Painting, staining, refacing and repair

Cabinet Refinishing in Surrey

Q: Will painted cabinets chip?

Properly prepared and sprayed cabinets hold up well to everyday use. Chipping almost always traces back to paint applied over grease,without a bonding primer,or with wall paint instead of a cabinet-grade coating. Like any finish,they can still be damaged by hard knocks,and small touch-ups are possible.

Q: Can you paint laminate or thermofoil cabinets?

Melamine and laminate can be painted with specialist bonding primers,but adhesion has to be tested first. Thermofoil,the vinyl wrap on many older doors,is not a good candidate:if it is peeling,painting over it will not stop it. Replacing those doors while refinishing the boxes is usually the better option.

Q: Should I paint,reface or replace my cabinets?

If the boxes are solid and the layout works,painting or staining gives the best value. If the doors are the problem,new doors or refacing makes sense. If the boxes are water-damaged or the layout does not suit you,new custom cabinets are the better long-term choice.

Q: Will the oak grain show through the paint?

Yes,unless it is filled. Oak has an open grain that shows through paint as texture. Some people like that look. For a smooth,modern finish,we apply a grain filler before priming,which adds time and cost but hides the texture.

Q: Do I need new countertops when refinishing cabinets?

No. Refinishing works around existing counters,backsplash and sink,which is one of the main reasons it costs so much less than a new kitchen. If you are planning new counters anyway,it is best to do them before or at the same time so the cabinets are not damaged during installation.

Q: Is there a strong smell during refinishing?

Most of the spraying happens away from the kitchen,and the coatings used on the boxes are applied with ventilation and masking. There will be some odour while the finish dries,which fades over a few days. Let us know about any sensitivities and we can choose products accordingly.

Q: Can you refinish bathroom vanities too?

Yes. Vanities are refinished the same way,with primers and coatings chosen for the extra humidity in bathrooms. It is often paired with a new top,faucet and hardware. For a bigger change,see our bathroom remodeling services.

Q: How do I get a cabinet refinishing estimate?

Use the cabinet estimate form or call(604)649-5404. Photos and a rough count of doors and drawers are enough for a first price. We then visit to confirm the material and condition and bring colour samples.

Give your kitchen or bathroom cabinets a new colour, new doors and a smooth sprayed finish, without the cost and disruption of tearing them out.

Request a free cabinet estimate Call us: (604) 649-5404

Surrey Cabinets

New-looking cabinets without new cabinets

Many Surrey kitchens have cabinet boxes that are still perfectly good: solid oak from the 1980s and 1990s in family homes around Fleetwood and Guildford, builder-grade maple and MDF in newer houses, and rental-suite kitchens that just need to look fresh between tenancies. When the boxes and layout work, refinishing is usually the most cost-effective way to change the look of the room.

The results depend on preparation and the coating, not just the colour. Kitchens are hard on finishes, so we clean, repair and prime properly and spray cabinet-grade products that cure hard. Choose one service below or combine them, such as painted boxes with new doors and hardware.

Jump to a service

Hardwood Floor Refinishing

Our cabinet refinishing services in Surrey

A typical project mixes several of these: repairs first, a new colour sprayed on, and new hinges and pulls to finish.

Kitchen Cabinet Refinishing in Surrey

Refinishing gives a kitchen a new look while keeping the cabinet boxes, layout and usually the countertops. Doors and drawer fronts come off, everything is cleaned, repaired and prepared, and a new painted or stained finish goes on. It typically costs far less than new cabinets and keeps the kitchen usable for much of the job, as long as the boxes are solid and the layout works.

Typically involves

Doors, drawers and boxes refinished

Countertops, backsplash and layout kept

Paint or stain finishes

New hardware and soft-close hinges if wanted

A good fit if your cabinets are sound but look dated or worn.

Cabinet Painting in Surrey

Kitchen cabinets take grease, steam, knocks and constant handling, so wall paint will not last on them. We degrease, scuff-sand and prime with a bonding primer, then apply a hard-wearing cabinet coating designed for this use. Oak and other open-grain woods can be grain-filled first if you want a smooth modern look, or left textured if you prefer the grain to show through.

Typically involves

Degreasing and scuff-sanding

Bonding primer for good adhesion

Durable cabinet-grade topcoats

Optional grain filling on oak

A good fit if you want a painted look such as white, navy, green or grey.

Cabinet Refacing in Surrey

Refacing keeps the cabinet boxes but covers them in new material and replaces every door and drawer front. The exposed box faces and ends are clad in veneer or matching panels, so the kitchen looks entirely new without tearing out cabinets or disturbing plumbing and counters. It suits kitchens where the boxes are strong but the doors are damaged, dated or cannot take paint well.

