Cabinet Painting & Refinishing in Johns Creek, GA
Many Johns Creek kitchens from the late 80s and 90s, especially in Country Club of the South, have long runs of custom or semi-custom maple or cherry, with an island, glass-front uppers and built-in desks or pantries. Painting them updates a well-planned kitchen without new boxes, though cherry needs a stain-blocking primer to avoid bleed. In Rivermont we first judge whether the older boxes are worth saving, and every built-in gets counted in the estimate.
Fulton County · Johns Creek, GA
Cabinet Painting & Refinishing for Johns Creek homes
Johns Creek splits into three rough eras. Rivermont, laid out around a golf course that opened in 1973, holds the oldest subdivision housing, with homes from the mid-1970s and early 80s whose original wiring, windows and wood siding are near the end of their life. The gated golf communities came next: St. Ives, on nearly a mile of Chattahoochee frontage, went up mostly in the late 80s and early 90s, and Country Club of the South followed through the 90s. Those are large estate homes, often brick or stone with stucco sections, tall foyers, two-story family rooms and full basements. Swim-and-tennis neighborhoods such as Seven Oaks, Ammersee Lakes and River Glen are more modest, mostly brick-front houses with lap siding on the sides and back. For painting, that means a lot of tall interior walls and stairwells, plus stucco and trim that need careful repair before a coat goes on. For remodeling, it means second-generation kitchens and baths, and basement finishing in houses that are big to begin with.
Areas we work in Johns Creek
- St. Ives
- Country Club of the South
- Rivermont
- Seven Oaks
- Ammersee Lakes
- River Glen
Near Newtown Park, Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and Heritage Center, Rogers Bridge Park and across the rest of Johns Creek.
Recent work from our crews
Cabinet Painting & Refinishing on Johns Creek houses
Johns Creek kitchens from the late 80s and 90s are often large, with long runs of cabinets, a center island, glass-front uppers and built-in desks or butler's pantries. In the golf communities, Country Club of the South especially, many were custom or semi-custom maple or cherry with a stained finish, solidly built and worth keeping. Painting them is a way to update a kitchen that is otherwise well laid out without paying for new boxes. In Rivermont's older homes, the cabinets are more likely to be original 70s or early 80s stock with dated door styles, and refinishing has to start with an honest look at whether the boxes are worth saving.
What usually gets missed
Cherry and other stained cabinetry can bleed through light paint, leaving a pink or yellow cast on the doors after a few weeks. A stain-blocking primer is what stops it, and skipping it is the most common mistake on these kitchens. Built-in pieces, glass-front doors and crown at the ceiling also take far longer than a simple door count suggests. We prime a test door, wait to check for bleed, and count every built-in before scheduling.
On a Johns Creek job we check
- Use a stain-blocking primer on cherry and dark-stained wood
- Count built-ins, glass-front doors and crown in the scope
- Judge whether older Rivermont-era boxes are worth refinishing
What the job actually involves
Cabinets get touched, splashed and scrubbed every day, so the finish has to be hard and well bonded. That comes from degreasing, scuff-sanding and the right primer, not from a coat of wall paint.
We use a bonding primer and a hard-curing cabinet enamel rather than wall paint, because cabinets take constant handling and moisture, and ordinary paint stays soft and scuffs.
How we run a cabinet painting & refinishing job in Johns Creek
- 1
Label and remove doors and hardware
Doors, drawer fronts and hinges are taken off and numbered so everything returns to its original spot. Hardware is bagged. Drawer boxes and cabinet frames stay in the house and get masked.
- 2
Degrease and deep clean
Years of cooking residue sit on cabinet faces, especially near the stove. We clean with a degreaser, then rinse. Paint over grease will peel off in sheets, so this step is not skipped.
- 3
Repair, sand and fill
Dings, old hardware holes and gouges are filled. All surfaces are sanded to dull the existing finish. Open-grain wood such as oak may get grain filler if you want a smooth look, otherwise the grain will show through.
- 4
Prime with a bonding primer
A stain-blocking bonding primer goes on to seal tannins and grip old finishes. Dark or stained cabinets can bleed through, which is why primer matters.
- 5
Sand lightly and apply finish coats
We scuff the primer, then apply two coats of a hard cabinet enamel by spray or fine roller and brush, with drying time between coats. Humid weather slows this down and can leave a soft film, so we manage airflow and timing.
- 6
Cure, reinstall and adjust
Doors are rehung after the finish has dried enough to handle, and hinges and doors are adjusted so they close squarely. New or original hardware goes back on. The paint keeps hardening for days to weeks, so go gently at first.
What moves the price
We will not quote Johns Creek blind over the phone — these are the things we look at on site that decide the number.
- Number of doors and drawer fronts, which drives most of the labor.
- Condition and material. Water-damaged, peeling or heavily worn cabinets need repair.
- Wood species and grain. Oak and similar open-grain wood takes extra work to look smooth.
- Whether we paint cabinet interiors and the end panels and toe kicks.
- Color change. Dark to light usually needs more primer and coats.
- Whether doors are sprayed off-site or in a controlled space versus painted in place.
From a cabinet painting & refinishing customer
“His crew and him, helped me and the family get our home painted and repairs that look like new. … He ended up replacing trim and sills around my home.”
Exterior repaint, trim and sills
Want a real number for your Johns Creek cabinet painting & refinishing job?
The only way to price it honestly is to see it. We come out, walk the job and put it in writing — free, and with no obligation to book.
Call and we answer 24/7. Forms sent during the day get a call back the same day.
Cabinet Painting & Refinishing in Johns Creek — questions we get asked
- How long are my kitchen cabinets out of commission?
- Plan on about a week for a typical kitchen, sometimes a bit more. Doors may be gone for several days while they are painted and dry. You can still use the kitchen sink and appliances, but the cabinets themselves are partly unusable.
- Will the paint chip?
- Any painted surface can chip, especially at edges and around handles. Proper cleaning, sanding and primer, plus a hard enamel, cut that risk a lot. The finish continues to cure for weeks, so be gentle at first.
- Can you paint cabinets that are already painted or stained?
- Yes. Both are fine with proper prep. Laminate and thermofoil are trickier and we will tell you honestly if yours is a poor candidate.
- Is painting cheaper than replacing cabinets?
- Usually, if the boxes are solid and the layout works for you. If the cabinets are damaged, sagging or badly designed, replacing them may be the better move.
- Is there a smell?
- Some, during painting and for a day or so after. We use low-odor products where we can and recommend ventilation.
Planning cabinet painting & refinishing? Start here
- Should you paint or replace your kitchen cabinets? Painting beats replacing when the boxes are sound — here is how to tell, and the cases where paint only hides the problem.
- How to match cabinets and wall colors without a busy kitchen Why the cabinets set the palette, how undertones decide what works, and when to let the walls simply get out of the way.
More in Johns Creek
Fulton County housing, neighborhoods and what we do there.
Painting & remodeling in Johns Creek →Other work in Johns Creek
- Interior Painting in Johns Creek
- Exterior Painting in Johns Creek
- Deck & Fence Staining in Johns Creek
- Commercial Painting in Johns Creek
- Drywall Repair & Patching in Johns Creek
- Kitchen Remodeling in Johns Creek
- Bathroom Remodeling in Johns Creek
- Basement Finishing in Johns Creek
- Deck & Porch Building in Johns Creek
- Siding Replacement in Johns Creek
- Flooring Installation in Johns Creek
Prefer to talk it through? Dan picks up.
(470) 419-0922