ArcaMax

Painting is one of the biggest bangs for your buck, but preparing and painting cabinets is a time-consuming job. It can be a dramatic facelift, especially when you give a fresh new look to cabinets with a dark finish. After the cabinet and drawer fronts and hardware are removed, the real work begins with sanding, deglossing and priming the surfaces. When they're completely smooth and dry, they're ready for a topcoat of paint. You can leave some items inside the cabinets, but create space to easily work on the frames.

A painting contractor will charge $1,184, which includes labor and material, to prepare, prime and paint a small kitchen with 200 square feet of base and wall-hung wood cabinets with one coat of alkyd paint. You can do it yourself for $150, the cost of the materials — sandpaper, deglosser, primer, paint and brush — and save 87%. If you’re considering painting the interior of the cabinets, It'll cost more in time and money plus they have to be completely emptied and there is more surface to cover than the exterior surfaces.

For the best results, spend more time preparing the surfaces than actually applying the primer and paint. Remove the door fronts and drawers and set them up on a sturdy, flat, horizontal work surface for painting, so the paint can level and dry to a good, hard finish. If there are damaged areas or hardware holes to fill, use a wood filler and sand the patched areas smooth before prepping and painting, which may require more than one application.

Money spent on new hardware and pulls will give the cabinets a nice new look.

Visit www.visualizecolor.com for help visualizing colors in your kitchen.

Pro Cost: $1,184 — DIY Cost: $150 — Pro time: 26< br/> DIY Time: 37 — DIY Savings: $1,034 — Percent Saved: 87%

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To find more DIY project costs and to post comments and questions, visit www.diyornot.com and m.diyornot.com on smartphones.

©2024 Gene and Katie Hamilton. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.