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Professional cabinet painting costs $30 to $70 per linear foot of cabinets or $70 to $125 per door, according to HomeGuide and Fixr, and restaining costs $4 to $15 per square foot of cabinet surface. Doing it yourself costs a fraction of that: in our worked example, a kitchen with 22 doors, 10 drawer fronts and 30 linear feet of cabinets comes to about $220 in paint, primer and supplies, against $900 to $3,850 for a pro. The cabinet refinishing cost calculator below gives you both numbers for your own kitchen, plus how much paint and primer to buy and how long the job takes.
The four big cost guides disagree more on cabinets than on almost any other painting job, because painters price them three different ways: by the linear foot, by the door and drawer, or by the square foot of surface. The calculator shows both main pricing methods side by side, so a quote that lands in the range is a fair one. Every pro price comes from a named cost guide with its date, every coverage and drying time from the paint maker’s data sheet, and every price in the tool can be edited.
⚡ Quick Answers
Paint an average kitchen (22 doors, 10 drawer fronts, 30 linear feet): $900 to $3,850 with a pro; about $220 DIY.
Restain the same kitchen: $850 to $3,170 with a pro at $4 to $15 per sq ft; about $300 DIY.
Per door: $70 to $125, plus $30 to $110 per drawer front (HomeGuide, Fixr).
Average professional refinishing job: $3,116, with most between $1,992 and $4,494 (HomeAdvisor, Angi).
Cabinet Refinishing Cost Calculator
Count the doors and drawer fronts, and measure the linear feet of cabinets: run a tape along the base cabinets and the wall cabinets separately and add the two. Pick paint or restain, the paint and primer, and the estimate updates as you type. Open Edit the prices and sizes we use to put in your store’s prices or your real door sizes.
Cabinet refinishing cost calculator
Your estimate
Hire a pro
$900 to $3,850
Linear foot quote $900 to $2,100; per door and drawer $1,840 to $3,850
Do it yourself
about $220
in paint, primer and supplies
Doing it yourself saves roughly $680 to $3,630, in exchange for about 32 to 63 hours of your time.
- Surface to finish
- 212 sq ft
- Paint to buy
- 1 gallon + 2 quarts paint, 2 quarts primer
- DIY labor
- 32 to 63 hours
- Drying between coats
- at least 4.75 h per side
Your DIY shopping list
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Urethane-modified alkyd enamel, 2 coats | 1 gallon + 2 quarts | $105 |
| Shellac primer, 1 coat | 2 quarts | $23 |
| 220-grit sanding sponges or sheets | 9 | $32 |
| Brush for profiles and edges | 1 | $13 |
| Mini roller kit for flat panels | 1 | $14 |
| Painter’s tape | 2 rolls | $15 |
| Wood filler or patch | 1 | $8 |
| Drop cloths | 2 | $13 |
| DIY total | $222 | |
Also on the list, not priced: a degreaser, tack cloths, a screwdriver and bags to label the hinges, a dust mask, and a sander if you don’t own one (see the best sanders for cabinets). If you degloss instead of scuff-sanding every surface, budget about 3 to 5 32 oz bottles of liquid deglosser.
Show the math
Surface
- 22 doors × 3.5 sq ft × 2 sides + 10 drawer fronts × 1.25 sq ft + 30 ft × 1.5 sq ft of frames and ends = 211.5 sq ft
Pro quote
- By the linear foot: 30 ft × $30 to $70 = $900 to $2,100
- By the piece: 22 doors × $70 to $125 + 10 drawer fronts × $30 to $110 = $1,840 to $3,850
- Range covering both pricing methods: $900 to $3,850
- Total, rounded to $10: $900 to $3,850
DIY
- Paint: 212 sq ft × 2 coats ÷ 350 sq ft per gallon × 1.1 = 1.33 gal, bought as 1 gallon + 2 quarts, priced pro rata
- Primer: 212 × 1 ÷ 500 × 1.1 = 0.47 gal, bought as 2 quarts
- Sanding: one 220-grit sponge or sheet per 25 sq ft for the scuff and the light sand between coats = 9
- Drying between coats, per side: 1 × 0.75 h primer + 1 × 4 h paint = 4.75 h
- Labor: 212 sq ft × 0.15 to 0.3 h per sq ft = 32 to 63 h
Pro ranges are national figures from HomeGuide, Fixr, HomeAdvisor and Angi; DIY supply prices are the midpoints of HomeGuide’s cabinet painting supply list, and every price can be edited. Coverage and recoat times come from each maker’s data sheet. Surface area and sandpaper counts are our planning estimates, explained below the calculator. This is an estimate, not a quote.
