Cabinet Painting vs. Refinishing: Which Does Your Kitchen Need?

Plenty of kitchens in Palestine and Tyler share the same story. The cabinet boxes are solid and the layout works, but the finish is a tired orange-brown that dates the whole room. Ripping everything out feels like a lot, so the real question is what to do with what's already there.

Lomax's Custom Painting offers two separate cabinet services: cabinet painting and cabinet refinishing. The names sound like synonyms. They overlap, but knowing the difference helps you ask for the right thing and understand your estimate.

What painting and refinishing each mean

Cabinet painting is the usual label when the main goal is a new look. Lomax's lists kitchen cabinet painting, bathroom vanity painting with moisture-resistant products, custom color matching and consultation, hardware updates, and stain-to-paint conversions for homeowners who want to go from wood tones to a painted finish.

Refinishing is the fuller process. On their refinishing page, Lomax's describes complete stripping of old finishes, sanding, priming, and multiple finish coats applied with spray equipment. That page also mentions going from a dark stain to a painted finish, plus distressed and glazed looks, with hardware updates coordinated along the way.

In plain terms: painting is about the color and style you want. Refinishing is about how much old finish has to come off to get there. Many kitchens need a bit of both, and the walkthrough is where that gets sorted out.

What usually points you one way or the other

• The current finish. A worn, sticky or heavily built-up finish generally calls for more stripping and prep before anything new goes on.
• Where you want to end up. Freshening a color you already like is a lighter job than moving from dark stain to a light painted look.
• The condition of the doors and drawer fronts. Chips, deep scratches and swollen edges need attention first.
• Whether you want new hardware. Changing pulls and knobs can mean filling and re-drilling, so plan that before the finish goes on.

The second item catches people off guard. Going from a dark walnut-style stain to a bright painted cabinet is a bigger leap than it looks in photos, and the prep behind that leap is what makes it last.

Which cabinets are worth saving

Here is a plain answer straight from Lomax's own FAQ: solid wood and quality plywood cabinets refinish beautifully, while particle board or severely damaged cabinets may require replacement. Water is the usual culprit. If the cabinet under your sink has swollen and crumbled, no finish will bring it back.

If your cabinets are in good structural shape, keeping them is a sensible move. Lomax's says on its cabinet page that a factory-quality finish can save thousands compared to replacing cabinets, and you keep a layout you already know works.

Shop spray or on-site spray

Lomax's offers both on-site and shop spray finishes. On-site means the work happens in your home. Shop means doors and fronts are finished in a controlled space and come back ready to hang. As general practice, spraying in a shop keeps overspray and dust out of your kitchen, while on-site work saves the back-and-forth of moving pieces.

Time is the other factor. Lomax's FAQ says kitchen cabinet refinishing typically takes 7 to 10 days for shop work, or 5 to 7 days for on-site refinishing. That is a real stretch of time without a fully working kitchen, so it's worth planning around.

• Clear the counters and the cabinet interiors you can before the crew arrives.
• Plan a week or so of simple meals. A microwave and a slow cooker go a long way.
• Pick hardware early so it's on hand when the finish is cured.
• Decide whether you want the cabinet interiors painted. Lomax's notes that interior painting is optional and many homeowners paint only the visible outside surfaces.

Choosing a color that suits the room

Cabinets are a big block of color, so test before you commit. Look at samples near your counters, your flooring and your window light at different times of day. East Texas afternoons run warm and bright, and a color that looks cool in the store can read very differently at 4 p.m. in your kitchen.

Lomax's includes custom color matching and consultation with cabinet jobs, which helps if you're stuck between two or three shades. Their own cabinet work in sage, white, black and mint shows how far a painted finish can go once the prep is done right.

If you're in Palestine, Tyler, Bullard, Whitehouse or the lake communities and can't tell whether your kitchen needs painting, refinishing, or a mix of both, call Lomax's Custom Painting at (903) 320-5032. They'll walk through the cabinets with you and send a free estimate within 24 hours.