What it costs
| Job | Example price |
|---|---|
| Small galley kitchen10 painted MDF doors, 4 drawers, frames | £820–£1,400 |
| Typical kitchen, solid wood16 doors, 6 drawers, frames and end panels | £1,270–£2,150 |
| Large kitchen with island24 doors, 10 drawers, frames and end panels | £1,790–£3,030 |
| Typical kitchen, laminate16 doors, 6 drawers — bonding primer needed | £1,380–£2,340 |
Illustrative examples, not quotes: each assumes the job described, good condition, a similar colour and trade paint included. Your own price comes from the Instant Quote, based on your answers. How our prices are worked out.
Kitchen cupboard painting is priced per door and drawer front, plus the frames, end panels and plinths. What the doors are made of changes the price more than anything else, because it decides the preparation and primer. Count every door, including tall larder doors, the one hiding the boiler, and the panel on the end of the island.
Can you paint kitchen cupboards?
Usually, yes. Whether it is worth doing depends on what the doors are made of now.
| Current doors | Paintable? | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Solid wood (oak, pine, painted timber) | Yes | Degrease, sand, spot-prime knots and bare timber. Oak grain shows through paint unless it is grain-filled first. |
| Painted MDF (e.g. a shaker kitchen) | Yes — easiest | Degrease, key and repaint. Chips are filled and sanded flush first. |
| Laminate or melamine | Yes, with care | Needs a specialist bonding primer after thorough sanding. Priced about 20% higher. |
| Vinyl wrap / foil | Sometimes | Only if the wrap is fully bonded. Lifting or bubbled edges will fail under paint, and we will say so from your photos. |
| High-gloss acrylic | Rarely worth it | Paint can be made to stick, but the result rarely looks as good as new doors. |
How kitchen cupboards are painted properly
- Doors and drawer fronts are numbered and removed. Painting them flat avoids runs and gives a smoother finish.
- Everything is degreased. Cooking grease is the main reason painted kitchens fail, so this step is never skipped.
- Surfaces are sanded to a key, and chips and dents are filled.
- An adhesion primer goes on first. Knots and bare timber get a stain-blocking primer so they don't bleed yellow through the colour.
- Two finish coats of a hard-wearing cupboard paint are applied by brush and fine roller, or sprayed where that suits the doors. Frames, end panels and plinths are painted in place.
- Hinges are refitted and adjusted. New handles can be fitted at the same time.
Allow for the kitchen being partly out of use for several days. The paint is dry within hours but takes a couple of weeks to cure fully hard, so treat it gently at first.
Which paint is best for kitchen cupboards?
Ordinary wall emulsion or furniture chalk paint will not last on a kitchen door. Use a hard-drying cupboard or trim enamel — waterborne or a hybrid oil — over the right primer for the surface. Satin and eggshell are the most forgiving finishes on a working kitchen. Matt looks lovely but marks more easily, and gloss shows every brush mark. If you have a brand or colour in mind, add it to your quote and it will be priced in.
Changing colour
Going from dark wood or a strong colour to white or pale cream may need a third coat, and the quote allows for it. Going darker usually covers in two. Deep greens and blues, like the one pictured, are forgiving on a busy kitchen and hide small knocks well.
Painting, wrapping or new doors?
- Painting
- Keeps your doors, carcases and worktops. It is the cheapest route when the doors are solid wood or MDF and in good shape, and it can be touched up later.
- Wrapping
- Suits flat, slab-style doors. It struggles on shaker profiles and edges, and damaged wrap is hard to repair.
- New doors
- The right answer for damaged, swollen or high-gloss doors. It costs more once fitting is included.
What we need to price it without a visit
- A photo of each run of units, with the doors closed
- A close-up of a door edge and a corner, so we can see the material and whether it is lifting
- The number of doors and drawer fronts, and the colour you have in mind
With those, most kitchens can be priced remotely. Wraps that are lifting, water-damaged doors, or a finish we can't identify from photos usually need a two-minute video. If the carcases themselves are damaged, a short visit is better.
Repainting the kitchen walls and ceiling at the same time? Add them to the same quote. See interior painting for how walls are priced, or the Haringey price guide for typical totals.
Questions
Can you paint kitchen cupboards without removing them?
The carcases, frames and end panels are painted in place. The doors and drawer fronts come off, because painting them flat gives a better finish and avoids runs.
Can you paint laminate or vinyl kitchen cupboards?
Laminate and melamine can be painted after thorough sanding and a specialist bonding primer. Vinyl-wrapped doors can only be painted if the wrap is fully bonded. Lifting edges will fail, and we will tell you honestly from your photos.
How much does it cost to paint kitchen cupboards?
It is priced per door and drawer front, plus the frames. A typical 16-door solid-wood kitchen is around £1,270–£2,150 in Haringey, including paint. Laminate costs more because of the extra preparation.
How long does a painted kitchen last?
Several years of normal use, when it is degreased, primed and painted with a proper cupboard enamel. Wipe it with a soft cloth and mild detergent, not abrasive cleaners.
Is painting cheaper than new doors?
Almost always, when the existing doors are sound. Replacement doors plus fitting usually cost more, and painting keeps the carcases and worktops you already have.