Cabinet Painting North Shore Auckland
Cabinet Painting Services
We transform kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and built-in cabinetry with spray-applied finishes that give you a smooth, durable, factory-style result without the cost and disruption of full replacement.
- 17 Years of Expirience
- 1,000+ Completed Projects
- 99.2% Customer Satisfaction
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If it’s built-in cabinetry, we can refinish it.
While kitchens are the most common project, the same professional spray finish can be used across bathroom vanities, laundries, wardrobes, office joinery, and other built-in cabinetry where the structure is still good but the finish is letting the space down.
Kitchen Cabinet Painting
Kitchen cabinet painting is the core of this service and usually the biggest visual win. We paint upper cabinets, base cabinets, doors, drawer fronts, end panels, kickboards, pantry doors, shelving details, and other visible joinery so the whole kitchen feels updated rather than patched together. This is ideal for kitchens where the layout still works but the colour or finish feels tired, dated, or out of step with the rest of the home. A properly sprayed cabinet finish can completely change how the room feels without the demolition, cost, and long downtime of replacement.
Bathroom Vanity Painting
Bathroom vanities take a lot of daily wear in a relatively small space, which means even a modest repaint can make a noticeable difference. We refinish vanity doors, drawer fronts, and panels using moisture-resistant systems suited to bathroom conditions, so the result is practical as well as visual. For many bathrooms, repainting the vanity is one of the simplest ways to modernise the room without committing to a full renovation.
Laundry Cabinet Painting
Laundry cabinetry is often overlooked, even though it is one of the harder-working joinery areas in the house. Repainting laundry cupboards and built-in storage can clean the room up visually and make it feel far more intentional, especially in homes with older timber-look finishes or dated colours.
Because laundries are practical spaces, durability matters here. The finish needs to look good, but it also needs to handle moisture, handling, and everyday use.
Wardrobes & Built-In Joinery
We also refinish wardrobes, entertainment units, media walls, home office joinery, display cabinetry, and other built-in storage throughout the home. These pieces often age visually before they fail structurally, which makes them strong candidates for repainting rather than replacement.
Updating built-in joinery can help modernise an entire room, especially where older timber-look cabinetry is making the space feel dated.
Commercial Cabinetry Painting
Cabinet painting also suits selected commercial joinery projects, including office kitchens, retail counters, medical cabinetry, and other built-in workspace storage. Where the joinery is sound but the appearance needs updating, repainting can be a practical way to refresh the environment without the cost and disruption of replacement.
Cabinet Doors & Drawer Fronts
Doors and drawer fronts are the most touched and most visible part of any cabinet repaint. These are removed, labelled, and spray-finished separately so the final result is smoother, cleaner, and more consistent than a brush-applied on-site finish would normally allow.
Panels, End Panels & Kickboards
A good cabinet repaint is not only about the doors. End panels, visible carcass sections, kickboards, island ends, and side returns all need to be dealt with properly if the finished kitchen is going to feel complete. Leaving these out is one of the fastest ways to make a repaint feel partial rather than intentional, so we scope them carefully as part of the finish.
Hardware Upgrades & Handle Changes
New handles are often the finishing move that makes a cabinet repaint feel fully resolved. We can coordinate handle changes as part of the project, including removing old hardware, filling holes where needed, drilling new positions, and reinstalling everything consistently once the cabinetry is cured and ready.
Cabinet Materials Explained
The material underneath the finish has a major effect on how cabinets need to be prepared and what kind of primer and topcoat system will perform properly.
MDF Cabinets
MDF is one of the most common cabinet materials in New Zealand kitchens and one of the most straightforward to paint when it is prepared correctly. It has a smooth, uniform surface and takes a spray finish very well, which is why it is such a common base for modern painted cabinetry.
Where vinyl-wrapped MDF is failing, it is often possible to remove the vinyl and paint the MDF underneath for a more durable long-term outcome than trying to preserve a failing wrap.
Melamine & Thermofoil
Melamine and thermofoil are common in older kitchens, but they need more specialist preparation because the surface is slick and non-porous. Standard paint will not hold properly without a bonding primer designed to grip that kind of substrate.
When primed correctly, these surfaces can repaint very well. The key is not skipping the specialist prep stage.
Solid Timber & Veneer
Solid timber and timber veneer cabinetry need a different kind of discipline because the grain and the surface character influence the final look much more than on MDF.
Some homeowners want the finished result to look ultra-smooth, while others are comfortable retaining a little of the underlying timber.
Previously Painted & Two-Pack Surfaces
Previously painted cabinets and older two-pack factory finishes can often be recoated successfully, but the existing surface needs to be assessed properly first. Where the old finish is sound, it can provide a workable base once it has been prepared properly.
Where it is failing, more extensive preparation is needed before the new system can be trusted.
What we recommend for different cabinet projects.
Cabinet Painting Step by Step
Refined over 17 years and thousands of completed interiors. Consistent quality, minimal disruption.
