Cabinet painting in Baltimore.
Kitchen and bathroom cabinets cleaned, sanded, primed and painted, for a new color without new cabinets.
122 Google reviews, 5.0 average.
What does cabinet painting in Baltimore involve?
Cabinet painting in Baltimore is a color change for the kitchen or bathroom cabinets you already have, which are cleaned, degreased, sanded, repaired and primed before the boxes, doors and drawer fronts are painted in a hard-wearing finish.
Rise and Prime Painting offers cabinet painting in Baltimore, MD, across the city and Baltimore County, for a full kitchen, a bathroom vanity or a laundry room. A vanity takes the same prep as a kitchen, with extra care on the doors nearest the shower, where steam and splashes land. Plenty of older kitchens in the area have solid wood cabinets in a dated color, and kitchen cabinet painting is the usual alternative to tearing cabinets like those out.
Cooking grease and hand oils are what paint fails to grip on a cabinet door, so the cleaning, sanding and primer take longer than the color coats. Walls, exterior painting and our other residential painting services in the same area are on our page for painters in Baltimore. Whether to paint the cabinets or replace them is covered in our comparison of cost, time and disruption.
- Kitchen and bathroom cabinets
- Cleaned and sanded before primer
- Color and sheen chosen with you
- Free written estimate
Text us a photo of the cabinets.
One photo of the whole kitchen and one up close of the cabinet fronts show us how many doors and drawers there are and what's on them now, and both of those move the price.
Or request the free estimate onlineWhat a cabinet painting job includes.
Everything before the color is there to make paint hold on surfaces that get handled every day.
Cleaning and degreasing
The step nobody sees.
Kitchen cabinets carry cooking grease and hand oils, most of all around the pulls and near the range. Paint won't stick to either, so every surface is cleaned and degreased before it's sanded.
Cabinet boxes and face frames
The part fixed to the wall.
The boxes and the face frames around the openings run the length of the kitchen. Their sides, the toe kick and any exposed end panels are painted to match the doors.
Doors and drawer fronts
Most of what you see.
Doors and drawer fronts are painted on both faces and every edge, since an open kitchen cabinet door shows its back. Raised panels and shaker profiles have inside corners where paint can pool if it's rushed.
Sanding and primer
What the finish holds on to.
The old finish is scuffed so the primer can bite, and the primer is chosen for what the cabinets are made of. Wood, MDF and laminate each need a different one, and a bonding primer matters most on slick surfaces.
Dents, chips and old holes
Filled before any color.
Dings along the bottom rails, chipped edges and the holes left by old hardware are filled and sanded flush. If you're changing to pulls with a different spacing, the old holes are filled at this stage.
Hardware
Off first, back on last.
Knobs and pulls come off before painting so nothing is painted around them. They go back on at the end, or new ones go on if you're changing the hardware along with the color.
Are your kitchen cabinets worth painting?
Painting changes the color and the finish of the cabinets you have, so the layout and the boxes themselves need to be worth keeping.
- Doors and drawer fronts: wood and MDF take paint, laminate needs a bonding primer
- The boxes behind them: sound, square and dry, with doors that still close
- Under the sink: look for board swollen or soft from a leak
- Beside the dishwasher: soft board may need replacing before paint
A kitchen wall seen from the front. Not to scale.
Solid boxes, dated color
Cabinets that are sound, square and dry, with doors that still close, are the ones that reward painting. If the only complaint is the color or a tired finish, paint can give your kitchen a new look without new cabinets.
Wood, MDF or laminate
Solid wood and MDF take paint well with the right primer. Laminate and thermofoil are slick and need a bonding primer, and thermofoil that's peeling away from its core usually can't be painted at all.
Paint or refinish
Cabinet refinishing usually means a new stain or clear coat, which keeps the wood grain showing. Painting covers the grain with an opaque color, and it's the only way to go much lighter than the wood you have now. A refinish suits wood you like with a finish that has worn.
