Service
Kitchen Cabinet Painting & Refinishing in Ottawa
A factory-smooth cabinet finish that updates a kitchen for a fraction of a full replacement.
Kitchen cabinet painting and refinishing updates your kitchen for a fraction of the cost of replacing the cabinets. Done right, the finish is smooth, hard-wearing, and looks factory-applied rather than brushed on.
We clean, sand, prime, and finish your existing cabinet boxes, doors, and drawer fronts across Ottawa and Gatineau, so the kitchen looks new without the demolition, the weeks of downtime, or the price of a full renovation.
If price is your first question, our guide to what cabinet painting costs in Ottawa covers the typical range and what moves it. If the question is whether painting suits your kitchen at all, cabinet refinishing vs refacing vs replacing puts the three options side by side.
If you want to know what goes on the doors, our guide to the best paint for kitchen cabinets compares the main cabinet paints from their makers' data sheets.
A smart update for Ottawa kitchens
Replacing kitchen cabinets is one of the most expensive renovations a homeowner takes on. For many Ottawa and Gatineau kitchens where the cabinet boxes are still sound, refinishing delivers a near-new look for far less, with far less mess and a much shorter timeline.
Which cabinet materials take paint well
Solid wood and MDF take paint well. Laminate and thermofoil are slick factory surfaces and are less forgiving, though they can often still be painted with the right cleaning and a bonding primer.
We take cabinet refinishing and repainting work across Ottawa and Gatineau, including Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orleans, Stittsville, and the Glebe. High-rise condos are welcome. Service elevators and building rules set the schedule, tell us whether the condo board or property manager needs notice and what the building rules are, and we schedule around both.
What is included
Doors, drawers, and boxes
We finish the cabinet boxes plus all doors and drawer fronts for a consistent, complete result.
Degrease and sand
Kitchen cabinets carry years of grease. We clean and sand thoroughly so the new finish actually bonds.
Primer built for cabinets
A bonding primer is what stops cabinet paint from chipping at the edges. We never skip it.
Durable topcoat
A hard-wearing finish that stands up to daily kitchen use, wiping, and handling.
Our process
Assess and quote
We check the cabinet material and condition, agree the colour and finish, and give you a written number.
Remove and label
Doors and drawers come off and are labelled so everything goes back exactly where it belongs.
Clean, sand, prime
Thorough degreasing, sanding for adhesion, and a bonding primer made for cabinetry.
Finish and reassemble
Smooth, even finish coats for a factory-like result, then careful reinstallation and a walkthrough with you.
What does cabinet refinishing & repainting cost in Ottawa?
Cabinet refinishing cost in Ottawa comes down to the number of doors and drawers, the cabinet material, the condition, and the finish you choose. As a published Canadian reference rather than a quote, HomeStars' 2026 price guide says most homeowners pay $2,500 to $5,500 for professional cabinet painting.
We give you a clear written estimate for your exact kitchen so you can compare it directly against a replacement quote. Request your free estimate to see the number for your cabinets.
We use bonding primers and durable cabinet-grade topcoats built for daily kitchen wear, and we will match the colour and sheen you have in mind.
Want a real number for your cabinet refinishing & repainting project in Ottawa or Gatineau?
Established in 2015. Every project starts with a free written estimate at your place, no surprises.
What a homeowner says about our cabinet work
We've used Ottawa Luxe Painting twice now, once for our basement and again for our kitchen cabinets. Both jobs were done beautifully. Excellent communication and fair pricing. Definitely a company you can trust.
Refinishing vs new cabinets
| Consideration | Refinishing | New cabinets |
|---|---|---|
| Published Canadian cost (HomeStars) | $1,500 to $8,500 for professional cabinet painting | $5,000 to $30,000 or more to replace |
| Timeline | A few days | Often weeks, plus demolition |
| Mess and disruption | Low: no teardown, the kitchen stays largely usable | High: demolition, dust, kitchen out of use |
| Result | A near-new look on your sound existing boxes | Brand-new boxes, and a chance to change the layout |
| Best when | The cabinet boxes are structurally sound | The layout is changing or the boxes are failing |
Cabinet Refinishing & Repainting: common questions
Yes. We take cabinet refinishing and repainting work across Ottawa and Gatineau, including Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orleans, Stittsville, and the Glebe. Kitchens differ enough that we always look at the cabinets before quoting, so the first step is a free written estimate at your place rather than a number over the phone.
Consumer Protection Ontario gives homeowners the same rule: never accept an estimate over the phone or without the contractor inspecting the area.
Almost always, and usually by a wide margin. Replacing cabinets means demolition, new boxes, and often new counters, while refinishing reuses the sound structure you already have. If your cabinet boxes are in good shape, refinishing gives you a near-new kitchen look for a fraction of the cost, with far less mess and a much shorter timeline.
Yes, when it is done properly. The durability comes from the prep and the products: thorough degreasing, sanding for adhesion, a bonding primer made for cabinetry, and a hard-wearing topcoat. Skipping any of those is why a rushed DIY cabinet job chips at the edges within months, and it is exactly what we do not skip.
A typical kitchen is measured in days rather than weeks, though the exact timeline depends on the number of doors and drawers and the finish you choose. Because the finish needs time to cure between coats, we will not rush it, and we give you a realistic schedule with your written estimate so you can plan around it.
The goal is a smooth, even, factory-like finish rather than a thick brushed coat that shows strokes, and that comes from careful prep and a fine application of the topcoats. The best method depends on your cabinets and the finish you want, so we will walk you through exactly how we will finish yours during the estimate.
Often, yes, but laminate and thermofoil are less forgiving than solid wood or MDF, because the coating has to bond to a slick factory surface. That makes the cleaning, the right bonding primer, and an honest look at the cabinet's condition even more important. We will check what your cabinets are made of during the estimate and tell you honestly whether refinishing is the right call for them.
For the work we do, yes. Either name means we keep the doors, drawer fronts and boxes you already have. The doors and drawers come off and are labelled, then we degrease, sand and prime every surface with a bonding primer and put the new finish on.
The layout, the door style and the hardware stay as they are unless you choose otherwise, so only the colour and the surface change. A different door shape or profile needs a new door, and that is refacing or replacing.
Yes. Going from a dark wood to a crisp white, or to a deep navy, is one of the most popular cabinet updates. The right primer and enough coats give you full, even colour coverage, and we will help you choose a shade and sheen that suit your kitchen's light and how the space is used.
Yes. We finish the cabinet boxes along with the doors and drawer fronts so the result is consistent and complete, not a patchwork where the visible frames do not match the doors. Everything is labelled when removed so each door and drawer goes back exactly where it belongs.