Should I paint my kitchen walls before or after cabinet refinishing?

Most painters refinish cabinets first (or in parallel if doors are pulled and sprayed elsewhere) and paint walls last, so any overspray or touch-up work does not affect the fresh wall paint.

Can I just refinish the cabinets and leave the walls alone?

Yes, that is a complete job on its own. Bundling in the walls is only worth it if you already plan to update the wall color or the trim needs attention too.

Do cabinet refinishing crews also paint walls, or do I need two companies?

Many Rock Hill cabinet refinishing companies also handle interior wall painting, but it is worth confirming since some specialize only in cabinetry and spray finishing.

Cabinet refinishing vs full kitchen repaint

Cabinet refinishing on its own focuses on the cabinet boxes, doors, and drawer fronts: stripping or sanding the old finish, filling any dents or dings, and spraying or brushing a new coat, often in a different color than the original wood or paint. A full kitchen repaint expands the job to the walls, ceiling, trim, and sometimes the island, so the whole room gets refreshed at once rather than just the cabinetry.

Homeowners often start out thinking they only need cabinets done, then realize the wall color or trim looks dated next to freshly painted cabinets. Bundling the two lets one crew handle sequencing (cabinets are usually sprayed off-site or in a controlled area, walls are done on-site) so the finishes land at the same time without the kitchen being out of commission twice.

Cabinet refinishing alone: doors, drawer fronts, boxes, and hardware, usually with a sprayed finish for a smooth factory-like result
Full kitchen repaint: adds walls, ceiling, trim, and baseboards to the cabinet work
Sequencing matters: cabinet doors are often removed and finished elsewhere while walls are painted in place

What it costs

Cabinet refinishing alone is priced by door and drawer count plus the linear footage of boxes, while adding wall and trim painting brings in the same square-footage pricing used for any interior room. Doing both at once can save on setup and scheduling compared to hiring two separate jobs months apart, since the kitchen only needs to be cleared out and unusable one time.

Top 3 by our score

Ranked from our published scoring of public Google reviews for cabinet refinishing & painting.

1. King Paint Company
4.9★ · 186 reviews

93
2. One Painting & Epoxy One
5.0★ · 77 reviews

90
3. A1 Cabinet Painting
5.0★ · 87 reviews

88

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FAQ

Should I paint my kitchen walls before or after cabinet refinishing?: Most painters refinish cabinets first (or in parallel if doors are pulled and sprayed elsewhere) and paint walls last, so any overspray or touch-up work does not affect the fresh wall paint.
Can I just refinish the cabinets and leave the walls alone?: Yes, that is a complete job on its own. Bundling in the walls is only worth it if you already plan to update the wall color or the trim needs attention too.
Do cabinet refinishing crews also paint walls, or do I need two companies?: Many Rock Hill cabinet refinishing companies also handle interior wall painting, but it is worth confirming since some specialize only in cabinetry and spray finishing.

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