Kitchen cabinets are usually the single most expensive component of a kitchen remodel, and they are also frequently the component that did not actually need replacing. If your boxes are structurally sound, your drawers still run properly and the layout works for how you cook, refinishing will get you the large majority of the visual change for a small fraction of the cost.

What you are actually paying for

Replacement means new boxes, new doors, demolition, disposal, installation, and almost always some knock-on work: countertops have to come off and usually cannot be reused, backsplash gets damaged, and plumbing and electrical may need adjusting. Refinishing means labour and materials on the surfaces you already own. Nothing gets torn out, the counters stay, the backsplash stays, and the kitchen is out of full service for days rather than weeks.

When refinishing is clearly the right call

  • The cabinet boxes are solid wood or good-quality plywood and are not water damaged
  • You are happy with the layout and the storage
  • The doors are a style you can live with, or you are willing to buy new doors and keep the boxes
  • Your main complaint is the colour, the finish or the dated look

When replacement genuinely makes more sense

  • The boxes are particleboard and have swollen from a leak under the sink
  • You want to change the layout, move the sink, or add an island
  • Drawer boxes are failing and hardware is beyond replacing
  • The cabinets are thermofoil and the facing is peeling away from the substrate

The oak question

A great many Central Arkansas kitchens have honey oak cabinets from the eighties and nineties. They are usually built better than anything you would get at the same price today, which makes them excellent refinishing candidates. The one thing to decide is whether you want the grain to show. Oak is open-grained, so a straight paint job will still read as textured wood. If you want a completely smooth, modern finish, the doors need a grain filler step first. It adds labour, and we quote it both ways so you can choose.

What the finish is actually like

A sprayed cabinet finish, done with a proper bonding primer and a cabinet-grade topcoat, is harder and smoother than anything achievable with a brush and roller. It is not the same thing as painting furniture. Doors come off, get degreased, scuff sanded, filled, primed and sprayed flat so there are no runs, with sanding between coats. That process is most of why it takes several days rather than an afternoon.

Amaya G Painting works throughout Little Rock and Central Arkansas. Call (501) 453-3565 for a free estimate.