First coat
Bond and coverage
The first coat is doing a different job from the second. It bonds to what is underneath and it tells us where the substrate is still drinking, which is information you only get once paint is actually on the wall.
What this covers
Cabinet Refinishing, end to end
A refinished kitchen reads as new for a fraction of a renovation, and it lives or dies on two things nobody sees: how well the doors were degreased, and whether the finish was given real time to cure between coats.
Doors and drawer fronts Cabinet boxes Hardware off and refitted Built-in joinery
How cabinets are done
Almost none of a cabinet job is painting
It is removal, numbering, degreasing, sanding, priming, thin coats, cure time and refitting. The paint is a small part of the hours, which is why cabinet work costs more per square foot than a wall does.
Doors and drawer fronts come off and get numbered
The hardware comes off with them. Painting around a hinge is the most obvious shortcut in this trade and it shows on every door for the life of the finish.
Degreasing, and properly
A kitchen deposits cooking oil on everything within reach of the hob for as long as the kitchen has existed, and no primer made will stick through that. This is the step a cheap quote drops, and it is why cheap cabinet work peels at the edges inside a year.
Sand, prime, then thin even coats
Thin coats. Cabinets that are rushed stay soft for weeks, and soft finish plus daily handling means chipped edges by the spring.
Cure time is a real line, not a formality
A Gulf South summer slows curing noticeably, so a job quoted honestly in July has more days in it than the same job in November. We would say that up front before handing a kitchen back before it is hard.
Boxes are done in place and the room is contained
You lose the use of the cupboards for the run of the job, not the kitchen itself.
Why the quote says two
A coat and a job are different things
Painting a house here is a different job from painting one in a dry climate. Humidity changes how long a coat stays open, and it decides how much film you need on a wall before the weather starts taking it back.
Second coat
Color and film build
The second coat is where the color goes true and the film reaches the thickness printed on the tin. One coat over a sound wall looks fine from the driveway and looks thin on the north side by spring.
Before you call
Three things worth knowing first
Priced by the door
Cabinets are priced by the door and drawer front, not by the room, so a rough count is the most useful thing you can tell us on the phone.
Not every material
Solid wood and wood veneer take a finish well. Thermofoil and melamine are a different conversation and depend on their condition, so those get looked at before anything is promised.
What decides chipping
Anything handled daily eventually marks. Preparation and cure decide how long it takes. A properly degreased, properly cured finish stands up to a family kitchen for years and a rushed one starts going at the edges inside a season.
How a job runs
Three steps, from the call to the clean up
The same three whether the job is one room or a whole elevation.
- 01
Scheduling
Book your free consultation by phone or through the form. Ask for references at any time.
- 02
Free Consultation
You get a project schedule and an accurate quote, whatever the size of the job.
- 03
Work Starts
Your painter starts, keeps you updated, and tidies up when the job is done.
2,500
Jobs finished
12
Cities covered
2
Coats quoted as standard
$0
Cost of an estimate
Rated by our satisfied customers
Questions we get asked
Before you book the estimate
These are the ones asked about cabinet refinishing specifically. If yours is not here, ask it on the call.
Not answered here?
Ask it on the estimate call. No charge, no obligation.
Mon to Fri, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Sat and Sun closed.
How long will my kitchen be out of action?
The cupboards, not the kitchen. Doors and drawer fronts go away to be finished and the boxes are done in place, so you keep the room and lose the doors for the run of the job. Cure time is the variable, and a humid month adds days to it.
Can you paint any cabinet, or only wood?
Solid wood and wood veneer take a finish well. Thermofoil and melamine are a different conversation and depend on their condition, so those get looked at before anything is promised.
Why does cabinet work cost more per square foot than a wall?
Because almost none of it is painting. It is removal, numbering, degreasing, sanding, priming, multiple thin coats, cure time and refitting. The paint is a small part of the hours.
Will it chip?
Anything handled daily eventually marks. What decides it is the preparation and the cure. A properly degreased, properly cured finish stands up to a family kitchen for years, and a rushed one starts going at the edges inside a season.
Where we do it
Cabinet Refinishing in all twelve towns
The New Orleans metro, across the lake on the north shore, and up the river as far as Baton Rouge. Which ground you are on changes the schedule more than the size of the job.
Shade keeps moisture on a wall long after the sun has moved off it. Under a heavy oak canopy the recoat window stretches out, and the shaded elevation is the one that sets the schedule for the whole house.
A canal, a levee or a lakefront behind the house holds humidity at ground level. Two ends of one street can be ready to coat at different hours, so the order of the day matters more than the size of the crew.
Old siding, old millwork and old paint mean most of the day goes into preparation. On an older frontage the finish is only ever as good as what was scraped, filled and primed underneath it.
See every townAll twelve towns shown.
Either way
Small room or whole elevation
Whether you have a small interior project or a large-scale exterior makeover in mind, Big Easy Paintings is your partner for the work. Talk to us about the project, get a quote, and we will tell you plainly what it takes.
Free estimate
Tell us where you are and what needs painting
On site or remote, in all twelve towns. No charge and no obligation. If it is quicker to talk, call 504-226-6252 and we will pick up.
- A written quote for two coats, itemized
- The prep spelled out, not assumed
- A start date we can hold
- The same crew from first day to last
Request a free estimate
Or call 504-226-6252
Two coats, quoted up front
No range, no surprise second visit to finish what one coat could not.