How much does it cost to paint a kitchen?

Painting a kitchen can be more complicated than you think. Considering all the fixed furniture around such as the island, stove, oven, etc., there are a lot of protection work required. For the purpose of this discussion, let's look at a 10' x 10' kitchen area - approximately 150 sq.ft. The ceiling will not be painted in this case and the kitchen cabinets will remain untouched. This work costs between $155 to $320.

Cost breakdown

• Clearing and protecting - Since the kitchen contains plenty of fixed fixtures such as the cabinets, ovens and stoves, it is important to use drop cloths to protect these items including the countertops and floor. You may also need to move the refrigerator and unscrew electrical outlet covers. Since this is a relatively big area, you may find them at $10 to $17 per piece at Home Depot. You may also consider the use of painter's tape to protect the wall tiles and cabinet where necessary. These tapes cost between $5 and $7 per 60 yards.
• To ensure that your wall receives better coverage, and the paint job more durable, it is important to prime the walls. A multi-purpose primer ¹ can cost between $20 and $25 per gallon depending on the brand used. One gallon of primer ¹ is sufficient to cover the wall area of the kitchen.
• As the kitchen is considered a busy space, to reduce the amount of cleaning, it is recommended to use a semi-gloss finish paint. Depending on whether the previous color is lighter than the new paint, you may require 1 or 2 coats of paint. Depending on the type and quality of paint, the cost will range between $25 and $50 per gallon depending on the brand of paint used. Two coats of paint will cost between $50 and $100.
• Supplies - you need the basic tools to start your paint job. These include brushes, rollers, trays. Depending on the quality of the materials (of course the better quality ones will cost more), it ranges between $15 and $25 for a complete set of supplies.
• Labor - An average rate for a painter is around $50 per hour. As it takes approximately 4 hours to paint the kitchen, it will cost around $80 to $140.

Enhancement and improvement costs

• If you would like to complete your color scheme, try spray painting the electrical covers, light switch covers or even table top accessories to complement the new look. A can of spray paint cost between $3.50 and $5.
• If you would like to repaint the kitchen cabinet as well, you will need 1 gallon of primer ¹ and 1 gallon of paint for the entire cabinet, including the internal area. This will cost between $45 and $75 per gallon for both items. Similar to door painting, you will need to remove the cabinet doors from the hinges ², sand ³ it down, and then apply primer ¹ before actually painting it. Based on the average painter rate, and considering it may take approximately 25 hours of total labor for average kitchen cabinets, it will cost between $500 and $875 in labor charges.

Remodeling Terms Cheat Sheet

¹ Primer: Preparatory coat applied to materials (drywall, wood, metal, etc.) before painting to ensure paint adhesion, extend paint durability, and help seal and protect the surface to be painted

² Hinges: A type of joint that attaches two items together but allows one of them to swing back and forth, such as a door attached to a door frame

³ Sand: Process of removing the top surface of a material, such as wood, using sandpaper and/or a specialized sanding machine (for large surface areas)