How Much Does It Cost to Paint Kitchen Cabinets in Boston? [2026 Data]

The average cost to paint kitchen cabinets in Boston, MA, is $1,046. However, the total often ranges anywhere from $494 to $1,601, depending on the type of cabinets you have, prep work needed, paint type and color, and kitchen size. Extras, like repairing damaged doors or installing new hardware, add to the project total, but this is a less expensive alternative to replacing cabinets and can still net a high return on your investment.

Kitchen Cabinet Painting Cost Factors 

Kitchen cabinet painting costs in Boston, MA, depend primarily on the size of your kitchen or how many cabinets need painted. The bigger the kitchen, the more paint you’ll need. The cabinet type, paint type, and paint color, plus prep work, repairs, and hardware, all affect cost, too.

Kitchen Size

On average, painting kitchen cabinets costs between $3 and $16.50 per square foot, or between $30 and $60 per linear foot. This price includes all the supplies, materials, and labor you'll need to get the job done. Here’s a breakdown of the cost to paint cabinets based on kitchen size:

Cabinet Material

Kitchen cabinets come in a variety of materials, with some requiring a slightly different approach to achieve a smooth, uniform coat of paint. Here’s a look at the individual costs for each type of cabinet material:

Type of Paint

There are many different types of paint available, with per-gallon rates ranging anywhere from $20 to $80. A gallon of paint costs $15 to $60 for a standard brand or $50 to $150 for a designer brand. Each gallon covers between 350 and 400 square feet. There are slight cost differences between the different types of paint per gallon.

You can also choose between the different types of paint finishes, commonly known as sheens. The shinier the paint, the more you’ll pay. Pros recommend semi-gloss and high-gloss, the two highest sheens available, for kitchen cabinets since they’re the most durable options and the easiest to clean.

Painting Method

Even when you hire an interior painting pro to paint your kitchen cabinets, you’ll still have to account for how a chosen painting method will impact the cost. You can hire a pro to paint with a brush, roller, or sprayer.

Hiring a pro to brush paint can save you money on paint costs, but you’ll spend more on labor since brush painting takes more time and energy. On the other hand, spray painting can save you money on labor since it takes less time. However, you’ll likely end up spending more on high-quality paint. 

Paint Color

If you're planning to switch from a darker color to a lighter color for your kitchen cabinets, your best option is to sand or strip off the existing paint. However, if you're short on time or your cabinets are already in good condition, budgeting $45 per gallon for a good primer is essential to ensure proper coverage.

Kitchen Layout and Cabinet Composition 

Some contractors might charge a different way based on the specific sections of your cabinets. For example, you could expect to pay $100 per cabinet door. For drawers, it might be closer to $25 per drawer. And if you're looking to paint an entire cabinet, the cost can range from $75 to $150 per cabinet.

Your unique kitchen layout can also affect how much you pay to paint your kitchen cabinets. Complex kitchen layouts with tight, hard-to-reach spaces can make the job tedious, which can also raise the price. 

Prep

While you can do the following steps yourself, it can be a lot of work. If you’re willing to spend a bit more and hire a professional cabinet painter, you could save yourself some time and energy. 

• Stripping: Sandpaper costs $5 to $10, and a chemical stripper ranges from $7 to $50

• Removing appliances, doors, and drawers: All you need is a screwdriver

• Site prep: Drop cloths and cleaning agents cost under $20

Repairs

While you’re refreshing the look of your kitchen cabinets, you’ll also want to budget for the cost of repairing the cabinets if needed, which falls between $140 and $500. This will cover basic repairs such as broken hardware, loose hinges, scratches, and peeling paint. 

Hardware

The cost to install new cabinet hardware is less than $100 in most cases, but costs can go as high as $1,000 or more for designer or antique varieties. If your hardware is in good shape, this isn’t a necessary cost. 

However, selecting new cabinet hardware can modernize your cabinets and beautifully complement your new paint color, so it may be worth the extra investment if you’re going for a brand-new look.

Interior Painting Pro Costs

The cost to paint kitchen cabinets is comprised of about 20% of material costs and 80% labor costs. Keep in mind that this project takes 20 to 40 hours to do correctly. Shortcuts or mistakes will leave you with a paint job that looks bad, wears down quickly, and ultimately reduces your home value.

Instead, you should let a cabinet refinishing pro in Boston, MA, take on this challenging project, and you can kick back and enjoy the look of your dream kitchen without the stress.

Labor

In Boston, labor costs for painting kitchen cabinets are $40 to $100 per hour, per worker. You’ll more likely see price quotes per square foot, per linear foot, or per number of cabinet doors and drawers.

Permits

For most Boston homeowners, you won’t need a permit to paint or refinish kitchen cabinets. But if you live in a historical district, including Beacon Hill, South End, and Mission Hill Triangle, you’ll need a permit from the Boston Inspectional Services Department. The permit will also require approval from the Boston Landmarks Commission. Permit fees start at $20, plus $10 for each $1,000 of project value.

Does Painting Kitchen Cabinets Increase Home Value?

Aside from stained wood cabinets, Boston home buyers also look for sleek white or trendy gray cabinetry. Navy blue, which calls back to the coastal location, is another popular choice. As such, painting your kitchen cabinets can increase your home’s value by $2,000 and contribute to a 70% to 80% return on the total investment of a minor kitchen renovation. 

However, these perks are only the case if the cabinets have a smooth finish and high durability, so always let a pro handle painting your kitchen cabinets to get the highest ROI.

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We survey real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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