Water damage and swelling
Look under the sink and beside the dishwasher. Particleboard that's swollen or soft from a leak won't take paint smoothly, and that panel or box may need replacing before the rest of the kitchen is painted. A leak that's still active should be fixed first.
From the estimate to the hardware going back on.
In the painting process, nothing is sanded until the counters, floors and appliances are covered.
Estimate and color
The cabinets, their material, their condition and the color you want are looked at together, and the scope and price are written down before work starts.
Kitchen protected
Counters, floors, appliances and the backsplash covered, and the rooms around the kitchen protected from dust.
Cleaned, sanded and repaired
Grease cleaned off, every surface scuffed, and dents, chips and old hardware holes filled and sanded smooth.
Primed and painted
A primer suited to the cabinet material, light sanding between coats, and a hard-wearing finish on the boxes, doors and drawer fronts.
Hardware back and a final look
Hardware back on, doors adjusted so they close evenly, covers off, and a walk through the kitchen with you to catch any touch-ups.
Cabinet colors from recent jobs.
Dark cherry cabinets painted white, and raised panels finished in slate gray: kitchens from recent jobs.
Take it from the people who've hired us.
Cabinet painting questions.
How much should I pay to have my cabinets painted in Baltimore?
The cost to have cabinets painted in Baltimore depends on how many doors and drawer fronts there are, how big the kitchen is, what the cabinets are made of, the repairs they need and how big the color change is. Two kitchens with the same footprint can have very different door counts, which is why a count of cabinet doors and drawers tells a painter more than square footage does. A free written estimate from someone who has seen the cabinets is the number to rely on.
Is it worth it to have kitchen cabinets professionally painted?
Having kitchen cabinets professionally painted is worth it when the cabinet boxes are solid and the layout works, and what you want to change is the color and the finish. Painting keeps your existing cabinets, so the countertops and backsplash stay where they are. When doors are warped, boxes are water-damaged or you want a different layout, replacement is the better spend.
Is it cheaper to paint or refinish cabinets?
Whether painting or refinishing cabinets is cheaper depends on the cabinets and the finish you want, because most of the labor in either job is cleaning, sanding and preparation. Refinishing normally means taking the old finish back and putting a fresh stain or clear coat over the wood, where painting hides the grain under a solid color. Either one keeps the cabinets you have, so both are usually weighed against the cost of replacing them.
Who are the best cabinet painters in Baltimore?
The best cabinet painters in Baltimore hold a Maryland MHIC license, carry insurance, and can tell you exactly how they'll degrease, sand and prime your cabinets before the scope and the price go in writing. The license number can be checked on the state's public lookup before you sign. Rise and Prime Painting is licensed (MHIC #120401) and fully insured.
What paint finish is best for kitchen cabinets?
The best paint finish for kitchen cabinets is usually satin or semi-gloss, because both wipe clean and stand up to hands, steam and splashes better than flatter sheens. On painted cabinets, satin hides small flaws in older doors, and semi-gloss gives a harder, shinier surface that shows them more. For a cabinet paint job, the paint itself should be an enamel made for cabinets and trim.
Do you serve my area?
Rise and Prime offers cabinet painting throughout Baltimore City and Baltimore County, including Towson, Overlea, Rosedale, Parkville, Nottingham, White Marsh, Middle River, Glen Arm and Joppatowne, plus Ellicott City and Harford County. Estimates are free anywhere in that area, for a full kitchen or a single bathroom vanity.
Have someone look at the cabinets.
Send a rough count of the doors and drawers, which room they're in and the color you have in mind, and the price comes back in writing.
- 122 Google reviews, 5.0 average
- EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm
- Fully insured
- 3-Year Workmanship Warranty
Start with a count of doors and drawers.
Tell us which room, roughly how many doors and drawers there are, and the color you want. We'll set up a free estimate and put the scope and the price of the painting project in writing.
Walls and ceilings in the same rooms are interior painting in Baltimore, and the cabinets and the walls can be priced on one free painting estimate.