Cabinet spraying
Kitchen cabinet spray painting in Melbourne
A sprayed kitchen looks like a new kitchen and costs a fraction of one. It only works if the doors are sound and the prep is done properly, so here's how to tell whether yours is a candidate.
Why spray rather than brush
Brush marks can show on flat cabinet panels, particularly in side light. Spraying gives the panels an even finish without brush marks.
We spray on site. The kitchen stays where it is, the doors come off their hinges and get sprayed flat in a masked-off area of the house, usually the garage or a room we can seal, and the frames and end panels get sprayed in place. The doors stay on site throughout the job.
Cabinet materials and preparation
The cabinet material determines which preparation and primer will help the paint adhere.
Laminate and melamine are the most common in Melbourne kitchens and they're a slick, sealed surface. They spray up beautifully, but only after a proper degrease and a bonding primer made for the job. Skip either and it comes off with a fingernail.
Timber and timber veneer are the easiest. Sand, prime, spray. Grain will still read through a light colour, which some people want and some people don't.
Two-pack, the glossy moulded doors from the 2000s are already a sprayed finish, so they take another one well once they're sanded back to a key.
Vinyl-wrapped doors are the awkward one. A wrap that's flat and stuck down is fine. A wrap that's lifting or bubbling at the edges, usually above the oven or under the sink where steam gets at it, has to come off first or be replaced, because paint won't glue it back down.
When we'll tell you not to
Spraying fixes the colour and the finish. It doesn't fix the carcass.
If the MDF under the sink has swollen from a slow leak, if the hinges are dropping and the doors don't line up, or if the layout is the actual problem, painting is money spent on a kitchen you'll still want to replace. We'll say so at the quote. We assess those issues during the quote visit.
How the days run
A standard kitchen is usually three to four days on site. Day one is doors off, hardware bagged and labelled, degreasing, masking. The masking is most of it, because overspray travels and a kitchen opens onto everything.
You keep the sink, the fridge and the oven the whole time. What you lose is the cupboard doors, so anything you need daily comes out on day one and lives on the bench. Doors go back on the last day once the coating has hardened enough to handle, and the finish keeps curing for another couple of weeks, so follow the care instructions before cleaning them.
What affects the price
- The number of doors and drawer fronts, which is the closest thing to a unit of measure in this job
- What they're made of, because a vinyl wrap or a slick laminate needs more preparation than timber does
- Whether the frames, end panels and kickboards are in scope, or only the doors
- How big a colour change it is, especially dark to white, which can add a coat
- New handles and hinges, which can be fitted while the doors are off
What to ask anyone quoting a cabinet respray
Ask what primer they're using, by name, and whether it's rated for what your doors are made of. Ask whether the doors come off or get sprayed hanging, because sprayed hanging means runs on the bottom edge and no coating on the back. Ask how they're containing overspray and what happens to the rest of the house. Ask how long before you can use the doors normally. And ask what the warranty is, because a cabinet finish gets touched more than any wall in the house.
Ours is five years on the workmanship with three free touch-ups.
Doing the rest of the room at the same time is on the interior painting page, and what everything costs is in the pricing guide.
Preparation and aftercare
Read our painting preparation and aftercare guide for arranging access, protecting belongings and checking when the painted surface is ready to use or clean.
Want a price on your kitchen?
Send a photo of the doors and a close-up of an edge. We can usually tell you what they are and whether they'll take a coating before we even come out.
Free quote