When you start looking at the cost of a major kitchen remodel (on average can be between $80,000-$200,000); what we call a kitchen facelift (painting the existing cabinets, new counter and backsplash) coming in under $20,000 on average, it quickly stands out as a brilliant financial move. Both in return on investment in resale or savings to put money into other places in your home. But the question we hear most often from homeowners is: “Should I paint my kitchen cabinets, or is it better to replace them?” Before you dive in and commit to a new color palette, you need to consider whether your cabinets are actually a good “match” for professional painting and if it’s the right investment for you. Let’s do a little comparison & walk through the best to evaluate for yourself.

The “Green Light” List: Cabinets Built for a Factory Finish

If your cabinets fall into these categories, they are the top choice for a professional refresh. These materials allow us to achieve that silky, durable, factory-grade finish that looks like it came straight from a high-end showroom.

• Solid Wood (Maple, Birch, Poplar): These materials are the gold standard. They are stable, take industrial coatings beautifully, and offer the best ROI.
• Paint-Grade MDF or HDF: Don’t let the word “fiberboard” scare you. Furniture-grade HDF is actually more stable than solid wood in high-moisture kitchens because it doesn’t expand and contract, meaning your finish stays crack-free for years.
• Oak (For the Texture Lovers): Oak is incredibly durable and will hold up well when prepped accordingly. Just keep in mind that its deep, cathedral grain will still show through the paint. This texture can be an added bonus as it works well with timeless styles, such as modern farmhouse, cottage chic and even french provincial.

Updated Kitchen Cabinets = Updated Kitchen Hardware

For any of these cabinet finishes, we recommend updated hardware once they are painted. We have pulled together top picks for 2026 that work with every style. View the full collection by clicking the link below.

If you have ANY of these “good bones,” professional painting is the smartest way to save 75% or more when compared to a full remodel.

The Dealbreakers: When to Walk Away

As professionals, we’re in the business of creating amazing transformations, which we LOVE doing! But, sometimes kitchens have other issues that qualify them for a different course of action. Here are a few reasons you should NOT invest in professional painting:

1. The Substrate is “Blown Out”: If you have water damage (common under the sink) where the particle board has swollen like a wet sponge, paint won’t fix it.
2. The Thermofoil is Fainting: If that plastic-like vinyl coating is bubbling or peeling away from the door, the factory glue has failed. Painting over it is like painting over a peeling sunburn—it’s not going to end well.
3. The Layout is a Nightmare: If you hate where your stove is, painting the cabinets won’t change the fact that your kitchen is hard to cook in.

Why the “Professional Difference” Removes the Fear

The biggest fear we hear from homeowners is: “Will it just peel off in six months?”

If you were doing this with a brush and a bucket of latex paint from the hardware store? Probably. But professional refinishing with paint is a different and intricate process. We use high-strength bonding primers and high endurance enamel paint designed to attach to cabinet surfaces. The outcome is a smooth finish that is fully customized to your style.

Here is a great example of a kitchen that had a really great foundation. Through our kitchen cabinet painting services, these cabinets were totally transformed.

If a “pro” tells you they don’t need to take your doors off-site or use a sprayer, they aren’t giving you a factory finish.

Pro tip from the funcycled team

Good Time to Edit & Organize

Since your cabinets will be open, you should go ahead and consider assessing your organizational needs to help maximize storage. You may want to install pullout drawers or insert organizers or even add simple stacked shelving inside. These easy and affordable upgrades make a HUGE difference and actually add value to your home.

Here’s a link to my top picks for an organized kitchen.

The 30-Second Structural Audit

So how can you know if your cabinets are a good candidate for professional cabinet painting? Start by opening a few of your most-used cabinets and check these three things:

1. Are the frames sturdy and square?
2. Is the wood free of significant water swelling?
3. Do you generally like the “footprint” of your kitchen?

If you answered "Yes" to all three, your kitchen is a prime candidate 
for a professional cabinet painting transformation.

Finishing Touches: Make a Statement with Kitchen Lighting

One of the best ways to update and refresh a kitchen is by changing out your lighting and updating the hardware. Whether you are updating with paint or not, new kitchen cabinet hardware and thoughtful kitchen lighting add value and really elevate the look. I have pulled together my top picks for kitchens.

