliance masking. It's real work that deserves to be on the invoice.
Specify the paint product in writing
Cabinet enamel quality varies enormously. Specify the product (Benjamin Moore Advance, Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane, etc.) in your estimate. Clients who shop your estimate need to compare apples to apples — and your product choice is part of your value proposition.
Cabinet painting runs $75–$150 per door face in 2026 for a complete prep-prime-paint service. Flat slab doors are at the low end; raised panel or inset doors with heavy prep requirements are at the high end. Drawer fronts are typically 40–60% of the per-door price. Always price doors and drawers separately.
Yes — when priced correctly. Cabinet painting yields $80–$120/hour for skilled painters on efficient jobs. The risk is in underestimating prep time, which can easily double on cabinets that haven't been properly cleaned or deglossed. Walk every cabinet job before quoting.
Spraying (with an HVLP or airless) produces the best finish on cabinet doors removed from the kitchen. Brush-and-roll is acceptable for in-place box painting. Factor masking and overspray protection into your time estimate if spraying in-place — masking a kitchen for spray work takes 2–4 hours.
A typical 10×12 kitchen with 20 doors and 6 drawer fronts takes 2–3 days for a two-person crew: Day 1 = removal, prep, and primer. Day 2 = first finish coat. Day 3 = light sand and second finish coat, reinstallation. Build this schedule into your estimate so clients understand the timeline.
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