Cabinet Painting & Refinishing in Marietta, GA
Marietta cabinets range widely: site-built cabinetry with layers of old enamel near the Square, plain birch or pine doors in the mid-century ranches, and factory oak with cathedral or raised panels across East Cobb. Each needs different prep before color. On older kitchens with mixed boxes, the goal is one consistent finish, and on raised-panel oak the coats go on thin. We start by finding out what finish is on the doors now.
Cobb County · Marietta, GA
Cabinet Painting & Refinishing for Marietta homes
Everything from antebellum and Victorian homes near the Square, through mid-century ranches, to 80s and 90s brick-and-siding subdivisions in East Cobb. Older homes need genuine carpentry repair before any topcoat; the East Cobb stock is squarely in kitchen-and-bath remodel territory.
Areas we work in Marietta
- Marietta Square
- Whitlock Heights
- East Cobb
- Kennesaw Avenue Historic District
- Church-Cherokee
- Sibley Forest
Near Marietta Square, Kennesaw Mountain, The Strand Theatre and across the rest of Marietta.
Recent work from our crews
Cabinet Painting & Refinishing on Marietta houses
Cabinet painting in Marietta depends on which kitchen you are standing in. In the older houses around the Square and the historic districts, any original cabinetry is usually site-built: wood face frames and doors a carpenter hung, with decades of enamel or varnish built up on them, sometimes alongside later boxes added in a past remodel that do not match the old ones. Getting those two kinds of door to read as one finish is the work. The mid-century ranches often have plain slab or simple-frame doors in birch or pine. East Cobb kitchens of that 1980s-90s build-out are factory oak with cathedral-arch or raised-panel doors, which means deep grain and a lot of profile to sand and prime before any color.
What usually gets missed
The East Cobb miss is the raised panel. Primer and paint pool in the inside corners of the panel and arch, sag there, and later crack along the joint where the panel floats in the frame, so it gets sprayed in thin coats rather than flooded on. On the old site-built kitchens the hidden problem is the stack of finishes: an early oil coat under later latex will let go from the layer below if only the top is scuffed, and pre-1978 coats may hold lead, so the sanding is kept wet and contained.
On a Marietta job we check
- Spray raised and arched oak panels thin so corners do not sag
- Sand old site-built doors to a layer that is actually bonded
- Blend mixed old and newer boxes to one sheen and color
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 Marietta
- 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 Marietta 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
“I hired Dan James painting & remodeling company to paint the exterior of my home. His workers were punctual and courteous. The project was completed on time as promised . I was very happy with the job they did and l plan to hire them again for another project .”
Exterior repaint
Want a real number for your Marietta 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 Marietta — 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
- 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.
- 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.
More in Marietta
Cobb County housing, neighborhoods and what we do there.
Painting & remodeling in Marietta →Other work in Marietta
- Interior Painting in Marietta
- Exterior Painting in Marietta
- Deck & Fence Staining in Marietta
- Commercial Painting in Marietta
- Drywall Repair & Patching in Marietta
- Kitchen Remodeling in Marietta
- Bathroom Remodeling in Marietta
- Basement Finishing in Marietta
- Deck & Porch Building in Marietta
- Siding Replacement in Marietta
- Flooring Installation in Marietta
Prefer to talk it through? Dan picks up.
(470) 419-0922