Ready for a Kitchen That Looks Like Magazine Worthy?

There is no need to spend $40k (or more) on new cabinets when your current ones may only need a refresh with custom professional kitchen cabinet painting.

Wondering if you should get new kitchen cabinets or paint your existing? Check out our Painting Vs Replacing Calculator.

Serving Albany County, Rensselaer County, Saratoga County, Columbia County, and Schenectady Country (any home up to an hour from Troy, NY).

I hope you have gleaned some inspiration and perhaps discovered some key takeaways for your kitchen! To see more kitchen inspiration, check out all of our KITCHEN MAKEOVERS.

If you would like to know what it would cost, follow these three easy steps to getting your FREE QUOTE today! If you are even remotely considering a kitchen refresh, I encourage you to CONTACT US today!

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture at the top of this page. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on  Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations. 

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As always, I only recommend products I genuinely love and trust.

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ; )

Because home is where peace begins.

Note some of the the links provided are affiliate links, and I may earn from any qualifying purchases.

Hi Friends!

How was your week? The first full week of the new year! I hope you’ve had a second to think back and reflect on all the blessings of 2018 and challenge yourself to something new in 2019 that will stretch you, encourage you, and give you the opportunity to bless others. I had a chance to go out with a dear friend to talk through all of those things this week and it was such a sweet time of sharing and look ahead together. I really encourage you to try and do that with your closest friends and loved ones this year. Let’s all dream together, challenge each other, and inspire each other to greatness.

This week, we also had the honor of watching the girl who was the flower girl at our wedding get married to the man of her dreams. Our little Harmony was her flower girl! How sweet is that! Tasha is such a wonderful friend and joy to be around. She’s been living with us for the past 2 years whenever she’s not in college and we are going to miss her with every ounce of our hearts! Congratulations Tasha and Derek! We love you guys!

For this week’s makeover, I wanted to share some before and after’s of a kitchen cabinet painting job in Slingerlands, Ny! Keep your eye on the island to see my favorite part of the transformation.

We painted the main cabinets Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore. Then John altered the island by adding wood trim. I feel like it looks like a completely different island. We painted the island Steel Wool – 2121-20 by Benjamin Moore. We also sprayed the cabinets with a protective clear coat and added new hardware. Ready for the after?

Would you like to transform your kitchen for a fraction of the budget? We can send you an estimate by email! You can use our Contact Us form or check out other kitchen projects on our For Sale page. We’ll need to see a picture of your kitchen, a list of how many doors and drawers there are, and were you are located to email you an estimate. This change ups the value of your home and gives you a whole new look at a fraction of the cost of new kitchen cabinets!

Also, check out our store for new furniture available this week:

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

Hi Friends!

How are you? I hope your week is going well! Everything is going really well around here. I can’t take professional pictures of our most recent basement project until all of the accents are installed, but I wanted to share a sneak peak of some of the work we’ve done so far… we built a custom barn door, built a new wall, and added a kitchenette area.  

Susan and Jerry also let us install a black shiplap wall and black floating shelves. 

For this week’s Tuesday’s Treasures, I want to show you a recent kitchen cabinet job that we finished. Not that the kitchen cabinets were the biggest part of the transformation, but I still thought you’d enjoy the before and after. It’s hard to tell in the before pictures but the white cabinets were more of a creamy white and in need of an update. Here it is before:

We painted the whole kitchen with Benjamine Moore’s Chantilly Lace and sealed it with a satin clear coat. We added all new hardware as well! Klassic Stone in Albany replaced the counters with a gorgeous quartz that looks like marble. Rory and her husband did a great job picking out wall colors and tiling.
Here’s the after!

Would you like your kitchen redone? Use our Contact Us form to let us know! Just email us a picture of your kitchen, a count of how many doors and drawers, and let us know where you are located. Then we can send you  an estimate for redoing them for you! It will up the value of your home at a fractions of the price of buying new cabinets!
Please also check out new furniture for sale on our website here or let us know if you could use some help with decorating. Please use our Contact Us form or stop by our store at 272 River Street, Troy, NY.

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.