# how much can i bid to paint new cabinets



## manny (Feb 2, 2006)

how much can i charge to paint brand new cabinets? i just finish painting the exterior of a new house and the new home owners bought new cabinets in a pine finish. now thy want me to paint the outside of the cabinets the same color as the exterior of the house(linen). i was thinking more around $2500-$3250(materials included and myself and maybe another person). i would have to cover everything in the kitchen, remove cabinet doors, prime and spray them,2 days maybe 2 1/2, tops.. does anyone know the price range for painting new cabinets??? please let me know


----------



## CarlW (Feb 2, 2006)

It doesn't sound like we have any idea here how many cabinets are involved, how much prep, size of the kitchen, etc. I know that bidding cabinets jobs can be tough to estimate time involved, so you just take it one by one, door by door and add up your time, multiply that by whatever your hourly charge is, add materials and there you have your price. I realize that you are probably posting your question hoping for some magical formula for cabinet painting and I can say that there probably isn't one being that every single painter moves at different speeds and has differing rates of production.


----------



## slickshift (Jun 14, 2005)

I just painted some last week
It took me about 40 minutes
By hand
No kidding
I charged slightly less than $2500-$3250
:biggrin:

I'm bustin' on ya...but it's true
My point is there's no way to tell you what to charge from here

Some more info and maybe someone might offer some tips or $ ranges they charge for similar work

The best way to estimate cabinets is by eye and experience and use your production rates and monetary needs


----------



## Paul Burns (Jan 17, 2006)

Manny,

We usid to charge 50-55 dollars per door or drawer front including the skeletons. Then we would charge another 50 or so for every 2 sq. ft. of blank panel. Plus materials, which was usually lacquer, but sometimes these newer water based, SW pro classic or similar paints. Oils just take too long to dry, and we would probably NOT even do them if we had to use oil. I KNOW we wouldn't.

We always made decent money like this. Just remember to label every hinge as to which door it belongs to, and whether it is the top or bottom. 

Good luck,
Paul


----------



## redhickey (Feb 3, 2010)

Well...first you have to ask yourself:"Do I really want to do this job?" Painting cabinets is questionable because it may or may not worth the effort to paint cheap cabinets. And new cabinets are no exception. However, painting new cabinets and ruding the look is a killer. In other words, you can go from bad to worst. Anyway, in answer to your question, a fair estimate without seeing the condition of the cabinets is to charge by number and size of the doors. Small doors, $21.00 a piece, medium at $24.00, and large doors at $29.00 each. This of course includes to sand and prep the doors before painting. Depending the condition of the door, it may take 15-25 mins per door. Remember, the better job you do on the doors makes the whole job look great. Charge a flat fee to remove the doors and paint the face and then rehang the doors. 
however, you are painting new doors, so much time isn't spend removing and re-install the doors. just the painting. Spray or hand painting is also a factor. Time to allowed to get the job done is important, too. Basicly, you have too many what-if's for a bland estimate. So just shoot for $25 per door and learn for the next time.


----------



## JumboJack (Aug 14, 2007)

redhickey said:


> Well...first you have to ask yourself:*"Do I really want to do this job?"* Painting cabinets is questionable because it may or may not worth the effort to paint cheap cabinets. And new cabinets are no exception. However, painting new cabinets and ruding the look is a killer. In other words, you can go from bad to worst. Anyway, in answer to your question, a fair estimate without seeing the condition of the cabinets is to charge by number and size of the doors. Small doors, $21.00 a piece, medium at $24.00, and large doors at $29.00 each. This of course includes to sand and prep the doors before painting. Depending the condition of the door, it may take 15-25 mins per door. Remember, the better job you do on the doors makes the whole job look great. Charge a flat fee to remove the doors and paint the face and then rehang the doors.
> however, you are painting new doors, so much time isn't spend removing and re-install the doors. just the painting. Spray or hand painting is also a factor. Time to allowed to get the job done is important, too. Basicly, you have too many what-if's for a bland estimate. So just shoot for $25 per door and learn for the next time.


Being that this thread is *FOUR YEARS OLD* it would be a safe bet he has already made his decision.


----------