How Much Does It Cost to Paint Kitchen Cabinets?
Cabinet painters quote in one of three ways, and the four best-known cost guides publish ranges for each. These are the figures the calculator uses, with the date each guide was last updated:
| Cost guide (updated) | Per linear foot | Per door | Per drawer front | Typical kitchen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HomeGuide (Feb 21, 2025) | $30 to $70; sprayed $40 to $100 | $70 to $125 | $30 to $110 | $2,000 to $6,500 |
| Fixr (Jan 27, 2026) | $30 to $70 | $70 to $125 | $30 to $110 | $2,500 to $6,500, average $4,000 |
| HomeAdvisor (Jun 20, 2026) | $30 to $60 | Not given | Not given | $425 to $1,466, average $942 |
| Angi (Sep 8, 2026) | $30 to $60 | $100 to $250 | Not given | $425 to $1,466 |
Why the Guides Disagree
HomeAdvisor and Angi report a much lower typical total, $425 to $1,466, than HomeGuide ($2,000 to $6,500) or Fixr ($2,500 to $6,500). The guides don’t say which jobs sit inside each average. HomeAdvisor’s comes from the costs reported by more than 10,000 of its customers, and its own example of a 10 by 10 foot kitchen is $300 to $1,000; HomeGuide and Fixr describe an average kitchen with full prep, primer and two coats. The per-unit prices agree far better: every guide puts the linear foot at $30 to $60 or $70. That is why the calculator works from your counts, not from a “typical kitchen”.
Linear Foot or Per Door?
The two methods can give quite different totals for the same kitchen. A kitchen with many small doors costs more per door than per foot; a long run of cabinets with few, wide doors costs more per foot. The calculator shows both and uses the full spread as the pro range. When you get quotes, ask each painter how they price and whether the face frames, cabinet boxes and the inside of the doors are included.
Brushed or Sprayed
HomeGuide prices spray-painted cabinets at $40 to $100 per linear foot, against $30 to $70 for brushing and rolling, because spraying needs more masking and prep; Fixr, on the other hand, says spraying is often cheaper because application is faster. Choose Spray in the calculator to see HomeGuide’s range. Spraying gives the smoothest finish, which is why HomeAdvisor calls it the best method for cabinets.
Labor Is Most of the Bill
Labor is 80% to 85% of a professional cabinet painting job according to HomeGuide, about 85% according to Fixr and HomeAdvisor, and 70% to 80% according to Angi. Cabinet painters charge $25 to $75 an hour (HomeGuide), more than wall painters, because of the prep: removing doors, degreasing, sanding and priming. That is also why the DIY savings are so large.
What Pushes the Price Up
- Tall cabinets: HomeGuide says painters charge up to 10% more for cabinets taller than 8 feet.
- Repairs: $120 to $600 extra to fix damage before painting (HomeGuide); HomeAdvisor gives $140 to $500.
- New hardware: $6 to $60 per knob or pull, installed (HomeGuide).
- Detail and color: raised panels and carvings take longer, and going from dark to white usually needs an extra coat of primer or paint (HomeGuide, Fixr).
How Much Does It Cost to Refinish Cabinets?
Refinishing in the strict sense means stripping the old finish and restaining the wood. HomeGuide puts it at $1,500 to $4,500 for an average kitchen; HomeAdvisor (updated June 17, 2026) and Angi (August 31, 2026) give an average of $3,116, with most projects between $1,992 and $4,494. Per square foot of cabinet surface, the guides price it by method:
| Refinishing method | HomeGuide (per sq ft) | HomeAdvisor (per sq ft) | Angi (per sq ft) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaining | $4 to $15 | $4 to $10 | $4 to $15 |
| Painting | $3 to $15 | $6 to $14 | $3 to $10 |
| Glazing over paint | $10 to $25 | $10 to $25 | $9 to $25 |
| Varnishing | Not given | $6 to $16 | $6 to $16 |
HomeGuide counts cabinet surface as the cabinet exteriors, both sides of the doors and the drawer fronts: 150 to 250 sq ft for a small kitchen, 250 to 400 for an average one and 400 to 600 for a large one. The calculator estimates your surface from your counts, and you can replace the door and drawer sizes with your own. Only solid wood and wood veneer can be restained; MDF, laminate and Thermofoil can only be painted.
