Texas Cabinet Painting Estimates: Count Parts, Prep and Return Visits

1. Build a component inventory with the customer

“Paint the kitchen cabinets” can mean the visible fronts only, both sides of every door, or the insides of every box. Walk through the kitchen with the doors open. Number the units on a sketch and record the surfaces that the customer actually wants finished.

Eighteen doors painted on both sides create 36 broad faces. That does not mean 36 doors. Measure unusually large panels separately and describe decorative profiles, glass inserts and open shelves. A door count is useful for organizing labor; it does not replace the surface measurements needed for paint quantities.

2. Describe the preparation you actually inspected

Record grease, failed coatings, damaged edges and the existing finish. Establish whether the proposed system is suitable for each substrate before giving a fixed finishing price. A sound painted face frame and a peeling laminate end panel should not disappear into the same unexplained preparation line.

Benjamin Moore’s cabinet painting guide separates removal, cleaning, preparation and protection from application. Use that distinction to organize your hours, while following the requirements for the specific coating you select. This estimate is not a substitute for its label or technical data.

Ask whether the customer expects visible wood grain to remain or wants a filled appearance. Record the answer with an approved sample. Grain filling, rebuilding damaged corners and replacing doors are separate decisions, not automatic benefits of another coat.

3. Price removal, storage and reinstallation

List who removes doors, drawers and hardware; where components will be finished; and who reinstalls them. Allow time to label positions, bag hardware, move pieces without contact damage and check alignment at handoff. Photograph existing damage before removal.

If finishing happens away from the kitchen, include transport, loading and the protected storage space you actually have. If it happens on site, confirm that the proposed work area can remain available between visits. A homeowner needing the garage back that evening changes the plan.

Replacing hinges or handles can create extra fitting work. State whether new hardware uses the existing holes and whether hole filling or drilling is included. Keep these choices beside the relevant component, not buried in general notes.

4. Separate the final coat from normal kitchen use

Benjamin Moore distinguishes dry paint from fully cured paint and advises waiting for curing before normal cleaning. Do not turn a dry-to-touch figure into a universal reinstallation or scrubbing deadline. Obtain handling, recoat and care instructions for the exact product and finish.

Write a sequence: preparation approved, finish applied, components ready for handling, reinstallation, then care restrictions. Count labor for return visits, but do not bill unattended drying time as painter hours unless your stated arrangement actually requires attendance.

An air-conditioned Texas kitchen and an unconditioned garage are different work environments. Record where the coating will be applied and stored, rather than assuming the kitchen thermostat describes both places. Our drying-time planning guide explains how to keep product requirements and job dates separate.

5. Work through the costs before setting a price

For the inventory above, suppose your inspected scope leads to 38 total labor hours across preparation, application, handling and visits. The following numbers are invented for estimating practice, not Texas market rates or a promised production speed.

Testing a 25% gross-margin target gives $1,800 ÷ 0.75 = $2,400. The $600 remaining must support overhead and other expenses; it is not net profit. Replace every allowance with your costs, including applicable purchase taxes and fees. Customer sales tax is outside this calculation.

For Texas residential repair, the Comptroller’s guidance distinguishes nontaxable repair labor from material treatment under lump-sum and separated contracts. Confirm the classification of your actual work and contract before completing the tax fields. Use the markup and margin formulas to test the selling price independently.

6. Give the customer a usable cabinet scope

A useful proposal identifies the component inventory, selected finish and sample, inspected preparation, included hardware work and sequence. Keep the price tied to that version. If the customer adds the pantry interior later, describe the addition before changing the total.

• Confirm the number of doors and drawer fronts together.
• Mark included faces, exposed ends, toe kicks and interiors.
• Assign responsibility for clearing contents and keeping access available.
• Name the reinstallation visit and product-specific care instructions.

Start with the painting estimate template and replace its wall-based rows with your component groups. Review the completed proposal using the contractor estimate checklist. A low door price is difficult to compare when one estimate includes boxes and another omits them.

Cabinet estimate questions

Should every cabinet door have the same price?

Only when the sizes, profiles, included faces and preparation justify that grouping. Separate oversized doors, glass inserts and damaged pieces when they change the work.

Does painting the cabinets include their interiors?

Only if the estimate says so. Specify box interiors, shelves and drawer interiors separately from visible fronts and face frames.

Can I promise the kitchen is back to normal after the final coat?

Give product-specific handling and care instructions instead. Final application, reinstallation, ordinary use and cleaning can have different milestones.

About this article

Prepared for the Quote Your Jobs blog. Worked examples use illustrative assumptions, not customer case studies or local market rates. Replace them with the actual scope, supplier information and costs for your job.