Kitchen Cabinet Painting vs Refinishing in Scottsdale

People talk about painting and refinishing as if they were the same kitchen project. They aren't. One puts a new color on the finish you already have. The other takes that finish off so the wood can be stained again. The right choice depends on the doors and the look you want, not on which word showed up in an ad.

What painting actually means

Cabinet painting keeps the door and changes the color. A real job is more than a brush and a can of wall paint.

Doors and drawer fronts come off. Grease gets cleaned off. The surface is scuffed so the next coat can hold. A bonding primer goes on. Then an enamel is sprayed so you don't see brush marks around the handles. Boxes can be painted in place once they're masked and the hinges are protected.

That's the path for honey oak you want in a warm white, for a dated glaze and for a color change when the doors are still solid. Oak grain can still show through paint unless the grain is filled. Ask about fill if you want a smooth door instead of a painted wood texture.

The steps for a paint job are on our kitchen cabinet painting guide. This article is the choice between that job and a true refinish. The service itself is cabinet painting.

What refinishing actually means

Refinishing, in the wood sense, means stripping the old finish back toward bare wood, sanding and then staining and coating the wood so the grain shows. You do this when you like the wood and you don't like the orange stain or the worn clear coat. You don't do this when you want the kitchen to look painted and smooth.

Stripping is slower and messier than painting. Cleaner, dust and open grain are part of it. A thin veneer can be sanded through. A thermofoil door or a plastic wrap has no wood grain to refinish.

A lot of Scottsdale ads say refinishing when they mean the sprayed paint job above. Ask one plain question. Are you stripping to wood and staining or are you priming and painting? The answer tells you which project you're buying.

Which kitchens fit which job

Painting is the better fit when:

• You want a new color and the doors are solid wood, wood veneer or intact MDF
• The boxes are square and the hinges still hold
• The finish is dated but it's still stuck down

Refinishing is the better fit when:

• You want the grain to show and the wood is thick enough to sand
• The clear coat is worn but the door isn't wrapped in vinyl
• You're matching a stain you already like in the rest of the house

Neither job is a good idea when the thermofoil is peeling or the sink base has swollen and gone soft. Those doors need to be replaced. You can still paint the boxes that are sound. Don't pay to coat a door that's already coming apart.

What to ask before you book

• Will the doors be sprayed off the cabinets or brushed while they hang?
• Is grain fill included if the doors are oak?
• What happens at the sink base if the particleboard is swollen?
• Are you painting or are you stripping and staining?

A painted enamel and a stained wood door wear differently. Paint hides the next small ding in the color. Stain shows the wood and it shows the next scratch as a light mark. Pick the one you'll still like in the afternoon sun that hits a lot of Scottsdale kitchens.

If you want us to look at the doors and say which job they can take, request a free quote. We'll tell you if painting is enough or if the doors aren't candidates.