Paint, Refinish, Reface or Replace?
| Option | What it involves | Cost (HomeGuide) | Other guides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paint | Clean, sand, prime and paint the existing cabinets | $2,000 to $6,500 | HomeAdvisor $425 to $1,466; Fixr average $4,000 |
| Refinish (restain) | Strip, sand, stain and clear-coat | $1,500 to $4,500 | HomeAdvisor and Angi $1,992 to $4,494, average $3,116 |
| Replace doors only | New doors and drawer fronts on the old boxes | $2,200 to $6,600 | Not given |
| Reface | Veneer over the boxes plus new doors and drawer fronts | $5,000 to $13,000 | HomeAdvisor $4,300 to $10,000; Fixr average $8,250 |
| Replace | New cabinet boxes, doors and drawers | $4,500 to $15,000 | Fixr average $8,000 |
Painting and refinishing keep your cabinet boxes and doors, so they only make sense when those are solid and you like the layout. Refacing keeps the boxes but gives you new doors; replacing changes everything. My guide to how to refinish kitchen cabinets explains how to tell whether yours are worth refinishing.
DIY Cost: What You Buy and How Much
The Supply List
HomeGuide puts the DIY cost of painting kitchen cabinets at $200 to $600 for paint and supplies, and Angi and HomeAdvisor give the same range. The calculator prices each item at the midpoint of HomeGuide’s supply list:
| Item | HomeGuide price range | Calculator default |
|---|---|---|
| Paint | $20 to $70 per gallon (latex $20 to $60, alkyd $25 to $70) | $70 per gallon |
| Primer | $35 to $50 per gallon | $45 per gallon |
| Brushes | $10 to $15 | $12.50 |
| Paint roller kit | $8 to $20 | $14 |
| Patching compound | $6 to $10 | $8 |
| Painter’s tape | $5 to $10 | $7.50 a roll |
| Sandpaper | $2 to $5 | $3.50 a sponge or sheet |
| Drop cloth | $3 to $10 | $6.50 |
Cabinet enamels from paint stores often cost more than HomeGuide’s $70 top; put your store’s price in the calculator. HomeGuide also lists a paint sprayer rental at $40 to $100 a day as an option; the calculator assumes brush and roller.
How Much Paint and Primer
Paint is the easy part to estimate once you know the surface. The calculator multiplies the surface by the number of coats, divides by the maker’s coverage and adds 10% for waste, then rounds up to gallons and quarts. It uses the low end of each maker’s range, because cabinets have edges and profiles that eat paint:
| Product | Coverage (maker) | Calculator uses |
|---|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel | 350 to 400 sq ft per gallon | 350 |
| Benjamin Moore Advance | 400 to 500 sq ft per gallon | 400 |
| INSL-X Cabinet Coat | 350 to 450 sq ft per gallon | 350 |
| Zinsser B-I-N shellac primer | About 500 sq ft per gallon | 500 |
| Zinsser Cover Stain oil primer | 400 to 450 sq ft per gallon | 400 |
| INSL-X Stix bonding primer | 300 to 400 sq ft per gallon | 300 |
| Oil-based wood stain (Minwax Wood Finish) | 400 to 500 sq ft per gallon | 400 |
| General Finishes High Performance topcoat | 500 to 600 sq ft per gallon | 500 |
For the average kitchen in our example (about 212 sq ft of surface), two coats of a 350 sq ft-per-gallon enamel need 1 gallon and 2 quarts, and one coat of shellac primer needs 2 quarts. HomeAdvisor’s rule of thumb, about two gallons for an average kitchen with two coats, is in the same range. My best paint for cabinets guide compares the paints and primers themselves.
