If you’re ready and primed to update the look of your kitchen, have you considered painting your cabinets? Painting certainly will be a lot cheaper and much faster than replacing cabinets, especially if they’re perfectly functional. And a new coat of paint can transform your kitchen from ho-hum to wow! Great Guys Painting covers the pros and cons of painting your kitchen cabinets so that you can avoid mistakes and make the right decision.
Pros of Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets
As you’ll see, there are plenty of advantages to painting your kitchen cabinets:
Painting Protects Cabinets
When you choose a good quality paint recommended for the rigors of kitchen use and abuse, you not only add style and beauty, but the paint also protects your cabinets from heat damage, stains, and potential dings and scratches.
Paint is More Resistant to Water
In addition to protecting your cabinets from stains and dings, high quality paint is resistant to moisture and water.
- If you currently have stained cabinets, you can provide a higher level of moisture and water protection by painting them, particularly for cabinets next to and under a sink.
- Just be sure to prep the surfaces carefully if you decide to paint over your stained cabinets. You’ll need to clean, sand, and prime. If the cabinets are varnished, you’ll need to strip them.
Quality Paints Make Maintenance Simple
High quality washable paints make it simple to keep the cabinet faces clean. In many cases, you just need soap and water to remove dirt, grime, and fingerprints so your cabinets can quickly return to that brand new look.
You Can Save Money
Some homeowners think they have to replace their kitchen cabinets in order to give their kitchen a new, fresh, stylish look. That’s not necessarily true, especially when your current cabinets are in great shape.
- Paint can make an enormous difference in the look of your kitchen and save you from having to tear out your old cabinets and replace them.
- It costs an average of $5,000 to paint kitchen cabinets whereas replacing them can soar up to $30,000 or more.
Paint Can Give Your Kitchen Cabinets a Clean Contemporary Look
Especially when you choose popular colors that are featured in home decorating and kitchen renovation magazines, paint will impart a smooth, modern, and stylish look. You can check out the model cabinets at home improvement stores and get a great idea of the popular colors that are contemporary and sleek.
Paint Can Allow You to Play With Color
True, whites and various shades of grays never seem to go out of style, but if you love color, your kitchen cabinets provide a wonderful chance to play around with color. From flamboyant brights to elegant dark tones and everything in between, custom colors are at your fingertips.
Paint Comes in Nearly Limitless Colors
If you’ve decided that you want to splash color on your kitchen cabinets, the color options are practically endless.
- You can page through home decorating magazines and find a color you love then take it to your paint store to get exactly the color of your dreams.
- When you research current colors that are popular, and paint carefully, your kitchen can look unique and fabulous!
Painting Can Last Up to 10 Years
Given the affordability of painting over replacing, ten years is a good long time to enjoy updated cabinets. Freshly painted kitchen cabinets can make you feel proud of your home. Just be sure to choose a durable high quality paint that will ensure the lifespan of your kitchen cabinets.
Paint Can Provide an Attractive Transition in Open Floor Plans
When you can see the kitchen from other parts of your home, you can choose a color that will compliment other rooms and furnishings, or choose a matching color that can provide an attractive transition.
Painting Can Increase Your Home’s Return on Investment (ROI)
Especially when you choose neutral colors, painting your kitchen cabinets can significantly increase your home’s value.
- It can definitely be worth the time and expense to paint kitchen cabinets if you’ll be putting your home on the market.
- Potential buyers will see the beauty of newly painted kitchen cabinets which can influence their decision to purchase.
Paint is Best for MDF or Softwood Cabinets
Not all kitchen cabinets are constructed of hardwoods. Although stains can bring out beautiful grains in hardwoods, softwoods and MDF cabinets look much more attractive when they’re painted.
Some High Tech Paint Products Eliminate Having to Sand and Prime
Some quality paints have bonding agents that eliminate the need to go through detailed prep work like sanding and priming. Using these products can significantly reduce the painting process time.
Paint Hides Wooden Character Features
Maybe your wood kitchen cabinets have distinct grains, knots, and other character features that you just don’t like. Paint is a great way to cover over those features and achieve a clean, modern look.
Cons of Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets
It seems there aren’t as many disadvantages to painting your kitchen cabinets as there are pros. Nonetheless, it’s important to know what the cons are before you make a decision to paint.
Painting Doesn’t Work on All Types of Cabinets
If your kitchen cabinets are laminate, painting won’t adhere over the long term. Soon, chips and peeling will occur. Also, if your cabinets are marked with dents or are warped, painting will tend to make the damage all that more visible.
Can Be More Expensive Than Staining
Painting requires more steps and coats than staining and the materials required for painting are more expensive than those for staining.
Painting Kitchen Cabinets Isn’t Very DIY-Friendly
While an expert DIYer can successfully paint kitchen cabinets, it’s not a job that most homeowners can accomplish well.
- There are many steps to complete, and they must be finished in a sequential order.
- Lots of prep work is involved and the process is complicated. When a DIYer paints kitchen cabinets, mistakes are less forgiving.
Painting Kitchen Cabinets is Time Consuming
As mentioned above, painting your kitchen cabinets isn’t a DIY-friendly project. But even if you hire a professional painter, (and if you do, make sure they are insured and licensed) they’ll need plenty of time to complete the job.
- Depending on the amount of cabinets to be painted, the job can take from 3 to 6 days when a professional paints.
- DIYers should plan on 6 to 8 weekends of intensive work.
Painted Kitchen Cabinets Need Maintenance
It will be easy to see dirt and grease stains on painted cabinets, especially on lighter colors such as whites and grays.
If the pros of painting your kitchen cabinets outweigh the cons, do you want to tackle the job yourself or hire a pro? Although it will cost more to hire a pro, you’ll save a bunch of time, headaches, and frustration. Great Guys Painting helps you find trustworthy professional kitchen cabinet painters near you who are licensed and insured. We also offer free quotes so you can find out what the cost will be for a pro to paint your kitchen cabinets for you.
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Great Guys Painting helps you find a reliable professional painter to paint your kitchen cabinets and make them look new. Request a free quote now!
