Kitchen Cabinet Painting Contractor Estimating Methods – A Guide

Repainting kitchen cabinets is a popular market for painting contractors because many home owners kitchens have quality cabinets in place that are only in need of a new look that can be achieved by a fresh coat of paint. Kitchen cabinet painting can also be a great niche for paint contractors as it can require a bit of extra skill to be able to deliver a quality finish. In order to succeed, bidding kitchen cabinet painting jobs properly is critical. This guide will cover some of the more popular methods used to estimate kitchen cabinet painting projects.

Method 1 for estimating kitchen cabinet painting costs – Per Linear Foot

This method of estimating costs to repaint kitchen cabinets measures the total linear feet of cabinets and then applies a standard per foot price. The per foot price is typically based on the finish the customer wants and the area you work in. Complicated finishes that are more time consuming to complete like glazed finishes will typically have a higher cost compared to a basic repaint. The linear feet method can be one of the easiest to determine but doesn’t consider how much work may be involved masking because the number of cabinet openings will not be taken into account. Price ranges per linear foot vary anywhere from $90 – $180 per linear foot. If this is the method your considering using you can use the amount of time and materials used on a job as a base point to estimate how much you should charge per linear foot.

Method 2 for estimating kitchen cabinet painting costs – Per Opening

This method basis pricing on the number of openings that will be painted. This method tends to be one of the most popular for paint contractors to estimate kitchen cabinet painting costs because it better accounts for time needed to prep cabinets with masking and sanding compared to the liner foot method.  This method also requires less measurement as you will count the number of openings and multiply by a standard price, which is usually anywhere between $80 – $120 in many markets.

Method 3 for estimating kitchen cabinet painting costs – Per Door and Drawer

This method bases pricing on the number of doors and drawers that you will paint. This is similar to the per opening method but better refines pricing as drawers will require less effort than a full cabinet. Doors are often estimated at around $100 and drawers around $80 but this can be adjusted up or down based on the complexity of the work you will be doing. 

Additional Tips

While there are a few methods to choose from as a painting contractor to provide estimates to your customers on their cost for kitchen cabinet painting, it can be a good practice to keep track of the time and material you need to complete your work. You need to track your expenses, if this becomes unmanageable check lending purplepayday.loan personal loans they can offer you home construction loans online. Over time this can allow you to thoroughly know the best way to estimate projects for customers by using your past experiences to properly adjust your estimates depending on the wood the cabinet is made of, the surface condition, and the finish you will be providing. Combining the methods mentioned can also be a good practice to help ensure you do not over look any details when providing an estimate. General reference guides like the 2018 Craftsman Paint Contractor Estimating Guide can also serve as a great reference when estimating kitchen cabinet painting costs for your customer.