How Long It Takes
HomeGuide estimates 30 to 60 hours to paint 200 sq ft of cabinets yourself, including prep, priming and two coats, and the calculator scales that to your surface. Angi gives 20 to 40 hours or more. Drying time comes on top: the calculator adds up the makers’ recoat times for each coat on one side of the doors, and you need roughly double that because doors have two sides. A professional crew takes three to five days (HomeGuide).
How the Calculator Works
- Pro quote, paint: linear feet × $30 to $70 ($40 to $100 sprayed), and doors × $70 to $125 plus drawer fronts × $30 to $110. With both counts entered, the range runs from the lower minimum to the higher maximum.
- Pro quote, restain: cabinet surface × $4 to $15 per sq ft.
- Extras: up to 10% for cabinets over 8 feet, $120 to $600 for repairs, $6 to $60 per new knob or pull. Totals are rounded to $10.
- Surface (our estimate): 3.5 sq ft per side of a door (about 15 by 34 inches), 1.25 sq ft per drawer front and 1.5 sq ft of face frame and end panel per linear foot of cabinets. Edit all three if your doors are bigger or smaller.
- Sandpaper (our estimate): one 220-grit sponge or sheet per 25 sq ft for a paint job; for a restain, one sheet per 15 sq ft at 120 grit and one per 25 sq ft at 150, 180 and 320.
- Drying: recoat times from each maker’s data sheet; for a restain, General Finishes’ 72 hours between an oil stain and a water-based topcoat.
The calculator has no ZIP code field on purpose: none of the four guides publishes regional multipliers, and a national range with your own counts is more honest than a made-up local adjustment.
Ways to Cut the Cost
- Do the prep yourself. Fixr and Angi both suggest removing the doors and hardware, cleaning and sanding before the painters arrive to cut labor hours. Agree on it with the painter first.
- Get three quotes and ask each painter how they price: per foot, per door or per project.
- Keep the hardware if it still works: new pulls add $6 to $60 each.
- Paint, don’t replace, when the boxes are sound: painting costs a fraction of new cabinets.
- Buy the right sander once. A square-pad palm sander does most cabinet prep; see the best sanders for cabinets.
Supplies That Make the DIY Job Go Faster
The products behind the calculator’s shopping list, all sold on Amazon. Specs are from the makers’ data sheets and listings.
Krud Kutter Original Cleaner Degreaser
Best Degreaser for Step One
Every paint and primer data sheet in this guide starts with the same line: the surface must be free of grease. Rust-Oleum’s own cabinet paint instructions name Krud Kutter Cleaner/Degreaser for that step. It is a ready-to-use spray that breaks down grease, oil, grime and wax on washable surfaces. Spray, scrub with a non-scratch pad around the pulls, then rinse with clean water and let the doors dry before you sand.
- ✅ Named in Rust-Oleum’s cabinet paint instructions
- ✅ Ready to use, no mixing
- ✅ Cuts kitchen grease and wax
- ❌ Rinse it off before priming
Best For: The first step on every cabinet job, painted or stained.
Krud Kutter Gloss-Off Prepaint Surface Preparation
Best Liquid Deglosser
Gloss-Off is a no-rinse liquid that cleans and dulls glossy finishes so new paint bonds. Rust-Oleum’s data sheet says to wipe it on full strength with a coarse lint-free cloth and wipe it off with a clean one, and that you can paint once it is dry to the touch, usually about 10 minutes, or up to a week later. It rates the 32 oz bottle at 50 to 75 sq ft, so a kitchen usually needs three or four. Use it on the profiles and inside corners you can’t reach with a sander, not instead of sanding everywhere.
- ✅ No rinsing
- ✅ Reaches profiles and grooves
- ✅ Paint after about 10 minutes
- ❌ Covers less than you’d think: 50 to 75 sq ft a bottle
Best For: Raised-panel doors, moldings and anyone short on sanding time.
3M Angled Sanding Sponges, Fine Grit (6-Pack)
Best for Scuff-Sanding Profiles
A sander does the flat panels; a sponge does everything else. These 4-7/8 x 2-7/8 x 1 inch sponges have an angled edge for corners and detail work, can be used wet or dry, and wash out so one sponge lasts several doors. Fine grit is right for scuffing a sound finish before primer and for the light sand between coats, and the foam follows a shaker rail or raised-panel profile without flattening it.