Typically involves

New doors and drawer fronts

Veneer or panels on box faces and ends

New hinges, slides and hardware

Crown moulding and light rail options

A good fit if the boxes are solid but the doors cannot be saved or painted.

Cabinet Staining in Surrey

Staining keeps the look of real wood while changing its tone, whether that is refreshing faded oak, going darker, or updating an orange cast to a warmer or more neutral colour. Depending on the existing finish, we either strip to bare wood or use a gel stain system over the old finish. Stain can only go darker or change undertone; going much lighter usually means painting instead.

Typically involves

Refreshing faded or worn wood finishes

Darker or more neutral wood tones

Stripping or gel-stain methods

Clear protective topcoat

A good fit if you want to keep a wood look, just in a different tone.

Cabinet Colour Change in Surrey

Choosing the colour is the decision people worry about most, so we treat it as its own step. We look at the counters, backsplash, floors and light in your kitchen, suggest palettes including two-tone schemes such as a dark island with lighter perimeter cabinets, and prepare sample doors so you can see the colour in your own kitchen before anything is sprayed.

Typically involves

Colour consultation in your kitchen

Sample doors in your chosen colours

Two-tone and accent island schemes

Sheen selection from matte to semi-gloss

A good fit if you know you want a change but not which colour.

Wondering if your cabinets are worth saving?

Email a few photos of the doors and the inside of the sink cabinet. We’ll let you know whether refinishing makes sense and what it might cost, usually within one business day.

Request a free cabinet estimate

Cabinet Door Replacement in Surrey

New doors and drawer fronts can transform a kitchen on their own. It is the right route when the old doors are thermofoil that is peeling, badly damaged, or a style you simply want gone, such as arched or raised panels. New Shaker, slab or other styles are made to fit your existing openings and finished to match or contrast with the refinished boxes.

Typically involves

Shaker, slab, beadboard and other styles

Made to fit existing openings

Replacing peeling thermofoil doors

Finished to match the refinished boxes

A good fit if the door style or material is the real problem.

Cabinet Hardware Upgrades in Surrey

Hardware is small but you touch it every day. New pulls and knobs change the look instantly, soft-close hinges stop doors from slamming, and full-extension soft-close drawer slides let you reach the back of every drawer. When sizes change, we fill and refinish old screw holes so there is no trace of the previous hardware.

Typically involves

Pulls, knobs and edge pulls

Soft-close concealed hinges

Full-extension soft-close drawer slides

Filling old holes when hardware sizes change

A good fit if the cabinets are fine but they feel or look dated.

Cabinet Repair in Surrey

Common cabinet damage includes swollen particleboard under the sink after a leak, hinges pulled out of the box, chipped edges, broken drawer boxes and sagging shelves. Many of these can be repaired or rebuilt individually so the rest of the kitchen stays as it is, and repairs are usually done before any refinishing so the finish is even across every cabinet.

Typically involves

Water-damaged sink bases rebuilt

Hinge and drawer slide repairs

Chipped edges and dents filled

Drawer box and shelf repairs

A good fit if specific cabinets are damaged but the rest are fine.

Bathroom Vanity Refinishing in Surrey

Bathroom vanities deal with more humidity and splashing than kitchen cabinets, so the prep and the coating have to cope with moisture. We refinish, paint or stain vanities, replace doors and hardware, and can pair the job with a new top and faucet for a quick bathroom update without a full remodel.

Typically involves

Moisture-tolerant primers and topcoats

Painting or staining vanity cabinets

New doors, pulls and soft-close hinges

Pairing with a new top and faucet

A good fit if the vanity is solid but looks tired next to the rest of the bathroom.

Spray Cabinet Refinishing in Surrey

Spraying is how we get a smooth, factory-like finish with no brush marks or roller texture. Doors and drawer fronts are sprayed in a controlled area, while boxes are sprayed or finished on site with the kitchen masked off. The coats cure harder and more evenly than brushed paint, which is what makes a refinished kitchen hold up to daily use.

Typically involves

Doors and drawers sprayed in a controlled area

Boxes finished on site with full masking

Even, smooth coats without brush marks

Proper cure time before reinstalling

A good fit if you want the smoothest, most durable result.

Refinish, reface or replace?

The condition of the cabinet boxes usually decides the answer.

