Why painted cabinets chip
Kitchen cabinets carry grease you can't see, and paint does not stick to grease. Skipping the degreasing and the bonding primer is why painted cabinets chip around the handles. Those two steps take the longest and matter the most.
Spraying instead of brushing
A brush leaves marks you can see when light hits the doors. Spraying lays the finish down flat and even, which is what makes painted cabinets look factory-made rather than homemade.
Your kitchen during the job
The doors are off and the kitchen is masked while the boxes are painted, so plan on some days of open shelves. We tell you up front which days the kitchen is usable and when the finish is ready for normal use.
How A Job Runs
- 01
We Walk It With You
Room by room or wall by wall. We look at what is under the old paint, because that is what decides the price.
- 02
You Get It In Writing
Surfaces, prep, primer, number of coats, and the product line by name. One price, and what would change it.
- 03
We Protect The House
Furniture moved and covered, floors down, trim and glass masked, plants and hardscape sheeted outside.
- 04
Prep, Then Paint
Wash, scrape, sand, fill, caulk and prime. The part nobody sees is the part that decides how long it lasts.
- 05
You Walk It Before We Leave
We go around together in daylight with a pot of paint still open. Anything you point at gets fixed then, not scheduled.
Cabinet Refinishing: common questions
Is refinishing cheaper than replacing cabinets?
Usually by a wide margin, as long as the cabinet boxes are solid. If they are water-damaged or falling apart, we tell you before you spend money painting them.
Can you change the color completely, like stained wood to white?
Yes, and it is the most common cabinet job we see. Dark wood under a light color needs the right primer so the grain and the wood's natural stains don't bleed through.
Can we still use the kitchen?
Mostly. The doors are being finished and the boxes are masked while they are painted. You get the schedule before we start, so you know which days to plan around.
Painting homes throughout Clackamas County
Most of our work is in Clackamas County and the neighborhoods around it. Exterior slots fill up before the dry season, so if you are thinking about the outside of the house it is worth calling early — inside, we work year round.