- ✅ Angled edge reaches inside corners
- ✅ Washable and reusable
- ✅ Follows profiles a hard block flattens
- ❌ Too fine to strip an old finish
Best For: Shaker rails, raised panels, edges and sanding between coats.
DEWALT DWE6411K 1/4 Sheet Palm Sander
Best Sander for Face Frames and Boxes
Cabinets are full of 90-degree inside corners: inside every box, where rails meet stiles, around every shaker panel. A round pad can’t reach them; the square pad of the DWE6411K can. DEWALT lists a 2.3 amp motor at 14,000 OPM, a foam pad for a flat sanding plane, a paper clamp that takes cut-down 1/4 sheets of any grit and a locking dust port for a vacuum hose. It is the editor’s choice in our best sanders for cabinets comparison.
- ✅ Square pad reaches inside corners
- ✅ Takes cheap sheet paper in any grit
- ✅ Locking vacuum port
- ❌ Slower than an orbital on big slab doors
Best For: Face frames, cabinet boxes, frame-and-panel doors.
INSL-X Cabinet Coat Urethane Acrylic Enamel
Best Cabinet Paint You Can Buy on Amazon
Made by Benjamin Moore under its INSL-X brand, Cabinet Coat is a urethane-reinforced acrylic built for cabinets. The data sheet says it resists chipping, scuffing, food stains, grease and water, covers 350 to 450 sq ft per gallon, is tack-free in 1 hour, recoats in 6 hours and reaches full cure in 14 days. Over previously painted cabinets in good condition, INSL-X says no primer is needed; bare wood gets a primer first.
- ✅ Primerless over sound paint
- ✅ Recoat in 6 hours
- ✅ Sold on Amazon in quarts and gallons
- ❌ Dries fast: overworking leaves brush marks
Best For: Repainting already painted cabinets, or a first-time cabinet painter.
Whizz Premium Foam Mini Rollers, 4″ (10-Pack)
Best Roller for Flat Cabinet Panels
A 4-inch foam mini roller lays enamel flat on slab doors, drawer fronts and the flat centers of shaker panels, which leaves a brush only the profiles and edges. These are black foam covers with a concave edge, sold in a 10-pack so you can use a fresh one for the primer and each coat. Roll a section, then lightly tip it off in one direction and leave it: cabinet enamels level as they dry, and going back over a coat that has started to set is what leaves marks.
- ✅ Smooth, stipple-free finish on flat panels
- ✅ 10 covers: a fresh one per coat
- ✅ Cheap insurance against lint
- ❌ Needs a 4″ mini frame
Best For: Slab doors, drawer fronts and cabinet sides.
Where These Numbers Come From
Pro prices are from HomeGuide’s cabinet painting guide (updated February 21, 2025) and cabinet refinishing guide (April 5, 2023), Fixr’s kitchen cabinet painting guide (January 27, 2026), HomeAdvisor’s cabinet painting (June 20, 2026) and refinishing (June 17, 2026) guides, and Angi’s cabinet painting (September 8, 2026) and refinishing (August 31, 2026) guides, all read on October 1 and 2, 2026. Coverage and drying times are from the makers’ data sheets: Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, INSL-X, Zinsser, Krud Kutter and General Finishes. The surface and sandpaper allowances are our own planning estimates, stated above. I don’t show customer ratings or Amazon prices, which change daily. More on how I choose the products I recommend.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average cost to refinish cabinets?+
Is it cheaper to paint cabinets or get new ones?+
Is it worth it to have kitchen cabinets professionally painted?+
How long does it take a professional to paint kitchen cabinets?+
Can I paint cabinets myself?+
How much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets per door?+
Does Home Depot refinish kitchen cabinets?+
Conclusion
The cost to paint kitchen cabinets is mostly labor: $30 to $70 a linear foot or $70 to $125 a door with a pro, a few hundred dollars in paint and supplies if you do it yourself. Restaining runs $4 to $15 per square foot of cabinet surface. Use the cabinet refinishing cost calculator to compare quotes against your own counts, then follow how to refinish kitchen cabinets if you take the job on, with the paint chosen from the best paint for cabinets.
