While both sides of cabinet doors and drawers should be painted, cabinet painting services typically don’t include painting the inside of the boxes. However, you might find yourself wondering if painting the inside cabinets might be the best option for you. If you're weighing this decision, you're not alone – it's a common question we hear from Omaha homeowners looking to update their kitchen cabinets.
At Brush & Roll Painting, we've completed thousands of kitchen cabinet painting projects across the Omaha metro area over the past 28+ years. With a detailed process and using a high-quality product, we know how to make cabinet finishes last.
In this article, we'll go over everything about painting inside cabinet boxes – from costs and benefits to potential drawbacks. You'll learn what professional painters typically include in cabinet projects, understand the true investment required, and discover if painting inside your cabinet boxes makes sense for your specific situation.
Pros of Painting Inside Cabinet Boxes
1. Enhanced Overall Appearance
When you have the inside of your cabinet boxes painted, you're creating a seamless, high-end look that extends beyond the visible surfaces. This attention to detail is particularly important in glass-front cabinets, where the inside becomes part of your kitchen.
Dark, dated cabinet boxes can make even the most organized kitchen feel old and tired, but a fresh coat of paint instantly brightens and modernizes the space.
2. Better Protection for Wood Surfaces
Paint does more than just improve appearances – it acts as a protective barrier for your cabinet surfaces. High-quality cabinet products creates a moisture-resistant seal that prevents water damage and makes cleaning up spills significantly easier. The smooth, sealed surface also prevents food particles and debris from becoming embedded in the wood grain, making your regular kitchen cleaning routine much more effective.
At Brush & Roll Painting in Omaha, NE, we use a 2K polyurethane for cabinet refinishing. Rather than paint from the hardware store, 2k polys are resistant to moisture, abrasion, and fading, creating a durable layer that will last many years.
3. Increased Home Value
While it might seem like a small detail, painted cabinet box interiors can make a significant impression on potential buyers. Real estate agents often point out this feature as evidence of a well-maintained home, as it shows attention to details that many homeowners overlook.
The clean, uniform appearance suggests that no corners were cut in home maintenance. In Omaha's competitive housing market, these small touches can make your home stand out and justify a higher asking price.
4. Long-Term Durability
Professional-grade cabinet products create a surface that can last over a decade with proper care. Unlike contact paper or shelf liners that need frequent replacement, refinished surfaces maintain their appearance and functionality year after year.
The product's durability means it won't bubble, peel, or crack like adhesive alternatives often do. Even in high-use situations, such as pantry cabinets or under-sink storage, a properly painted surface maintains its integrity and continues to protect the underlying wood.
Cons of Painting Inside Cabinet Boxes
1. Complete Cabinet Emptying Required
One of the biggest hassles of painting inside cabinet boxes is the need to completely empty every cabinet before work begins. Unlike for painting just the frames and doors where items can remain inside, painting the boxes requires removing and storing everything from your kitchen cabinets.
For an average Omaha kitchen, this means finding temporary storage for hundreds of items - from appliances to delicate glassware. The process of packing, moving, and eventually reorganizing your entire kitchen can take several hours alone.
This disruption is particularly challenging if you cook regularly or have limited storage space in your home.
2. Significantly Higher Cost
The decision to paint inside cabinet boxes represents a substantial increase in your project's budget that many homeowners don't initially expect.
Professional painters need to spend significantly more time preparing and painting these additional surfaces, often requiring specialized equipment for proper coverage in tight spaces.
The extra labor and materials can add up quickly, sometimes increasing your total project cost by as much as 40%. For perspective, while painting cabinet frames and doors in Omaha might cost $6,000-$9,000, adding the inside of boxes could push that total well above $9,000.
3. Spraying Kitchen Cabinet Boxes
When painting inside cabinet boxes, professionals typically need to spray both the inside and outside surfaces at the same time to achieve the best finish. While the actual painting process goes much quicker, this means your entire kitchen becomes a spray zone.
Painters will have to spend a lot of time and use a lot of materials to mask and protect countertops, appliances, and surrounding areas. Unlike painting just the frames and doors (where cabinets remain functional and only the frames are masked), painting inside the boxes means your kitchen will be completely out of order for about a week.
You won't have access to your sink, countertops, or appliances during this time. This complete shutdown can be particularly challenging.
4. Maintenance Challenges
While painted cabinet box interiors can look beautiful, they present unique maintenance challenges that many homeowners don't anticipate. Touch-ups become more complicated to easily access. High-use areas, particularly in base cabinets, tend to show wear more quickly than frames and doors, and repairs often require emptying the entire cabinet again.
The smooth painted surface, while easier to clean initially, can become scratched or scuffed from sliding items in and out, especially in pantry cabinets where heavy items are frequently moved.
Should You Have The Inside of Your Cabinet Boxes Painted?
Best Scenarios for Painting Inside Boxes
- Glass-Front or Open Shelving Cabinets
- Complete Kitchen Renovations
- Minor Damages or Dark Boxes
When to Skip Painting Inside Cabinet Boxes
- Standard Closed Cabinets
- Tight Budgets
Alternatives to Painting Inside Cabinet Boxes
- High-Quality Shelf Liners or Contact paper
- Cabinet Lighting Solutions
- Organization Systems
Painting Inside Kitchen Cabinet Boxes
Now you have all the information needed to make an informed decision about painting inside your cabinet boxes. Whether you choose to paint them or opt for one of the alternatives we've discussed, you can move forward confident in your choice.
At Brush & Roll Painting, we're committed to helping Omaha homeowners make smart decisions about their cabinet painting projects. While painting inside cabinet boxes isn't always the best investment, we're happy to assess your specific situation and provide a recommendation for your project.
Ready to transform your kitchen cabinets? Click the button below to get a quote and let's discuss your project in detail.
If you’re not ready to get started on your cabinet painting project in Omaha, NE, download your cabinet painting project checklist. Even if you are hiring a professional, it’s important that you are confident and comfortable throughout the process of your project, so that you can make the best decisions and stray from costly mistakes.
