Common Questions About Painting Cabinets

Proper cabinet painting relies on furniture-grade coatings rather than wall paint. We choose between a water-based alkyd enamel, which flows out flat and tints to nearly any shade, and a catalysed urethane that cures tougher and quicker. Both are low-odour and both are sprayed. The quote tells you which product your kitchen will receive. Wall paint stays soft and sticky for too long on a surface that is handled every day, which is why it is never used for cabinet painting.

In a booth, dust stays away from fresh paint, the temperature holds steady and every door dries lying flat. That produces a smooth, factory-like finish. Boxes are coated at the house inside sealed sheeting. Splitting the cabinet painting this way also keeps the kitchen usable, because only the boxes are worked on inside the house.

Yes, provided the face is still in good shape. Melamine and tight thermofoil take a bonding primer after a light sanding. Thermofoil that is bubbling or peeling must be stripped or the door replaced, because paint will not hold a loose skin down. During the visit every door is checked, and we point out which are ready for cabinet painting and which need replacing first.

A few weeks ahead is usually enough. Spring and the weeks before the holidays fill up fastest. If you have a deadline, such as a house sale or a family event, tell us when you call. Cabinet painting before a sale is common in Erindale, and we can often fit a small kitchen in quickly when the date is fixed.

Only if you ask. Painting interiors nearly doubles the surface, so they carry a separate price. Many people paint the insides of glass-front uppers and leave the rest. Interior cabinet painting also needs the shelves emptied for a few days longer, so we plan it with you ahead of time.

We have a new door made to match the size and style as closely as possible. It gets primed and coated with everything else, and once the colour is uniform it fits right in. The replacement door is listed on the cabinet painting quote with its own price before any work begins.

The coatings used inside the house are low-odour. There is a light smell on spray day, which clears within a day with windows open and fans running. The stronger-smelling work happens in the booth. Most families stay home during cabinet painting, and pets generally do fine behind a closed door in another room.

Before, if possible. New counters can scratch fresh paint during install, and the counter colour helps choose the cabinet colour. If the counter must come later, we protect the painted boxes and can do touch-ups after. A new backsplash is easier to plan after cabinet painting, because the tile can be matched to the finished colour.

Use a soft cloth with mild soap and warm water, then dry. Avoid scrub pads and strong cleaners, especially during the first few weeks while the finish is still curing. Dry any drips around the sink and dishwasher promptly. With simple care, sprayed cabinet painting keeps its look for many years.

Solid timber contracts in dry, heated winter air and expands again when summer turns humid. Homes near the Credit River valley can see a big swing. A hairline along a panel in winter comes from that movement rather than any cabinet painting fault, and it normally closes up by summer.

Yes, by a wide margin. Painting a whole Mississauga kitchen usually comes to $2,500 through $5,500. Fresh doors on your current boxes cost somewhere from $3,000 up to $10,000, while a completely new kitchen begins near $15,000 and can top $40,000. Your own price is whatever the written quote shows.

Yes, and ravine houses account for plenty of the cabinet painting we do in Erindale. Homes that back onto the Credit River valley, Erindale Park or Riverwood often have large kitchens and big windows. We trial colours in that light first and build the cabinet painting timeline around the higher door count.

Yes. Homes in the old Erindale Village core near Dundas Street and Mississauga Road often have older built-ins and uneven walls. We take extra care with containment and with any original woodwork, and we talk through which pieces should be painted and which should stay wood.