Kitchen Cabinet Spray Painting in Brooklyn and NYC: What It Costs and Who Does It

Here's something nobody tells you about kitchen cabinets: they don't actually wear out. The boxes themselves - the structural guts of your kitchen - those last decades. What fails is the finish. The color. The vibe. Which means you're looking at replacing perfectly good cabinetry because the aesthetic aged poorly, or because the previous owner had... let's call it "distinctive" taste in early-2000s honey oak.

The numbers are stark. A complete cabinet replacement in a New York kitchen runs $15,000 to $40,000, depending on size and how custom you go. Professional spray painting? $3,000 to $8,000. Same cabinets, different century.

But here's the thing: spray painting kitchen cabinets isn't something you do yourself with a can from the hardware store on a Saturday. This is furniture-grade finishing. The kind of work where the coating specification matters, where Italian ASTM-certified paints show up, where someone uses phrases like "millage thickness" without irony.

The difference between a brush-rolled cabinet and a properly sprayed one is the difference between painted and refinished. One looks like you tried to save money. The other looks factory-new.

We spent time researching the companies in Brooklyn and the wider NYC area that actually specialize in this work - not general painting contractors who'll do cabinets if you ask nicely, but people who understand that kitchen cabinet spray painting is its own discipline. The ones who know that a two-component catalyzed polyurethane isn't overkill, it's necessary. Who backprime panels for humidity protection. Who understand what happens when you don't batch your paint even if it came from the same supplier.

Four companies kept surfacing in different searches, different neighborhoods, different conversations. Each approaches the work differently - one finishes your entire kitchen in a day, another takes everything to a workshop in Jersey City, a third treats it like museum restoration. But they all understand something fundamental: your cabinets aren't the problem. The finish is. And that's fixable.

Cabinet Refinishing and Spray Painting (Brooklyn)

Located in Brooklyn 11218, serves Brooklyn area

Robert's operation runs 24/7 out of Brooklyn, which tells you something about the demand. The company uses Renner Italia coatings - Italian furniture-grade finishes that meet ASTM standards, the kind of specification you'd see on high-end millwork. No brush marks, no roller texture. Factory smooth.

The thing that stands out: speed. Multiple customer reviews mention single-day completions - the crew protects your kitchen, sprays everything, and has it done in one day. Kitchen size and complexity obviously affect timeline, but the one-day turnaround keeps appearing in reviews.

The process is straightforward - they spray on-site, which means your cabinet boxes don't leave and you're not managing logistics. The coating is anti-scratch resistant, something that matters more than it sounds like it would when you're dealing with the daily choreography of a working kitchen.

They handle any color from any manufacturer and can change door styles if you want to keep existing boxes but update the profile. Located in Brooklyn's 11218 area, reachable at (347) 526-9381. Yelp.

Houndstooth Painting (Manhattan and Brooklyn)

Based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, serves Manhattan and Brooklyn

Warren King has a BFA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute, which seems excessive until you see the work. This is someone who completed high gloss training at the ZK Finishing School with Zach Kenney - the kind of credential that means something specific in the finishing world.

He's completed 50+ kitchen transformations, working primarily in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The approach is methodical: two-component catalyzed paints, furniture-grade coatings, the option for traditional long-oil finishes like Fine Paints of Europe Hollandlac. Multiple finish options including what he calls a "modern brushed finish" - just enough brushmarks that you know it's handpainted, achieved through multiple coats of primer, sanding flat between coats, then tipping off the finish coat with a soft brush.

For high gloss work, he applies up to six total coats between primer and topcoats. The paint is mar and chemical resistant, cures fast, achieves full hardness on pickup. He can color-match to Farrow and Ball, Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, or match to fabric and wallpaper if you're coordinating with existing finishes.

The work can happen in his shop or on-site using a temporary negative air-pressure booth to protect the home from dust. He backprimes all parts for long-term stability and protection from humidity changes. Based at 1040 Metropolitan Avenue in Brooklyn. Website at houndstoothpainting.com.

