Planning ranges compiled from published sources, what moves a quote up
or down, and the questions that make two bids actually comparable.
Budget step 01 · Published ranges
Typical cabinet painting pricing
Ranges below are compiled from published cost sources, not
from quotes we have issued. Use them to sanity-check a bid, not to replace one.
Compiled from published sourcesThe published national average lands near $4,000 for a typical kitchen. These figures assume sound boxes and no structural repair. Cabinet repairs run $150 to $500 and hardware installation $100 to $1,000 on top. Anyone quoting without opening a door and checking whether the fronts are wood, thermofoil, or laminate is guessing.
Scope noteThese are planning figures for budgeting, not a quote. Conditions at the property, current material costs and access all move the real number.
Published ranges · per kitchen
Scope
Small kitchen, 70-100 sq ft of cabinet surface
Typical range
$1,000 – $3,500
Most common
$2,250
Scope
Mid-size kitchen, 100-200 sq ft of cabinet surface
Two honest quotes on the same property can differ by a wide
margin. These are usually why.
Cost drivers
Door and drawer count
Labor scales with the number of pieces, not the size of the room. A galley kitchen with 30 doors costs more than a large kitchen with fewer, larger slab fronts and open shelving.
Substrate of the fronts
Solid wood and MDF take paint readily. Thermofoil, melamine, and laminate need a specialty adhesion primer and still carry more risk of edge peeling, which raises both the price and the caution in the quote.
Spray booth versus on-site
Doors sprayed off-site in a controlled space cure cleaner and cost more in transport and shop time. On-site spraying is cheaper but requires heavy masking and leaves the kitchen unusable longer.
Grain filling and profile
Red oak has deep open grain that shows through paint unless it is filled and sanded, adding significant labor. Heavily routed raised-panel doors also take longer to prep than flat shaker fronts.
Coating chosen
A catalyzed conversion varnish or two-component urethane costs more in material and equipment than a waterborne alkyd, and cures harder. The coating line item is a small share of the total but a large share of durability.
Interiors and added work
Painting cabinet interiors, shelves, and the inside of door frames can add a third or more to the labor. New hardware, drawer boxes, soft-close hinges, and crown molding are separate line items.
Budget step 03 · Comparing bids
Ask every bidder the same questions
The differences in the answers are the real difference
between the numbers.
Checklist
Which primer will you use, and why that one for my specific door substrate?
What is the topcoat product, and how long does it need to cure to full hardness?
Are doors sprayed off-site or in my house, and how is overspray contained?
Do you fill the grain on oak, or will the grain show through the finish?
Are cabinet interiors and shelf edges included in this price or extra?
How do you handle old hardware holes if I switch to a different pull spacing?
What does the warranty cover, and does it exclude peeling on non-wood fronts?
This page is budgeting information, not an estimate for
your property. The independent provider sets its own price and scope.
Next useful step
Send the actual project facts.
A real quote needs the property, the scope and the access notes.