Cabinet Painting & Refinishing
New cabinets cost $10,000 or more. Painted ones look just as good — at a fraction of the price. We stock the professional products that make it last.
The Smartest Kitchen Upgrade You're Not Thinking About
New kitchen cabinets run $10,000 to $30,000 installed. A professional cabinet painting job with Benjamin Moore ADVANCE costs a fraction of that — and in the right colour, the result is indistinguishable from new.
Whether you're a homeowner doing it yourself or a painter getting hired for the job, the same rule applies: prep is everything, and the right product makes the finish last.
Save Thousands
Painting costs a fraction of replacement. Same dramatic transformation.
3,500+ Colours
Any Benjamin Moore colour. Any finish. The kitchen you actually want.
Weekend Project
With the right prep and product, most kitchens are done in 3–5 days.
Whether You're Doing It Yourself or Getting Hired to Do It
Doing It Yourself?
We'll set you up with the right primer, the right paint, and a clear process. Benjamin Moore ADVANCE self-levels, cleans up with soap and water, and cures to a hard, furniture-quality finish. Come in and talk to us before you start — we'll save you from the most common mistakes.
Get Advice In-StoreGetting Paid to Paint Them?
We stock what professionals use. ADVANCE for premium residential cabinet work. Command® for jobs that need fast return to service — tack-free in 15 minutes, doors back on in an hour. Contractor pricing available. Call ahead and we'll have your order ready.
Set Up a Contractor AccountHow to Paint Your Cabinets Right
Cabinet painting is a patience game, not a skills game. The finish is only as good as the prep. Follow these steps and you'll get a result that lasts for years.
Remove Doors & Hardware
Remove all doors and hardware. Label each door so you know exactly where it goes back. Work in a dust-free, well-ventilated area with plenty of space for pieces to lay flat while they dry. Good airflow speeds cure time and improves finish quality.
Clean & Sand
Cabinets collect grease, cooking film, and grime. Even if they look clean, wipe every surface with TSP cleaner or a dedicated degreaser and a damp sponge. Paint will not properly adhere to a greasy surface. This is the step most people skip. Don't.
Protect Surroundings
Inspect every surface for dents, gouges, old hardware holes, cracks, or dings. Apply wood filler or spackling compound to all imperfections. Let cure fully per product instructions. Sand flush with 120 grit sandpaper once dry. A smooth, filled cabinet face before primer is what separates a DIY result from a professional one.
Prime
Apply one coat of primer. For wood cabinets: Benjamin Moore ADVANCE Primer (790) — designed to work with ADVANCE, self-levels to hide minor surface irregularities. For laminate or heavily stained cabinets: Fresh Start® High-Hiding All-Purpose Primer. Do NOT use a lacquer-based primer — it will prevent ADVANCE from adhering correctly and cause the finish to fail. Let primer dry for at least 24 hours in a well-ventilated area.
Fine Sand After Prime
Once the primer is fully dry, sand all surfaces lightly with 220 grit sandpaper or a fine sanding sponge. Focus on any drips, runs, or high spots. This step creates the glass-smooth base your finish coat needs. Wipe clean with a tack cloth. Don't skip this.
First Coat of Paint
Apply ADVANCE with a nylon/polyester brush on detail areas — frames, inside corners, raised panels — and a 4" foam roller on flat door faces. Work in smooth, even passes. Don't over-brush. The self-leveling formula will smooth out brushstrokes as it dries. Let dry for a minimum of 16 hours before recoating.
Sand Between Coats
Lightly sand again with 220 grit. This is the step that makes the difference between a good finish and a great one. Remove all dust with a tack cloth before proceeding.
Second Coat of Paint
Apply your second coat the same way as the first. Let dry for at least 24 hours before reinstalling doors and hardware.
Cure. Be Patient.
ADVANCE dries in 24 hours. It reaches full hardness at 30 days. For the first few weeks after reinstalling: don't slam doors, avoid scrubbing aggressively, and don't press anything against the painted surface. The finish hardens every day. Treat it gently until it's fully set.
💡 Pro Tip — Spray for a Factory Finish
Want truly smooth, brushstroke-free results? Spray it. An HVLP spray gun or a Graco airless sprayer eliminates every brush and roller mark and produces a result that looks like it came out of a factory. We carry Graco project sprayers in-store. Ask us about the right model for your job size, thinning ratios for ADVANCE, and tip size recommendations.