If your cabinets are

Usually the best option

Boxes solid, doors in good shape, layout works

Refinish: paint or stain

Boxes solid, but doors damaged, peeling or an unwanted style

New doors, or full refacing

A few cabinets damaged, the rest fine

Repair, then refinish to match

Boxes water-damaged, sagging or the layout no longer works

Replace with new custom cabinets

Cabinet update options compared

Option

Look

Durability / Relative cost

Painting

Any colour; smooth or grain showing

Very durable with cabinet-grade coatings / Lowest

Staining

Real wood look in a new tone

Durable; limited to darker or warmer tones / Low

New doors on refinished boxes

New style and profile

New door surfaces / Moderate

Full refacing

Completely new look, boxes clad

New surfaces throughout / Moderate to higher

New custom cabinets

Any layout and style

All new / Highest

Can your cabinets be painted or stained?

It depends on what they are made of. Here is how common cabinet materials respond.

Material

Paint?

Stain? / Notes

Solid wood (oak, maple, cherry)

Yes

Yes / Oak grain shows through paint unless grain-filled

MDF

Yes

No / Paints very smoothly; seal edges well

Plywood or wood veneer

Yes

Often / Veneer must be intact and well bonded

Thermofoil (vinyl-wrapped)

Not recommended

No / Peeling foil usually means new doors

Melamine or laminate

With specialist primers

No / Adhesion is the challenge; test first

What cabinet refinishing in Surrey costs

Cabinet work is usually priced by the number of doors and drawers plus the boxes. What moves the price:

Number of doors and drawer fronts

Painting versus staining, and the number of colours

Grain filling on oak for a smooth painted look

Repairs, new doors or full refacing

New hinges, drawer slides and hardware

Extra panels, crown moulding, islands and vanities

Price my cabinet project

How a cabinet finish is made to last

Painted cabinets get a bad reputation from jobs that skipped the preparation. A finish that chips within months was almost always applied over grease or without the right primer.

These steps are part of every cabinet job we do, whatever the colour.

Request a free cabinet estimate

Doors, drawers and hardware removed and labelled so everything goes back in the same place

Thorough degreasing, because kitchen grease is the main reason cabinet paint peels

Repairs, filling and optional grain filling before any coating

Scuff-sanding and a bonding primer suited to the cabinet material

Cabinet-grade topcoats sprayed in even layers

Curing time before doors are rehung and hinges adjusted

Counters, floors and appliances fully protected while the boxes are finished

How cabinet refinishing works

Because the doors are finished away from the kitchen, you can usually keep using the sink and appliances for much of the job.

Estimate and samples

We count doors and drawers, check the material and condition, and prepare colour samples.

Spray and cure

Coats are applied with drying time between them, then left to cure properly.

Remove and prepare

Doors and drawers come off for spraying; boxes are cleaned, repaired and primed on site.

Reinstall and adjust

Doors and drawers go back on with new hardware if chosen, hinges are adjusted, and we walk through it together.

Homeowner reviews

Reviews from homeowners we've worked with.

Vancouver homeowners who entrusted us with their biggest investment — and what they had to say afterwards. Every review on this site is verified and linked to a real Google profile.

Delivered our full-home reno on time and on the original quote. No surprise change-orders. The PM texted photos every Friday — best contractor experience we've had in Vancouver.

Sarah K.

Kitsilano - Full-Home

Renovation

We added a legal basement suite to help with the mortgage. They handled every City of Burnaby permit. Tenant-ready in 12 weeks — now rents for $2,300/mo. They paid for themselves.

Mike & Rita G.

Burnaby - Legal

Secondary Suite

Our 1970s ensuite became a spa. Heated floors, walk-in shower, custom vanity. The design studio nailed our vision and the trades were respectful of our home every single day.

Jenny L.

North Vancouver

Bathroom

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Where we work

From Surrey to Vancouver, White Rock and Burnaby.

Total Renovations, a trusted renovation company located in Surrey, proudly works with homeowners across the Lower Mainland, offering comprehensive renovation services designed to enhance the comfort, functionality, and value of their homes.

Cabinet FAQ

Surrey cabinet refinishing questions

Timing, durability, laminate and thermofoil, oak grain, countertops and vanities.

How long does cabinet refinishing take, and can we use the kitchen? j

A typical kitchen takes around one to two weeks from start to finish, depending on its size, repairs and the number of coats. Doors are sprayed away from the kitchen, so you can usually keep using the sink, fridge and stove for most of the job, with the boxes off-limits while they are being coated and drying.

Will painted cabinets chip? i

Can you paint laminate or thermofoil cabinets? i

Should I paint, reface or replace my cabinets? i

Will the oak grain show through the paint? i

Do I need new countertops when refinishing cabinets? i

Is there a strong smell during refinishing? i

Can you refinish bathroom vanities too? i

How do I get a cabinet refinishing estimate? i

Ready for cabinets that look new?

Find out what refinishing would cost for your kitchen or vanity with a free estimate.

Get my free cabinet estimate