Every week someone in Central Connecticut prices out a kitchen remodel, sees the cabinet line item, and quietly closes the tab. Here is the conversation we have on those estimates, with the honest numbers behind it.
What replacement actually costs
For an average kitchen, new cabinets installed typically land somewhere between $15,000 and $40,000 or more, depending on whether you go stock, semi-custom, or custom. Refacing, where the boxes stay and the doors and veneers are replaced, usually runs $8,000 to $15,000. Those are ballparks, but they are honest ones, and they surprise almost everyone.
What cabinet painting costs
A professional spray-finish cabinet job is typically a quarter to a third of replacement cost for the same visual transformation. The exact number depends on how many doors and drawer fronts you have, the condition of the existing finish, and the color change. Dawid gives you a straight number after a walkthrough, free, no pressure.
When painting is the right call
Painting wins when the boxes are structurally solid, the layout already works for you, and the problem is the finish: dated oak, yellowed white, or a color that stopped being your taste a decade ago. Most Bristol-area kitchens built in the last forty years fit that description perfectly.
When it is not
We will tell you straight if paint is the wrong answer: boxes swollen from water damage, particleboard falling apart, or a layout that fights you every morning. Paint fixes finishes, not floor plans. If replacement is genuinely the better move, you will hear it from us at the estimate.
Why some painted cabinets chip, and ours do not
Cabinets are the most-touched surfaces in the house, and kitchen grease is primer's worst enemy. The jobs that chip by spring skipped the boring parts: degreasing, sanding, and a bonding primer made for cabinetry. We pull and label every door, prep every surface, and spray the topcoats in controlled coats for a factory-smooth finish that stands up to daily use. Here is the full process.