The Products We Carry for Cabinet Painting
Two products. Different jobs. Both in-stock at Salmon Arm Paint Centre.
ADVANCE®
The DIY and professional favourite for cabinets, doors, and trim.
- • Waterborne alkyd formula — oil-paint performance with soap and water cleanup
- • Self-leveling: brushstrokes smooth out on their own as it dries
- • Cures to a hard, furniture-quality finish
- • 3,500+ Benjamin Moore colours available
- • Low VOC — low odour during application
- • Available in Satin, Semi-Gloss, and High Gloss
- • Dry to touch: 4–6 hours | Recoat: 16–24 hours | Full cure: 30 days
- • Coverage: approx. 350 sq ft per gallon per coat
Best for: Homeowners and residential painters. Any job where colour selection and finish quality are the priority.
Command® High Performance Waterborne Acrylic Urethane
Fast return to service. Extreme durability. The contractor's speed option.
- • Tack-free in just 15 minutes
- • Vertical surfaces back in service within 1 hour
- • Waterborne acrylic urethane — extremely hard, abrasion-resistant finish
- • Adheres to wood, laminate, metal, masonry, drywall, tile, and more
- • Self-priming on many surfaces — saves a prep step on compatible substrates
- • Available in Satin and Gloss
- • Low VOC, soap and water cleanup
- • Coverage: approx. 350–400 sq ft per gallon
Best for: Contractors with fast turnaround requirements. Multi-surface commercial and renovation work. Any job where minimal downtime is critical.
Not sure which product fits your job? Come in. We've been selling both for years and can match you to the right product based on your surface type, your timeline, and the finish result you're after.
Which Sheen for Cabinets?
ADVANCE comes in Satin, Semi-Gloss, and High Gloss. Here's how to choose.
Satin
Sheen level: Low
Best for: Most residential kitchens and bathrooms
Forgiving on surface prep. Washable. Doesn't highlight every fingerprint or minor imperfection. Most approachable for first-time cabinet painters.
Semi-Gloss
Sheen level: Medium
Best for: Well-prepped residential cabinets
More washable than Satin. Gives a clean, premium look. The most popular choice for painted kitchen and bathroom cabinets.
High Gloss
Sheen level: High
Best for: Modern kitchens, accent islands, bold statement colours
Maximum washability and durability. Makes colour pop dramatically. Requires excellent surface prep — every imperfection will be visible.
💡 Our Recommendation
For most kitchen cabinet jobs, Semi-Gloss hits the best balance of durability, washability, and visual quality. Come in and we'll confirm the right choice based on your cabinet condition and colour plan.
Tips From People Who've Seen a Lot of Cabinet Jobs
⚠️ Don't rush the cure.
ADVANCE dries in 24 hours but reaches full hardness at 30 days. For the first few weeks after reinstalling, avoid slamming doors, scrubbing hard, or pressing anything against the painted surface. The finish hardens every day. Give it the time it needs.
🪵 Fill before you prime.
Wood filler is cheap. A visible gouge in your painted cabinet door is not. Fill every dent, crack, and old screw hole before primer goes on. Sand flush. It takes an extra hour and changes the final result dramatically.
🧻 Use a foam roller on flat faces.
A 4" foam roller leaves the smoothest possible finish on flat cabinet door faces. Use a brush only for detailed areas — frames, corners, raised profiles — then immediately back-roll with the foam roller to smooth it out. This one technique eliminates most brushstroke complaints.
🌡️ Temperature matters more than people think.
Apply ADVANCE between 10°C and 32°C (50°F–90°F). Don't paint in a cold, unheated garage in the Shuswap winter — cold surfaces dramatically slow adhesion and cure times and can ruin the finish.
🎨 Tint your primer.
Going dark? Ask us to tint your primer to a mid-shade between your current cabinet colour and your new top coat. Fewer finish coats needed. Saves time and product.
🚫 No lacquer-based primers.
When using ADVANCE, only use ADVANCE Primer 790 or Fresh Start High-Hiding All-Purpose Primer. Lacquer-based primers prevent ADVANCE from adhering properly. The finish will peel.
🪛 Felt pads protect your work.
Stick felt furniture pads on the inside of cabinet doors and drawer fronts before reinstalling. Prevents paint-on-paint contact that causes sticking — especially critical during the 30-day cure window.
🔫 Spray for factory-quality results.