Worth noting: Warren describes himself as not being a pushy salesman, more focused on the craft than the marketing. His portfolio does the talking - projects with architects like Prospect Studio and builders like Christian Kubek Design, the kind of work where a compromised finish would be immediately obvious.

PNP Craftsmen (Long Island and NYC)

Based in Hicksville, Long Island, serves all five NYC boroughs plus Long Island

Don Fahrbach has a degree in Industrial & Management Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which explains the systems thinking. PNP has been operating for over 20 years with Nassau County License H3805360000 and Suffolk County License HI-65744. Most kitchens are complete and ready to use in five days.

They use the same cabinet finishing techniques that custom cabinet makers use, with a five-year warranty backing the work. The process includes optional offsite refinishing where they label and remove drawer fronts and door fronts, or on-site work depending on the project. They remove or properly prime old finishes, apply new coatings based on the desired effect, and can integrate new hardware.

The company serves Long Island and all five NYC boroughs - Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island. Their electrostatic painting technique works on metal cabinets, and they also refinish bookcases, entertainment centers, staircases, and moldings.

Office staff returns calls within two business hours. They provide detailed estimates protected by price guarantee. Located at 194 Quality Plaza, Hicksville, NY 11801. Reachable at (212) 279-3668 or (516) 678-8191. Website at pnpcraftsmen.com.

The Google reviews consistently mention the crew arriving on time, staying on schedule, and the finished cabinets looking like a complete kitchen overhaul rather than a paint job. Multiple reviewers note the transformation from dark wood to white or lighter colors opening up the entire kitchen space.

JP Cabinet Painting & Refinishing (Jersey City)

Based in Jersey City, NJ, serves Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, and Staten Island

Mark's company has been operating since 2005, working primarily out of Jersey City but serving Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, and Staten Island. The distinguishing feature: everything goes to their workshop.

Doors, drawers, and hardware get removed, labeled, and transported to the Jersey City facility for repair, prep, priming, and spray painting. Multiple rounds of sanding, patching of any dents or scratches, then spray-applied factory finish. The company provides a free finish sample door in your chosen color before starting the project - you see exactly what you're getting before committing.

The work comes with a three-year warranty against chipping. They don't subcontract - Mark's team handles the entire process. The cabinets get a furniture finish, spray-applied, which they emphasize doesn't look painted when completed.

For the cabinet boxes that remain in place, the team covers floors, tapes off everything, seals the workspace to contain dust, then applies the same process used on the doors and drawer fronts. Final day is installation and hardware reinstallation.

The testimonials consistently mention precision, cleanliness, and results that look factory-new rather than refinished. Located at 2828 John F Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City. Website at kitchencabinet-painter.com.

What This Actually Costs

Cabinet replacement in a New York kitchen typically runs one-third to one-half the cost of spray painting versus complete replacement. A mid-sized kitchen with 20-25 cabinet doors and drawer fronts might cost $5,000-7,000 to refinish professionally versus $20,000-35,000 for new custom cabinetry.

The timeline matters too. Cabinet replacement involves demolition, ordering custom units with 8-12 week lead times, installation, and the inevitable adjustments. Professional spray painting takes anywhere from one day to one week depending on the approach and complexity.

The finish quality depends on the coating specification and application method. Spray-applied furniture-grade finishes cure harder and more uniformly than brush-rolled paint. Two-component catalyzed paints offer better chemical and mar resistance than single-component latex. ASTM-certified coatings meet specific durability standards that matter when you're dealing with the heat, moisture, and daily contact of a working kitchen.

These four companies represent different approaches to the same fundamental work: transforming the appearance of structurally sound cabinets without the disruption and expense of replacement. Robert finishes in a day, Warren treats it like fine furniture restoration, PNP brings industrial process control to residential work, and Mark takes everything off-site for workshop finishing.

The choice depends on your timeline, budget, desired finish quality, and how much disruption you can tolerate. But they all solve the same problem: cabinets that work fine but look wrong. And in New York real estate, where every square foot and every dollar counts, that's not a small thing to solve.