How Much Does It Cost to Paint Kitchen Cabinets?

Professional cabinet painting in Colorado Springs costs between $2,000 and $6,500 for most kitchens, with prices driven by door count, prep work, and paint quality. For a small kitchen (10–15 doors), expect $1,000–$4,000; medium kitchens (20–30 doors) run $4,000–$7,000; large kitchens (35+ doors) cost $7,000–$12,000.

Key Takeaways

• Colorado Springs cabinet painting: $2,000–$6,500 for standard kitchens; $100–$250 per door.
• Small kitchens: $1,000–$4,000; Medium: $4,000–$7,000; Large: $7,000–$12,000.
• Professional cabinet paints cost $80–$100 per gallon; standard wall paint fails within one year.
• Door count is the biggest cost driver; heavy grease buildup requires extra prep time and cost.

How much does professional cabinet painting cost in Colorado Springs?

For most kitchens in the Colorado Springs area, professional cabinet painting runs between $2,000 and $6,500. The national average lands around $3,000 for a standard kitchen with a typical cabinet count.

Here is how that breaks down by kitchen size:

• Small kitchen (10 to 15 cabinets/doors): $1,000 to $4,000
• Medium kitchen (20 to 30 cabinets/doors): $4,000 to $7,000
• Large kitchen (35+ cabinets/doors): $7,000 to $12,000

Some contractors price by the door or drawer front: expect $100 to $250 per door at the professional end. Others price by linear foot at $30 to $60 per foot of cabinet run.

What factors drive cabinet painting costs?

Number of doors and drawer fronts. This is the single biggest variable. Doors are the labor-intensive part: they get removed, degreased, sanded, primed, painted on both sides, and rehung. A kitchen with lots of upper cabinets and a pantry wall can have 30 to 40 individual doors and drawers.

Current condition of the cabinets. Cabinets that have never been cleaned thoroughly, or that have years of grease baked into the surface from cooking, require more prep time. Grease prevents paint from bonding, so degreasing is not optional. Heavy buildup adds time and cost.

Whether the boxes get painted. Some homeowners only want the doors and drawer fronts done; others want the cabinet boxes (the frames and interiors visible when doors are open) included. Box painting adds time and materials.

Color change. Going from a dark wood stain to a crisp white requires more primer and more coats than a lighter-to-lighter change. Some dramatic transitions need a shellac-based stain-blocking primer to prevent the old color or tannins from bleeding through.

Hardware. Painting around existing hardware takes time. If hardware is being replaced, new holes may need to be drilled and old ones filled, which is additional prep work.

Why does cabinet paint type matter more than standard wall paint?

Cabinet paint is not the same as wall paint. Cabinets take daily abuse: repeated opening and closing, contact with water, cleaning products, food, and grease. Standard latex wall paint will fail on cabinets within a year.

Professional painters use waterborne alkyd paints for cabinets, which are sometimes called alkyd-hybrid or enamel paints. Two products consistently top blind testing by painting professionals and independent reviewers:

• Benjamin Moore Advance Waterborne Alkyd: Water cleanup, low odor, exceptional leveling (brush strokes self-smooth as it dries), and a hard durable finish. This is the most widely recommended cabinet paint among professional painters.
• Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel: A urethane-modified alkyd formula with outstanding hardness and a very smooth finish. Slightly more expensive but performs at the same level.

Both of these paints are significantly more expensive than standard interior paint, often $80 to $100 per gallon. That cost is built into professional quotes for a reason. Using a cheaper product to save $20 per gallon on a job you are paying thousands of dollars for is not a trade-off worth making.

DIY Cabinet Painting: What It Actually Costs

DIY materials for a standard kitchen cabinet paint project run $200 to $600 depending on kitchen size. That includes degreaser, sandpaper, primer, two gallons of waterborne alkyd paint, brushes, mini rollers, and painter's tape.

What that does not account for is time. Cabinet painting done correctly takes 20 to 40 hours across multiple days, since each coat needs to dry before sanding or applying the next coat. Many DIYers underestimate this and rush the process, which shows in the results.

The most common DIY failure points: inadequate degreasing, skipping primer, applying too thick a coat (which sags on vertical surfaces), and not sanding lightly between coats. On a surface as visible and touch-trafficked as kitchen cabinets, those mistakes are very apparent.

DIY makes the most sense if you have experience with painting trim or furniture, are willing to invest the time properly, and have a small kitchen with straightforward cabinet layouts.

Cabinet Painting vs. Refacing vs. Replacing

Cabinet painting is the least expensive option by a significant margin. For comparison:

• Painting: $2,000 to $6,500 professionally
• Refacing (new door fronts, veneer on boxes, keeping existing layout): $6,000 to $18,000
• Full replacement (new cabinet boxes, doors, installation): $15,000 to $50,000+

Painting makes sense when the cabinet boxes are in solid structural condition, the layout works for how you use the kitchen, and the goal is an updated look without a full renovation budget. If the boxes are warped, the layout is inefficient, or the doors are particleboard that has delaminated, replacement may be the better long-term investment.

For most Colorado Springs kitchens with solid wood or plywood-construction cabinets in good structural shape, painting is an excellent value.

What to Expect from a Professional Job

A properly done professional cabinet paint job should last 8 to 15 years before needing to be redone, provided the right paint was used and the surface was properly prepared. A rushed or improperly prepped job may start chipping or peeling within 12 to 18 months.

Look for painters who remove the doors and paint them flat (rather than painting in place), who use a dedicated cabinet enamel rather than interior wall paint, and who can explain their prep process including what degreaser and primer they use.

719 Painting provides free estimates for cabinet painting projects in Colorado Springs. We use Benjamin Moore Advance or Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane exclusively for cabinet work and can walk you through exactly what your kitchen needs. Call us at (719) 822-0767 or schedule your free estimate online.

Sources:

• How Much Does It Cost to Paint Kitchen Cabinets? (Angi)
• Cabinet Painting Cost in 2025 (Caldwell Painting)
• Best Cabinet Paint: Honest Review (Refresh Living)
• Best Paints for Trim and Cabinets: Sherwin-Williams vs. Benjamin Moore (Graystone Painting)