Cabinet painting
The job we get asked for more than any other
Cabinets are the biggest thing in the room and the first thing anybody notices. Change them and the kitchen reads as new, even though the layout, the counters and the appliances never moved. That is why this is the work we are asked for most.
It is also the least forgiving work in the house. Cabinet doors get touched, wiped, splashed and knocked every day, so a finish that was brushed over grease and old lacquer will chip at the edges within months. Done properly it stays hard and it stays clean.
Michael does the cabinets himself, the same as everything else, and plenty of kitchens get the walls and ceiling done in the same visit. If the rest of the room needs attention too, here is how we handle the walls and trim.
Why are cabinets a different job from painting walls?
Because of what is already on them. Kitchen cabinets carry years of cooking grease, and most of them came from the factory with a slick clear coat that paint will not grip. Put a roller straight onto that and the finish looks fine for a month, then peels off the door edge where your hand goes.
So the order matters. Doors and drawer fronts come off and get labeled, hinges and handles come off, then everything gets degreased, deglossed, sanded and cleaned again. A bonding primer goes on next, and the color is sprayed rather than brushed so there is no brush texture and no roller stipple. Sprayed coats cure to a harder film, which is the whole point on a surface people touch every day. It is the same standard behind every painting job we take in the valley.
Painted white, or stained and refinished wood?
Both, and which one is right depends on what you have got. If the doors are a plain profile, or the wood underneath is nothing special, paint is usually the better buy. White and off white finishes lift a dark kitchen enormously, and they take a hard sprayed coat beautifully.
If the doors are solid wood with real grain, cherry, oak or alder, it is often a shame to bury them. Stripping back and refinishing brings the grain up again and lets you change the tone without losing the wood. We put stain samples on a door and let you see them in your own kitchen light before anything is committed. Finished kitchens of both kinds are in our photo gallery.
Get a free estimate on your kitchen cabinets
Degreased, sanded, primed and sprayed by a painter licensed in California since 1989.
Call (949) 233-1242How long is the kitchen out of action?
A normal kitchen runs several days rather than several weeks. Doors and drawer fronts come off early and get sprayed away from the room, so the mess and the smell stay away from where you cook. The boxes and face frames are done in place, masked off, with the counters, appliances and floor covered.
Dust is the part people worry about most, and it is controlled at the sanding stage: vacuum sanders, plastic sheeting over the openings and the room kept sealed while the work is happening. You lose the use of the cabinets for a few days, not the use of your house. Michael gives you the day by day plan when he prices it. Businesses get the same treatment, which is how our commercial painting gets scheduled around opening hours.
Why choose Michael for your cabinets?
This is the work he is known for and it is the work he does himself. No subcontracted sprayer, no crew of strangers in your kitchen. One licensed painter, on site, doing the prep as carefully as the finish coat, because on cabinets the prep is the finish coat.
He has held CSLB license 566071, C33 Painting and Decorating, since 1989, and the business carries a $25,000 contractor bond. You can check the license yourself on the California State License Board site, and we would rather you did. Estimates are free and there is no obligation.
Ask the contractor doing the work
Straight answers about floors and paint in the desert
Do I have to buy new cabinets to change the look of my kitchen?
Usually not. If the boxes are solid and the doors are in reasonable shape, refinishing gives you a kitchen that reads as new for far less money and far less disruption. Michael will tell you honestly if what you have is too far gone to be worth the work.
Will the paint chip or peel off my cabinet doors?
Not when the prep is done properly. Peeling almost always traces back to grease that was never cleaned off, or a factory clear coat that was never sanded and primed. Degrease, degloss, sand, bond prime, then spray, and the finish holds up to daily use.
Do you spray or brush cabinets?
Spray. A sprayed coat lays down flat with no brush marks and no roller texture, and it cures to a harder film than a brushed one. Doors and drawer fronts come off and get sprayed away from the kitchen, and the boxes are sprayed in place behind masking.
Can you stain or refinish wood cabinets instead of painting them?
Yes. If the doors are solid wood with grain worth keeping, we strip and refinish them rather than covering them. We put stain samples on a door so you can see the tone in your own kitchen light before anything is decided.
How much dust does the job make?
Less than people expect. Sanding is done with vacuum attached sanders, the openings are sheeted in plastic, and counters, appliances and floors stay covered the whole time. The heavy sanding and spraying of the doors happens away from the room entirely.
Do you paint cabinets outside La Quinta?
Yes, all across the Coachella Valley. Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indio, Bermuda Dunes, Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Coachella are all inside our normal working area, and cabinet work is what takes us to most of them.