# Painting before or after cabinet install?



## Dan208 (Aug 5, 2008)

The title pretty much sums up my question.  Our kitchen cabinets will be installed in about a month, so I need to know if I should go ahead and paint the walls when our drywall guy gets done (probably late this week or early next week) or should I wait until the cabinets are up?  We are going with a light green color, so if the cabinet installer needs to mark the walls I don't think there will be a problem with seeing his lines.  I was just wondering if cabinet installers prefer to work with bare walls or if it really matters.

Dan


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## inspectorD (Aug 5, 2008)

Paint now...It is easy to touch up when the install is finished. They will work around it ...no problem.


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## hondadrv24 (Aug 5, 2008)

I'd paint now,  his marks will be slight


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## Petra design (Jan 19, 2010)

paint now.... www.petradesigninc.com


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## handyguys (Jan 20, 2010)

Both, now and when the cabs are up. In other words you will have touch-ups to do once everything is installed. Its much easier to touch-up rather than cut in next to new cabs.

i did that on this kitchen I did. Click here to see more pics (before and after) and listen to a podcast describing the remodel.


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## frozenstar (Jan 22, 2010)

I'd definitely paint it before the installation and some touch up after. (well I guess that an SOP when installing cabinets)  Very nice kitchen handyguys!


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## granite-girl (Jan 22, 2010)

Paint now- what a cute little kitchen- Handyguys.


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## handyguys (Jan 22, 2010)

thanks frozenstar and granite girl - did you see the before pics? Here are two
The biggest change was removing the wall between kitchen and dining room and putting in the island. 

Before





and


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## Superpack (Jan 26, 2010)

Kitchen pictures look nice!! Right now remodeling our kitchen and wanted to know how long I should allow the first coat of paint dry rather than installing the cabinets.

Best Regards,


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## wengay (Aug 19, 2010)

I agree with them. You should paint it before the installation. At least no need to worry if you need to cut,s if your cabinet is not fitted. Good luck on doing it. I think majority wins. But try to ask other people to make it sure.


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## TBell (Aug 25, 2010)

Just went threw it myself. Tore out the old ones, moved some walls/dpprways, got all the plastering done and painted the walls/ceilngs before I hung the cabinets. Nice things also is, it was already painted behind the appliances, above the wall cabinets and all I had to do is touch up a little in those small areas.  Paint First, save you a lot of time from taping off, edge painting and wiping off paint from cabinets. Easier to just plastic off the floor with nothing in your way.  

  BTW, make sure your wall colors are the right ones. We changed counter top colors mid stream to a new Wilsonart color. Now I need to repaint the entire 13 x15 kitchen and ceilings.


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## Dyson (Sep 14, 2010)

The kitchen cabinet paint ideas discussed in this article will help you achieve the look of transforming your kitchen from blah to amazing.

Glazing kitchen cabinets gives the newly painted kitchen cabinet an older look which is very trendy now. It also complements the look of your kitchen, while muting the modern look of stainless steel which is so popular in kitchens today.

The one thing to remember with glazed kitchen cabinets is it is not a textbook process. It is one that takes a certain flair for artistry when deciding where and how much glaze to remove to achieve the 'aged' look. Before you panic, remember it is also a very forgiving process. Glazing kitchen cabinets allows one to wipe the slate clean if you don't like the look and start over. Just make sure to work quickly before the glaze begins to dry.

Basically the steps involved are mixing the paint and glaze together to
achieve the color you desire, apply the glaze to the door and wipe off as little or as much as you choose. Let paint dry thoroughly and move onto the cabinet drawers and bases performing the same steps. Let everything dry at least a day to assure the surfaces are not tacky when rehanging doors. For free, detailed step by step instructions in the glazing process, click the link in the resource box below.

Things to keep in mind when painting or staining your kitchen are as follows. Remember your kitchen will not be 100% functional again until the entire project is completed. Do you have a place to prepare and store food and dishes during this time? Plan ahead and decide where you will be doing this. Remember that you will be removing your kitchen cabinet doors from their frame and will probably have then laid out throughout your kitchen to apply paint and dry, unless you have an enclosed garage or workshop this can be done in during the summer months.

Check the surface of the cabinets you are working with. What techniques have been done previously to these? If they've been stained or a urethane coat has been applied you must first apply a base coat of a special primer-sealer to ensure adhesion of the paint you are applying.


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## rudichicago (Oct 3, 2013)

I'm confused.  I was told that if I painted my kitchen walls before cabinet refacing, that would ruin the paint job.  Is this true?  If it's OK to paint first, how much time do I need before the cabinet refacing?  Thank you.


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## drewdin (Oct 24, 2013)

it might ruin the paint job where the cabinets are secured to the wall but at least the walls are done. Depending on how messy the carpenters are, you might not see the damage or there might not be any damage that is visible.

If they bang around the cabinets and slide them across the walls as they are being installed, you will have to patch and paint again.


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## Elizabeth Lynn (Jul 20, 2018)

I agree that you should paint your kitchen now and then once you install the cabinets you can do some touch-up paint and fix any imperfections you see.


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