If you want a finish that genuinely looks like it came from a factory, spray it. We carry Graco project sprayers in-store. Ask us which model suits your job and how to set up for spraying ADVANCE.
See the Difference: Before & After
Three real kitchen transformations using Benjamin Moore ADVANCE. All before-and-after pairs from Benjamin Moore's official project archive.
Before
After
White cabinets in Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover OC-25, Satin finish
Before
After
Two-tone transformation — white uppers, navy lowers
Before
After
White uppers with gray lowers — a classic two-tone result
Want help choosing your colour before you start? Come in for free in-store advice or book an in-home consultation with Geri.
Colour Inspiration for Your Cabinets
Every colour shown is available in ADVANCE® at Salmon Arm Paint Centre. Come in and we'll mix it for you.
Deep navy — bold, modern, timeless
Dark green — fresh and sophisticated
Classic white — always right
White cabinets, blue walls — a clean contrast
Soft green — warm and inviting
Charcoal gray — drama without commitment
Everything You Need for Your Cabinet Project
Everything on this list is available in-store at Salmon Arm Paint Centre. Bring in your measurements and we'll calculate exactly how much paint and primer you need — no waste, no surprises.
Products
Paint & Primer
- ☐ ADVANCE® Interior Paint — Satin, Semi-Gloss, or High Gloss (ask us to help choose)
- ☐ Command® HP3920 Satin or Gloss — for fast-turnaround contractor work
- ☐ ADVANCE Primer 790 — for bare or previously painted wood cabinets
- ☐ Fresh Start® High-Hiding All-Purpose Primer — for laminate or dramatic colour changes
Prep & Repair
- ☐ TSP cleaner or degreaser — mandatory first step, do not skip
- ☐ Wood filler or spackling compound — for dents, gouges, and old hardware holes
- ☐ Painter's caulk — for gaps between cabinets and walls or where trim meets frame
Tools & Application
Sanding
- ☐ 100–150 grit sandpaper sheets or sanding blocks — first prep sand
- ☐ 220 grit sandpaper sheets or sanding sponges — between coats and final finish
- ☐ Foam sanding pads — for flat faces and large surfaces
- ☐ Flexible sanding sponges — for inside corners and profiles
- ☐ Tack cloth — for dust removal between every sand step
Application
- ☐ Nylon/polyester brush (Wooster® recommended) — for detailed areas, frames, profiles
- ☐ 4" foam roller covers — for flat cabinet door faces (produces smoothest result)
- ☐ Mini roller frame — for 4" foam rollers
- ☐ Extension handle — optional, useful for working on lower cabinets
- ☐ Paint tray and liner
Protection & Masking
- ☐ Painter's tape — for masking edges and protecting adjacent surfaces
- ☐ Drop cloths — protect counters, floors, and appliances
- ☐ Plastic sheeting — to cover anything that cannot be moved
Hardware & Finishing
- ☐ Screwdrivers (flathead and Phillips) — for removing and reinstalling hardware
- ☐ Felt furniture pads — to protect finish on reinstalled cabinet doors and drawers
- ☐ Hardware labels or masking tape and marker — to label each door for correct reinstallation
Optional — For Spray Application
- ☐ Graco project sprayer (in-stock at Salmon Arm Paint Centre — ask us for the right model)
- ☐ HVLP spray tips (ask us for the recommended tip size for ADVANCE)
- ☐ Spray sock or spray shelter — to contain overspray indoors
Ready to get your list together?
Come in and we'll walk through your project and make sure you're leaving with everything you need — and nothing you don't.
Call 250-833-1410Watch: How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets with ADVANCE
Benjamin Moore's official step-by-step video — worth watching before you start.
Not Sure What Colour to Paint Your Cabinets?
Cabinet colour is one of the hardest decisions in a kitchen refresh. It affects the feel of the whole room, how it photographs, how it ages, and whether it still looks current in five years.
Geri, our in-house interior designer, offers in-home colour consultations. She comes to your space, looks at your countertops, flooring, and lighting, and helps you land on a colour you'll be confident in for years.
In-Home Colour Consultation with Geri — $250
She comes to your home. You leave with a palette you're confident in.
Book a ConsultationNot ready for an in-home visit? Come in. We offer free informal colour advice in-store — no appointment needed.
Ready to Start Your Cabinet Project?
Come in and talk to us before you buy. We'll match the right product to your surface, your timeline, and your budget. Bring your measurements and we'll calculate exactly what you need.