Painting Kitchen Cabinets: What It Costs in NJ and When It Beats Refacing or Replacing
If your kitchen cabinets are solid but dated, you have three ways to change them: paint them, reface them, or replace them.
Painting is the least expensive of the three. It is also the fastest. And for a lot of Morris County kitchens, it is the right answer.
But not for every kitchen.
At Burrini & Sons, we would rather tell you honestly when painting will give you a great result and when it will only cover up a bigger problem. This guide covers what painting kitchen cabinets costs in New Jersey, how long it takes, and when it beats refacing or replacing.
How Much Does It Cost to Paint Kitchen Cabinets?
For a full kitchen, professional cabinet painting generally runs about $2,000 to $6,500, with a typical medium-sized kitchen landing around $4,000, according to current 2026 cost guides.
Another way contractors price it is per piece. One national estimate puts professional painting at roughly $100 per drawer front and $175 per cabinet door.
Here is a general picture:
Kitchen Size | Typical Professional Range |
Small kitchen | $1,000 to $3,500 |
Average kitchen | $2,000 to $6,500 |
Large or highly detailed kitchen | $5,000 to $10,000+ |
DIY paint and supplies | $200 to $600 |
Those numbers are national guides, not a Morris County quote. Your price depends on the kitchen in front of us.
What Drives the Price Up or Down?
Paint itself is a small part of the cost. Most of what you are paying for is preparation and labor.
The biggest cost factors are:
Number of doors, drawer fronts and panels
Cabinet material (solid wood, MDF, laminate, thermofoil)
Current finish and condition
Grease buildup and repairs needed
Color change (dark to white takes more coats)
Detailed door profiles versus flat slab doors
Painting the boxes, doors, or both
Interiors, open shelves or glass-front cabinets
New hardware and filling old hardware holes
Islands, pantry cabinets and tall units
A compact kitchen with a tall pantry wall and a large island can cost more to paint than a bigger kitchen with simple cabinets.
Hardware is the cost homeowners forget most often. If you are switching from knobs to pulls, the old holes need to be filled and the new ones drilled precisely, which is part of the job.
Why Professional Cabinet Painting Costs More Than Wall Painting
Cabinets take more abuse than any other painted surface in the house.
They get grabbed with greasy hands, bumped with pots, splashed near the sink, and opened hundreds of times a week. A finish that would look fine on a bedroom wall can chip on a cabinet door within months.
That is why a professional cabinet job usually includes:
Removing doors, drawers and hardware
Labeling every piece so it goes back in the right spot
Thorough degreasing
Repairing dings and filling gaps
Sanding to give the primer something to grip
A bonding primer suited to the cabinet material
Durable cabinet-grade paint or topcoat
Multiple thin coats with proper dry time between them
Careful reinstallation and hinge adjustment
Skip the prep and the finish fails early. That is the most common reason DIY cabinet painting disappoints.
How Long Does It Take to Paint Kitchen Cabinets?
For most kitchens, plan on roughly one to two weeks of project time, depending on size, number of coats and dry time.
The kitchen stays usable for a lot of that time, but expect empty cabinet boxes for part of it.
That timeline is one reason painting fits so well this time of year. If you book now, a cabinet painting project can typically be finished before Thanksgiving, which is hard to say for refacing or a full replacement.
Painting vs. Refacing vs. Replacing: Which Is Right for You?
Here is how we compare the three options.
Option | What Changes | Relative Cost | Best When |
Painting | Color of existing doors and boxes | Lowest | Boxes and doors are solid; you like the door style |
Refacing | New doors and drawer fronts; boxes covered with veneer | Middle | Boxes are solid; you want a new door style |
Replacing | Entire cabinets | Highest | Boxes are damaged or the layout needs to change |
Paint When...
The cabinet boxes and doors are structurally sound
You like the door style, just not the color
The layout already works for you
You want the fastest, lowest-cost refresh
Painting changes the color. It does not change the shape of the doors.
Reface When...
If the boxes are fine but you dislike the door profile, for example dated raised-panel doors when you want clean Shaker or slab fronts, paint will not fix that. Cabinet refacing replaces the doors and drawer fronts and covers the boxes, giving you a new look without tearing out the cabinets.
We will cover refacing in depth in an upcoming post, but the short version is that it costs more than painting and less than replacing.
Replace When...
Painting and refacing both depend on healthy cabinet boxes. If boxes are water-damaged near the sink, sagging, delaminating or simply in the wrong places, replacing with custom cabinets is usually the better long-term investment.
Replacement also makes sense when you want to change the layout, add an island or improve storage. At that point you are really planning a kitchen remodel, and our guide to kitchen remodel costs in Randolph shows how cabinets fit into the bigger budget.
Can All Cabinets Be Painted?
Most can, but not all paint equally well.
Solid wood and MDF take paint very well when properly prepped. Some open-grain woods like oak show grain texture through the paint unless the grain is filled first, which adds labor.
Laminate can be painted with the right bonding primer, but it is less forgiving.
Thermofoil (a vinyl wrap) is a poor candidate. It often peels near heat sources, and paint does not fix that.
Cabinets in older homes may also have older finishes that need to be tested before sanding. That is part of what we look at before quoting.
Choosing a Cabinet Color
Color trends in kitchens have warmed up. Wood tones and softer colors have been gaining ground on stark white, and greens, warm whites, taupes and deep blues are all popular choices.
A few practical tips:
Look at samples in your kitchen, morning and evening
Compare against your countertops, backsplash and floors
Consider a two-tone look, such as a darker island with lighter perimeter cabinets
Remember that very dark colors show dust and fingerprints
If you are torn between colors, our guide to choosing the right paint for your home walks through sheen and color testing.
Is Painting Kitchen Cabinets Worth It?
When the boxes are solid and you like the layout, painting usually gives you the most visible change for the least money of any kitchen update.
Pair it with new hardware, a refreshed backsplash or updated lighting, and a kitchen can feel completely different without a single cabinet being removed.
What we would not do is paint over water damage, peeling thermofoil or cabinets that no longer fit how you use the kitchen. That money is better put toward refacing or replacing.
Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets With Burrini & Sons
At Burrini & Sons Contracting, our interior painting team handles cabinet painting the right way: full removal, proper prep, durable coatings and careful reinstallation.
Ask about our $200-off interior painting coupon when you request your free quote. If you book this month, there is still time to have the kitchen finished before the holidays.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets professionally?
Most full kitchens fall between about $2,000 and $6,500, with medium-sized kitchens often near $4,000. Small kitchens can be lower and large or detailed kitchens higher.
Is it cheaper to paint or reface kitchen cabinets?
Painting is usually cheaper. Refacing costs more because it includes new doors, drawer fronts and veneer, but it also changes the door style.
How long does painted cabinetry last?
A properly prepped, professionally painted cabinet finish can last many years. Results depend heavily on prep, primer, paint quality and how the kitchen is used.
How long does it take to paint kitchen cabinets?
Plan on about one to two weeks for most kitchens, depending on size, number of coats and dry time.
Can you paint cabinets without removing the doors?
You can, but removing doors and drawers gives a cleaner, more durable finish and avoids paint on hinges and frames.
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