Before We Come Over

Two cabinet-grade products cover nearly every job we do. One is a waterborne alkyd enamel that lays down flat and tints to almost any shade. The other is a two-part polyurethane that dries much harder once its hardener kicks in. Neither smells strongly, we spray both, and the quote states which one you are getting.

Yes. The key is cleaning off decades of grease, scuffing the old finish and sealing it under a shellac-based primer before the white goes on. Skip any of those steps and the stain bleeds through or the paint peels. With them, a dark 1970s kitchen takes a light colour very well.

They do, because that is how we get a smooth finish. In the booth there is no dust landing in wet paint, the heat stays even and the doors dry lying down. Frames and boxes stay home and get sprayed behind plastic sheeting.

If they are in good shape, yes, over a bonding primer designed for shiny surfaces. Thermofoil that is already peeling is a different story, since paint cannot stick the vinyl back down. We always check the doors by the dishwasher and range first, because they fail before the rest.

Book a few weeks out, a little more in spring and fall when the calendar fills. That lead time lets a sprayed sample door stand in your kitchen for several days, which is the most reliable way to settle on a cabinet painting colour. A single damaged door can often be squeezed in sooner.

Only if the cabinet painting quote says so. Painting the insides costs real money, since the sides, backs and shelves close to double what we spray, and each shelf has to come out and be coated on both faces. Plenty of owners paint only the outsides.

Yes. Built-in cupboards and kitchens in the older houses on Old Derry Road get the same cabinet painting prep as any other kitchen, with extra care for old paint layers and older wood. Where the wood is worth showing, we will suggest refinishing instead.

We replace it and include it in the cabinet painting with all the other doors, so it blends right in. A swollen bottom rail from a sink leak or a cracked centre panel is only one door's problem, and a replacement costs a few hundred dollars. Spraying the whole set together keeps the colour identical.

No. The heavy spraying is done in our booth, not in your home. The coating we use on the boxes at home is waterborne with low fumes, and with fans running the smell fades fast. That matters most in townhouses and apartments with shared walls.

If a new counter is part of the plan, install it first, since setting a counter can nick fresh paint on the frames. Cabinet painting should be the final step after the countertop, tile and plumbing work are done. If the old counter is staying, compare the sample door right against it.

Use a damp soft cloth with a little dish soap. Skip scrub pads, cleaning powders and strong spray cleaners, which can dull or scratch the finish, especially while it is still new. Wipe up spills near the sink right away.

Solid wood gives up moisture when the furnace runs all winter and takes it back in the sticky months. The result can be a hairline gap at the edge of a panel in January that is gone by July. That gap is the wood shifting with the seasons, not the cabinet painting letting go, and flat slab doors show it much less than raised panels.

It is far cheaper. A full kitchen of cabinet painting around Mississauga usually sits at $2,500 to $5,500. New fronts on your present boxes are usually $3,000 to $10,000, and replacing every cabinet begins around $15,000. Only the amount on your written quote applies to your home.