Cabinet Painting in Charleston, SC
Cabinet painting in Charleston, SC homes, by VMS Home Painting: kitchen cabinets, mudroom lockers and built-in shelving refinished in a new color, while the boxes, doors and countertops stay where they are.
Painted cabinetry and built-ins appear on several of our project pages, from a two-tone kitchen in Mount Pleasant to charcoal mudroom built-ins in Dunes West. 5.0 stars from 21 Google reviews (checked October 2026).
When painting your cabinets makes sense
- The boxes and doors are solid wood or a stable wood product, and the layout works for you; only the color or the worn finish bothers you.
- You are updating a kitchen before selling, or after buying a house with dated wood tones.
- Built-ins or a mudroom should match a new wall color.
If doors are delaminating, boxes are water-damaged under the sink, or you want a different layout, paint will not fix that. Refacing (new doors and veneer) or replacement are the alternatives, and the estimate visit is a good time to talk about which one fits.
Cabinetry and built-ins on our project pages
- Sewee Grass home, 2,900 sq ft: a two-tone kitchen with dark upper and lower cabinets.
- Dunes West home, 3,745 sq ft: a mudroom with floor-to-ceiling built-in cabinetry in charcoal gray.
- Park West home, 2,980 sq ft: white kitchen cabinetry and floor-to-ceiling built-ins in the home office.
- Old Village home on Bennett Street: walk-in closets with built-in cabinetry and drawer systems finished in white.
- Modern farmhouse in Mount Pleasant: a hallway lined with white built-in cabinets with glass-front doors (photo below).
One reviewer also hired us to paint new built-in shelves in an office, and mentioned a crew that was on time and polite.
What a lasting cabinet finish takes
Cabinets get touched, wiped and bumped every day, so the finish depends on the steps under it. Paint makers' instructions for cabinet work, such as Benjamin Moore's cabinet guide, list these steps:
- Take off doors, drawers and hardware, so every face is painted flat.
- Clean with a grease remover. Kitchen grease near the stove and the handles keeps primer from bonding.
- Sand lightly, enough to dull the old finish so primer can grip, not to strip it.
- Cover countertops and floors around the work area.
- Prime with a primer that suits the existing finish; the guide warns against a lacquer-based primer under its cabinet enamel.
- Two coats of cabinet enamel, with a fine sanding before each coat.
- Let it cure before heavy use. Cure takes longer than dry, and the product data sheet gives the times.
Ask any bidder, us included, to name each step, the product and how long the kitchen will be out of use. Request your cabinet estimate or call (843) 452-1860.
What moves the price of cabinet painting
We do not publish prices. The estimate is free, and these are the factors behind it:
- number of doors, drawer fronts and boxes, and whether islands or built-ins are included;
- the existing finish: raw or stained wood, a lacquer, or old paint that is failing;
- open-grain woods such as oak, if you want the grain filled for a smooth surface;
- a dark-to-light color change, which needs more coverage;
- repairs to chipped edges, swollen panels or loose hinges;
- new hardware holes to fill or drill.
Kitchens we can reach
Charleston and the islands, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville and Goose Creek. If the walls around the kitchen need paint too, see interior painting in Charleston.
Cabinet painting questions
Can you paint over cabinets without sanding?
The paint maker's cabinet guide says no: clean with a grease remover and sand first, because most cabinet finishes are too smooth or glossy for primer to grip.
What kind of paint goes on kitchen cabinets?
A hard-drying enamel made for cabinets, doors and trim, over a primer that suits the existing finish. The product named in your estimate should be one you can look up.
How do you refinish stained cabinets?
Stained wood is degreased, scuff-sanded and primed before paint. If you want to keep the wood look, refinishing with a new stain is a different job; tell us which result you want.
Can I repaint kitchen cabinets myself?
Many homeowners do. The hard parts are the prep, a smooth finish on doors and the wait for cure before rehanging. Hiring out is mostly paying for those steps and for a shorter time without a kitchen.
Cabinet Painting Guides
What to know before painting kitchen cabinets: timing, wood type and how long the finish lasts.
Ask for a free cabinet painting estimate
Send a photo of the kitchen or built-ins and the color you have in mind. We will schedule a visit and give you a detailed estimate.