By Matt Weiler, Weiler Painting
If your kitchen cabinets look tired, you’ve probably had three options floating around in your head: paint them, reface them, or rip them out and start over. I get asked about this almost every week in Chilliwack, and the honest answer is that the right choice depends less on how the cabinets look and more on how they’re built. Here’s how we help homeowners sort it out.
Start With the Boxes, Not the Doors
Before you decide anything, open the doors and look inside. The cabinet boxes (the frames that hold everything up) tell you which way to go.
- Solid wood or good plywood boxes, doors that close properly: you’re a great candidate for painting.
- Solid boxes, but doors that are warped, peeling, or a style you really dislike: refacing might make sense.
- Swollen particleboard, water damage under the sink, sagging shelves, or a layout that doesn’t work: no finish will fix that. That’s a replacement job.
In our experience, most Chilliwack and Sardis homes built in the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s have solid oak or maple cabinets that are still in great shape structurally. They just look dated. Those are exactly the kitchens where painting gives you the biggest change for the money.
Option 1: Painting Your Cabinets
Painting keeps your existing boxes and doors and gives them a completely new finish. Done properly, it’s not a weekend roller job. We remove the doors and drawer fronts, clean and degrease everything, sand, prime with a bonding primer, and apply durable coats so the finish holds up to daily use.
Typical cost: a kitchen cabinet refinish runs about $4,000 to $8,000, depending mostly on how many doors and drawers you have. If you want the pantry done too, that’s usually another $2,000 to $3,000. Add 5% GST to those numbers.
Best for: solid cabinets, a layout you’re happy with, and a budget that’s better spent elsewhere in the house. You keep your countertops, your backsplash stays put, and the kitchen is usable again much sooner than with a renovation.
You can see more about how we handle this on our cabinet painting and refinishing service page.
Option 2: Refacing
Refacing means keeping the boxes but replacing the doors and drawer fronts, then covering the exposed frames with a veneer or laminate. It’s a good fit when you want a different door style altogether, like going from a raised-panel oak door to a flat Shaker look.
The trade-offs: refacing usually costs more than painting because you’re buying new doors, and veneer can lift at the edges over time in steamy spots near the stove and dishwasher. It’s also a different trade, so it’s not something we do ourselves. If your doors are in good shape and you just want a new colour, painting gets you there for less.
Option 3: Full Replacement
Replacing cabinets is the most expensive route by a wide margin. New boxes usually mean new countertops, plumbing and electrical adjustments, possibly flooring repairs, and several weeks without a working kitchen. It’s the right call if your cabinets are falling apart or you’re changing the whole layout, but it’s a lot of money to spend just to change a colour.
One tip: if you’re planning to replace in a few years, painting now can buy you that time and make the house show better if you sell before then.
How to Make a Painted Finish Last
Cabinets take more abuse than any wall in your house. Hands, steam, grease, and kids all test the finish. A few things make a big difference:
- Prep is everything. Kitchen grease is invisible but it ruins adhesion. We degrease and sand every surface before primer goes on.
- Use the right product. Cabinets need a hard, washable coating that’s built for trim and cabinetry, not regular wall paint.
- Give it time to cure. Paint feels dry in hours but takes a few weeks to fully harden. Go easy on the doors for the first couple of weeks.
Our work is backed by our 3-year warranty, so if something isn’t right, we come back and fix it.
If you’re planning a bigger interior refresh at the same time, our guide on how long it takes to paint a house interior in Chilliwack will help you plan the schedule, and our breakdown of what it costs to paint a house in Chilliwack covers walls, ceilings, and trim pricing. For walls, we use Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets in Chilliwack?
Most kitchens run $4,000 to $8,000 plus 5% GST, depending on the number of doors and drawers. A pantry adds about $2,000 to $3,000.
Is painting cabinets cheaper than refacing?
Usually, yes. Painting reuses your existing doors, while refacing means buying new doors and drawer fronts, so painting is generally the lower-cost option when your doors are in good shape.
Can you paint oak cabinets without the grain showing through?
Oak grain can show through paint. If you want a smooth look, it can be filled before priming. That adds labour, so mention it when you get your estimate.
How long does a cabinet painting job take?
It depends on the size of the kitchen and how many doors and drawers there are. We’ll give you a timeline with your estimate so you can plan around it, and the kitchen stays usable for much of the job.
When should I replace instead of paint?
Replace when the boxes are water-damaged, swollen, or sagging, or when you’re changing the kitchen layout. If the structure is solid, painting is almost always the better value.
Get a Straight Answer on Your Kitchen
Not sure which way to go? We’ll come take a look, tell you honestly whether your cabinets are worth painting, and give you a clear written price. Call 604.825.8337 for a free estimate, or contact Weiler Painting to book a free in-home consultation.
Weiler Painting serves Chilliwack, Sardis, Vedder, Promontory, Langley, Abbotsford, and Mission.