Free Site Assessment
We begin by assessing the cabinet material, counting doors, drawers, and panels, checking the current finish, and identifying any damage or detail. From there, we provide a detailed written quote based on the actual scope of the cabinetry rather than broad estimates.
Colour Selection
Colour selection is part of the process, not an afterthought. We work through options from Resene and Dulux, help narrow down the direction, and confirm a colour approach that suits the light, benchtop, splashback, and overall style of the room.
Protection & Door Removal
Before refinishing starts, we protect benchtops, splashbacks, flooring, appliances, and other nearby surfaces. Doors and drawer fronts are removed, labelled, and separated so they can be prepared and spray-finished properly.
Sanding & Repairs
Cabinet surfaces are thoroughly degreased, sanded to create a key, and repaired where needed, including chips, dents, scratches, open grain, or old handle holes if hardware is changing.
Professional Application
The correct primer is chosen based on the substrate, then the topcoats are spray-applied using cabinet-suitable enamel systems and fine-finish equipment. Inter-coat sanding is used where needed to keep the finish smooth and controlled.
Inspection & Handover
Once the finish is applied, the doors and fronts are allowed to cure before reinstallation. Then everything is refitted, hinges and handles are adjusted, final touch-ups are completed, and the cabinetry is handed back with the finished transformation and care guidance.
Cabinet painting cost guide.
Costs vary based on the number of components, the substrate, the current condition, and how demanding the prep and finish level need to be.
These are guide figures only.
What Affects Painting Cost?
Number of doors and drawers: More fronts and panels mean more labour, more spray time, and more reinstall work.
Cabinet material: MDF is usually more straightforward, while melamine, thermofoil, timber, and two-pack finishes need more specialised preparation.
Current condition: Chips, dents, peeling vinyl, scratches, and previous coating failure all add repair time.
Colour change: Dark-to-light or timber-look-to-white transformations often need extra primer and more build in the system.
Grain filling: Solid timber cabinets may need additional filling and sanding for a smoother painted finish.
Handle changes: Filling old holes and drilling new handle positions adds per-door labour.
| Service | Est. Cost (excl GST) |
|---|---|
| Small kitchen (8–12 doors/drawers) | $2,500 - $3,500 |
| Standard kitchen (15-22 doors/drawers) | $3,500 - $5,000 |
| Large kitchen (25-35 doors/drawers) | $5,000 - $7,000 |
| Extra-large / butler’s pantry | $6,000 - $9,000+ |
| Kitchen island only | $1,000 - $2,000 |
| Bathroom vanity (single) | $600 - $1,200 |
| Bathroom vanity (double) | $900 - $1,500 |
| Laundry cabinets | $800 - $1,800 |
| Built-in wardrobe doors (per door) | $150 - $300 |
| Entertainment unit / media wall | $800 - $2,000 |
| New handle installation (add-on) | $10 - $25 per handle |
| Handle hole filling | $15 - $30 per door |
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Cabinet Painting FAQs
How much does it cost to paint kitchen cabinets on the North Shore?
That depends on the size of the kitchen, the number of doors and drawers, the cabinet material, and the level of preparation required. Standard kitchens usually sit well below the cost of full replacement, which is why cabinet painting is such a strong-value upgrade when the layout still works.
How long does cabinet painting take?
Most projects take around five to seven working days from removal through to reinstallation, depending on the size and complexity of the job. Proper curing is part of that timeline, because the finish needs time to harden before everything goes back into daily use.
Can I use my kitchen during painting?
Yes, in most cases. The kitchen remains usable while the doors are off and the carcass work is being completed, which is one of the major advantages of repainting over full replacement.
Is it as durable as factory finish?
When the preparation, primer, and topcoat system are done properly, a professional spray-applied cabinet finish is extremely durable and visually very close to a factory-style result. The key is that this only happens when the process is treated like specialist joinery finishing, not general painting.
Can you paint melamine cabinets?
Yes. Melamine needs a specialist bonding primer before topcoating, but it is one of the most common cabinet repainting substrates we work with.
Can you paint over peeling vinyl-wrapped doors?
Usually, the stronger result is to remove the failing vinyl and work with the substrate underneath rather than trying to coat over something that is already delaminating. The right approach depends on the condition of the doors, which we assess during the quote.
What colour should I paint my cabinets?
That depends on the light in the room, the benchtop, splashback, flooring, and the overall feel you want. Whites remain very popular, but soft neutrals, greiges, darker tones, and two-tone kitchens can all work well when the palette is chosen properly.
Should I change handles when painting?
In many cases, yes. New handles often complete the transformation, and this is also the easiest stage to fill old holes and reposition hardware if the design is changing.
How do I get a free quote?
Call us on 021 446 716 or submit an enquiry. We’ll arrange a free on-site consultation, walk through your property, and provide a detailed written quote within 48 hours. No obligation, no pressure.
Ready for up to date cabinetry?
We can assess the cabinetry properly and recommend the right finish system from the start. Get a free, no-obligation quote in 48 hours.
