While there’s nothing wrong with comparing prices and process, it’s important to make sure you do so from an informed standpoint.  If you find a “bargain” price, it may be that many steps, some critical to a lasting finish, are being omitted. It may also be that you’re dealing with a new or inexperienced finisher who’s trying to gain experience and a portfolio by low-balling pricing. Do you really want such a person practicing on your cabinetry? (Read the tab labeled “Amateur or Pro” for an excerpt of a horror story about to happen.)

Here are some of the items we always include in our pricing, and which we often find omitted by so-called “competitors”.

Removing and rehanging doors. This is tedious, and if you’re replacing hardware, it can require a lot of patience to get the doors to hang properly when remounted to the frames. We always provide this service when you purchase refinishing from us.

Finishing both the fronts AND backs of doors. We’re always surprised at how many amateurs out there do not finish the backs of the doors. Why? Because it’s almost as many steps as doing the fronts, and it takes a lot of extra time. When we refinish your cabinets, you’ll never be embarrassed when you open a door in front of guests!

Proper preparation. This is absolutely critical to a lasting, quality finish, yet lots of people who “do cabinets” gloss over the prep work or skip it totally. Why? Because it’s hard work! It’s time consuming and definitely NOT fun, but it’s the absolute foundation to a quality finish.  Beware, too, of finishers touting that the products they use “don’t require sanding or priming”. We’d never omit these steps, and we don’t trust people or products that do. Every cabinet job begins with cleaning and degreasing your cabinets, followed by sanding and priming. Why do we clean first? Because without that step sanding can actually grind grime into the surface causing adhesion problems later with the finish. It’s “little” things like this that separate us from the amateurs.

Two base coat layers. Everything, including the backs of your doors, receives two base coat layers. Some will skip the second coat because they're layering other products, and you'll never know. This saves them time and money. However, that second layer of foundation paint provides additional depth of color as well as adding another layer of protection. Easy to skip, but costly in the long run.

Investment in spray equipment? Spray equipment is expensive, and so many amateurs elect to rent equipment for their occasional jobs, or they'll tell you that brushing and rolling is just as good. We've made the investment in our own equipment, and the end result shows.

Fully equipped production shop or your garage? A sure sign you're not dealing with a professional. We have our own production shop, where we bring all your "moving parts" (doors and drawers). We have the racks, space, and equipment to do the job right. This phase takes about two weeks, and having our own production facility means we won't be camped in your garage or basement for the duration of the project.