Cabinet Painting › Colors & design
Cabinet Painting Before and After
A cabinet painting before and after shows how much a kitchen can change without new cabinets, since cabinets take up so much of what you see in the room. The kitchens on this page went from cream laminate to white, from wood veneer to gloss white, and from wood veneer to sage green and white. Painting an average kitchen with 20–35 doors and drawers costs $2,500–$4,500 and takes 3–4 days.
Photos make the case better than descriptions. Below are kitchen cabinet painting before and after pairs from our own work, with notes on what changed and what to keep in mind if you're planning something similar.
In each pair, the cabinet boxes, doors and layout are the same. The difference comes from prep, a bonding primer and a sprayed finish.
Oak kitchens painted
Oak cabinets are some of the most common cabinets people want painted, since so many kitchens from the 1980s and 1990s were built with them. The kitchens pictured here are wood veneer rather than oak, but the idea is the same: a warm, wood-toned kitchen turned into a solid, lighter color.
If your cabinets are oak, the main difference is texture. Oak has open grain, and that grain shows through paint as a fine texture unless it's filled before priming. Some people like the texture because it reads as real wood under the paint. Others want a perfectly smooth door. Decide before the job starts, because it changes the prep. Our guide to painting oak cabinets covers the options in detail.
White and color makeovers
These three cabinet painting before and after pairs show the range of what paint can do.
- Cream laminate to white. Laminate cabinets often get written off as unpaintable. With degreasing, scuff-sanding and a bonding primer, this cream laminate kitchen was painted white.
- Wood veneer to gloss white. A wood veneer kitchen finished in gloss white. Gloss reflects a lot of light and shows any flaw in the surface, so it depends on careful sanding and a sprayed finish.
- Wood veneer to sage green and white. A two-color makeover over what was wood veneer. Splitting the kitchen between sage green and white adds color without making the whole room dark.
If you're deciding between white and a color, see kitchen cabinet paint colors for specific shades to sample.
Get your cabinet price
$2,500–$4,500 for an average kitchen, 3–4 days, 2-year warranty. Send photos and we reply the same day.
Get a free quoteRestained wood
Not every cabinet refinishing before and after involves paint. Restaining strips the old finish from wood cabinets and replaces it with a new stain and clear coat, so the grain still shows. A typical before is a faded, worn or orange-toned finish with dull patches near the sink and handles. The after is an even new color under a fresh protective coat.
Restaining photos aren't on this page. If you're considering it, ask about it when you send photos of your kitchen. Restaining works only on real wood and veneer in good shape, costs $80 per door with drawer fronts quoted per job, and keeps the kitchen out of use for 5–7 days.
Bathroom vanities
Vanity photos are coming to this page soon. In the meantime, ask us for examples when you get in touch. Vanities are painted with the same process as kitchen cabinets, with extra attention to moisture around the sink. You can read more in our guide to painting bathroom vanities.
To see what your own kitchen or vanity could look like, send photos of each wall of cabinets and a rough count of doors and drawers. We usually reply with a price the same day. Prices and the full process are on our kitchen cabinet painting page.
Common questions
Do painted cabinets look like new cabinets?
A sprayed finish with no brush marks looks very close to a factory finish. The door style and layout stay the same, so painting changes the color and surface, not the shape of the kitchen.
Can laminate cabinets look good after painting?
Yes. With degreasing, scuff-sanding and a bonding primer, laminate can be painted, as the cream laminate to white kitchen on this page shows.
Will oak grain show through painted cabinets?
Usually yes, as a light texture, because oak has open grain. If you want a completely smooth look, the grain needs to be filled before priming.
How long do painted cabinets last?
A well-prepped, sprayed finish holds up for many years with normal care. Our cabinet painting comes with a 2-year warranty.