Cabinet Painting — Kitchen Cabinets Sprayed, Not Brushed
Sound oak or maple cabinets in a color you are tired of. Painted properly they read as new cabinets for a fraction of a replacement, and the kitchen stays usable while the doors are out.
JMB Builders does cabinet painting for kitchens and bathrooms across the Twin Cities metro. Doors and drawer fronts come off, get numbered, and are degreased, sanded, bonding-primed and sprayed off-site in a cabinet enamel. The boxes and face frames are masked and finished in place. New hinges and pulls go on if you want them. Priced per project, quoted from photos of the kitchen and a door count.
- Priced per project, by door and drawer count
- Doors and drawer fronts sprayed off-site
- Boxes and face frames finished in the kitchen
- Degreased, sanded and bonding-primed first
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Cabinet paint fails on the prep, not the paint. Kitchen cabinets carry years of cooking grease and hand oils, and a paint that goes over that peels at the pulls in a few months. The job starts with a degreaser, then a scuff-sand of every surface, then a bonding primer made to stick to factory finishes. Only then does the enamel go on.
We take the doors and drawer fronts to a spray setup and finish them flat, both sides, with a fine-finish tip, so there are no brush marks and the paint levels like a factory coat. The boxes and face frames stay in the kitchen: countertops, appliances, floors and walls get masked, and the frames are sprayed or brushed with the same enamel. Doors go back on numbered hinges so every door lands where it came from.
Cabinet painting is on our list because we already do the carpentry around it: a new end panel where the old one is water-damaged, a filler strip, crown on top of the uppers, a toe kick, or the trim around a new range hood. Those go on the same quote.
What you supply
- The color and sheen; satin or semi-gloss is usual, and we do a sample door first if you want to see it in the kitchen
- Cabinets emptied, or at least the doors and drawers we are pulling that day
- New hinges, pulls or knobs if you are changing hardware; send the model so we can bore for the new spacing
- A decision on oak grain: leave it showing through the paint, or grain-fill for a smooth look
What JMB supplies
- Doors and drawer fronts removed, numbered to their openings, hardware bagged
- Degreasing, scuff-sanding and a bonding primer on every surface, doors and boxes
- Filling of old hardware holes when the pull spacing changes, and grain filler on oak if you chose it
- Doors and drawer fronts sprayed both sides off-site in a waterborne cabinet enamel, cured flat
- Kitchen masked: counters, floor, appliances, walls and backsplash; boxes and face frames finished in place
- Doors rehung and adjusted so the gaps are even and every door closes on its bumper
- Carpentry that goes with it, quoted on the same sheet: end panels, fillers, crown, toe kicks
- Photos of the finished kitchen in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number of doors and drawer fronts, and how many are glass or have raised panels with more edges to coat
- Wood species and finish: oak that needs grain filling vs. maple or a painted cabinet being recolored
- Condition: grease build-up, peeling old paint, or water damage at the sink base that needs repair
- Hardware change that needs old holes filled and new ones bored
- Inside of the boxes: usually left as is; painted when you want it, and it adds time
- Island, pantry or bathroom vanities added to the kitchen in the same trip
- Carpentry add-ons such as new crown, end panels or a filler strip
Send a photo of each wall of cabinets with the doors closed, one with a door open, and a count of doors and drawers. Say the color. That gives a firm project number.
How long it takes
A typical kitchen: doors out on day one, boxes prepped and finished over two or three days, doors sprayed and cured during the same week, rehung the following week. The kitchen is usable without doors in between.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Oak cabinets to painted white
The most common request in Twin Cities kitchens. Degreased, sanded, bonding primer, then a choice: let the oak grain show through the white, or grain-fill the doors first for a smooth finish. Both are sprayed.
Two-tone kitchen
Uppers in white or a light color, lowers or the island in a dark color. Same prep, two colors, masked at the countertop line.
Repaint previously painted cabinets
Cabinets painted once already and chipping at the pulls. Loose paint sanded off, edges feathered, bonding primer, two coats. A test on one door tells us whether the old coat is sound enough to go over.
Bathroom vanity
One or two vanities on their own or added to a kitchen job. Doors and drawer fronts sprayed off-site; the box finished in place with the top and floor masked.
Paint plus carpentry
New crown on the uppers, a new end panel, a filler where the old one is damaged, or trim around a new hood, installed and painted with the cabinets so it all matches.
Cabinet Painting — Kitchen Cabinets Sprayed, Not Brushed: questions, answered
Can oak cabinets be painted?
Yes, and it is the most common cabinet job in the Twin Cities. Oak has an open grain that shows through paint as a texture. Some people like it; if you want a smooth door the grain gets filled and sanded before primer, which adds a step and cost. Either way the cabinets are degreased, scuff-sanded and bonding-primed, then sprayed.
Do you spray or brush kitchen cabinets?
Doors and drawer fronts are sprayed off-site, lying flat, with a fine-finish tip, so there are no brush marks and the enamel levels like a factory finish. The boxes and face frames stay in the kitchen and are sprayed with everything masked, or brushed where masking is not practical. Both get the same enamel, so the sheen matches.
How long are my cabinet doors off?
Usually about a week. The doors are pulled on the first day, sprayed and cured while the boxes are being finished in the kitchen, and rehung when the enamel is hard enough to handle. The cabinets work without doors in the meantime, so the kitchen stays in use.
What paint do you use on cabinets?
A waterborne cabinet enamel, which is made to cure hard, resist grease and fingerprints, and not stay tacky the way a wall paint would on a door edge. It goes over a bonding primer made for slick factory finishes. The enamel is dry to the touch quickly, but it keeps hardening for a few weeks, so we say go easy on the doors at first.
Can I change the hardware when the cabinets are painted?
Yes, and it is the right time to do it. If the new pulls have a different hole spacing we fill the old holes before primer and bore the new ones after the finish coat, using a jig so every pull lands in the same place. Send the model of the pull or hinge with the photos and it goes on the quote.
Is painting cabinets worth it compared to replacing them?
When the boxes are solid and the layout works, painting gets you a kitchen that reads as new for a fraction of a replacement, without the demolition and the weeks without a kitchen. When the boxes are particleboard swelling at the sink, the doors are warped, or you want a different layout, painting is money spent on cabinets you will replace. We tell you which one you have from the photos.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All painting pages
Where we work
Painting near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: