Cabinet Painting Denver CO | Summit Painting

Cabinet painting in Denver ranges from $1,800–3,000 for a small kitchen (up to 20 doors) to $3,500–4,500 for a large kitchen with 30+ doors, drawer fronts, and an island. Bathroom vanities are typically $400–$900 depending on size. These prices include removal, prep, primer, two finish coats, and reinstallation. Two-tone finishes (island vs. perimeter) add $300–$500 to account for additional masking and color changes.

Most Denver kitchen cabinet projects take 3–5 days from start to finish. Day 1 is disassembly, degreasing, and priming. Days 2–3 involve spraying doors off-site and painting cabinet boxes in place. Days 4–5 are reassembly, hardware installation, and touch-up. We stage the project so your kitchen is never fully unusable — at minimum the sink and counters remain accessible each evening.

For structurally sound cabinets with solid boxes and doors, painting is almost always worth it. New kitchen cabinets in Denver typically cost $15,000–$35,000 installed; cabinet painting achieves a comparable visual transformation for $1,800–4,500. The result is particularly compelling for older Denver homes with solid-wood cabinets that were built to a higher standard than most modern production cabinets. We can tell you honestly during our assessment if your cabinets are worth painting or if replacement makes more sense.

We use Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel or Benjamin Moore Advance for most Denver cabinet projects. Both are waterborne alkyd enamels that cure to an extremely hard, durable surface comparable to an oil-based finish, without the yellowing or long dry times. For the hardest-wearing finish possible, we offer Sherwin-Williams Polyurethane CV (conversion varnish) as an upgrade, which is the same product used in commercial cabinet manufacturing.

Not if done correctly. The most common cause of cabinet paint peeling in Denver is inadequate surface prep — specifically, painting over factory lacquer without sanding and priming. We sand all existing finishes to 180-grit, apply a bonding primer rated for slick surfaces, and use a catalyzed enamel topcoat. Our finishes typically last 8–12 years with normal use and Denver’s low-humidity environment is actually beneficial for paint durability indoors.

Yes — going from dark to light is our most common cabinet request in Denver, particularly for older homes with dark stained wood cabinets. We use a white-tinted shellac-based primer as a barrier coat to prevent dark stain from bleeding through, followed by 2–3 coats of white or off-white enamel. The process takes slightly longer and costs approximately 10–15% more than a standard color change.

Yes — please empty all upper cabinets and the lower cabinets below the counter before Day 1. Pots, pans, dishes, and pantry items should be boxed and moved to another room. Counter items, appliances, and food should also be cleared. We cover all countertops with rosin paper and plastic sheeting during the project to protect surfaces from overspray.

Thermofoil cabinets — common in 1990s–2000s Denver homes — can be painted but require a specific approach. The thermofoil must be fully adhered with no peeling or bubbling edges; delaminated thermofoil must be stripped before painting. We apply a Zinsser BIN shellac primer to raw MDF and use a self-crosslinking enamel topcoat. We always advise clients on what to expect with laminate before committing to the project.

We can color-match to an existing cabinet paint color if the original product information is available. However, painted cabinet surfaces in Denver will have some degree of sheen variation and aging even after just 2–3 years, so a partial repaint on a subset of doors will look slightly different than the originals. For the most cohesive result, we recommend painting all doors and drawer fronts together even if only some show wear.

We paint visible cabinet interior boxes (the back and sides visible when doors are open) as part of our standard process. Full interior shelf painting — including all shelves and drawer interiors — is available as an add-on and adds $300–$600 to the project depending on cabinet count. Most clients opt for this when doing a full kitchen color change from dark to white.