How long does it realistically take to paint kitchen cabinets?
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Anonymous
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We have a medoim sized kitchen with around 18-20 cabinet doors and drawers. We have three weeks before we move in and I wanted to paint the kitchen cabinets before we do. They are a light honey oak right now, very well maintained. I was planning on doing them myself but I asked our contractor for an estimate and was quoted around 1700. Now I'm wondering if I should just get them to do it (I need to work around 30 extra hours at my side job to earn that much, maybe that is a better option, and I can get a more professional outcome?) Im not particularly handy, and always overestimate the work involved, and don't know if I'll do a good job myself.
If I were doing them myself, how long will it realistically take? |
Anonymous
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Our kitchen is larger, about 38-40 cabinets/drawers. It took my husband and father roughly 3 days working 10 hours a day.
My husband said if he could do it again, he would've paid someone else. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| Thanks for the response, yeah, that what I was thinking. Maybe I should stick to what I'm good at, and let the professionals do what they're good at. |
Anonymous
Same experience for me. You also need to take into account the quality of the work. I think I did a decent job but a pro would definitely have been better. |
Anonymous
| Pain the boxes and get new door and drawer fronts. I tell look better and last longer. The sanding will take a long time and you will never get as good a painted finish as a professional shop with a varnish special spray paint. |
Anonymous
| 1700 sounds very reasonable. I'd go for the pro here. |
Anonymous
Isn't that much more expensive, like $8k which is like half a new cabinet install. |
Anonymous
Agree, and they know what they are doing and have the equipment to get a more professional look. It is way more of a pain to pant cabinets than most people realize. |
Anonymous
I agree as well. It is a time consuming and tedious job to do correctly. |
Anonymous
| I did it myself, and I took my time. I sanded everything down, and used Ben Moore paint that is specially for cabinets (so not cheap stuff, as paint goes). It hasn't held up, and I wish I'd paid for someone else to do it. |
Anonymous
| I would also go with the pro. We had our oak cabinets painted and the end result was fantastic. Ive done a lot of diy but I dont think I would have been able to make the cabinets look as good as they did. If I remember right, 1 day was prep, 1 day was paint, then they did another coat which wasnt planned but coat 1 didnt look great. I would say probably 4 days from prep to dry time |
Anonymous
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$1,700 is very inexpensive for that job. So much so that I question the quality.
For 38 doors and drawers, I've been quoted upwards of $6,000. |
Anonymous
Same here. I took a full week of off work. I watched a billion you tube videos. I did the sanding with a rented sander, I bought the cabinet pant that is liquid gold, etc etc. It looks great BUT i literally have to touch it up monthly. It just cannot take the life of my three kids. I think if my kids were older and my cabinets weren't constantly being open and shut that might be different. |
Anonymous
| Use chalk paint with poly and you won't have to sand. Chalk paint is very very forgiving. |
Anonymous
| Don't do it yourself, it will look awful and will chip. The previous owners of our home painted the cabinets and they are CRAP. |