How much cheaper is refinishing than replacing?

Substantially. Refinishing keeps the existing boxes, so you pay for labour and materials rather than new cabinetry, and the job takes days instead of weeks.

How long does cabinet refinishing take?

Typically three to six days for a kitchen, depending on the number of doors and drawers.

Will the finish peel?

Not if it is done properly. Peeling comes from skipped degreasing and sanding. We clean, sand, prime and use a finish made for cabinetry.

Can laminate cabinets be refinished?

Sometimes, but not always. Laminate and thermofoil can be difficult, and we will tell you straight if yours are not a good candidate.

Can you change the colour completely?

Yes, including dark wood to white, which is the most requested change.

Cabinet Refinishing Cincinnati | Kitchen Cabinet Painting

Kitchen cabinet refinishing before and after in Cincinnati — Our work: cabinets refinished, before and after.

Refinish or replace?

If the cabinet boxes are solid, the doors close properly and the layout works, refinishing gives you most of the visual result of a new kitchen for a fraction of the cost and in days rather than weeks. If the boxes are water damaged or sagging, or you need the layout to change, replacement is the honest answer and we will say so.

We would rather turn down a replacement you do not need than sell it to you. Most of our work comes from referrals, and that only keeps happening if people feel they were dealt with straight.

Why cabinets are the hardest surface to get right

Cabinets are touched, cleaned and knocked every day, and kitchen cabinets carry a film of cooking grease whether you can see it or not. Paint applied over that film will peel at the edges within a year no matter how expensive it was. The job is won in the preparation: degreasing thoroughly, sanding to give the primer something to hold, priming correctly, and using a finish formulated for cabinetry rather than wall paint.

Cherry oak cabinets refinished by Pronto Painting Cincinnati — Our work: cherry oak cabinetry refinished.

How the job runs

Day one: doors and drawer fronts removed and labelled, hardware off, boxes masked
Degrease and sand every surface that will take finish
Prime, with a product chosen for your cabinet material
Finish coats, applied for an even surface without brush texture
Cure time before rehanging, so the finish hardens rather than marking
Rehang and adjust, with new hardware if you want it

Typically three to six days for a kitchen. You keep use of the kitchen for most of it, though the doors will be off for part of the week.

Bathroom vanities too

Vanities take even more moisture punishment than kitchen cabinets, so the product choice matters more. See bathroom remodeling if you are considering the whole room rather than just the cabinetry.

Bathroom cabinet refinishing before and after by Pronto Painting — Our work: bathroom cabinetry, before and after.

Where we work

Our shop is on Leona Drive, so the West Side is home: Covedale, Cheviot, Bridgetown, Green Township, Colerain Township, Westwood and Delhi Township. We also work throughout greater Cincinnati including Madeira, Indian Hill, Kenwood, Hyde Park, Oakley, Mariemont and Anderson Township, and across the river in Florence, Kentucky.

Common questions

How much cheaper is refinishing than replacing?: Substantially. You pay for labour and materials rather than new cabinetry, and the job takes days instead of weeks.
How long does it take?: Typically three to six days for a kitchen, depending on the number of doors and drawers.
Will the finish peel?: Not if it is done properly. Peeling comes from skipped degreasing and sanding.
Can laminate cabinets be refinished?: Sometimes, but not always. We will tell you straight if yours are not a good candidate.
Can you change the colour completely?: Yes, including dark wood to white, which is the most requested change we do.

Cabinet Refinishing in Cincinnati