Honey-oak cabinets installed in 1996, in great structural shape, the wrong color for 2026. The Hopkinton homeowners were weighing a full replacement and wanted to know whether refinishing could give them the look they wanted instead.
The challenge
Oak grain shows through paint unless you fill it first. The owners wanted a fully-smooth modern finish — not "painted oak." That meant grain-filling every door, drawer, and box face. Adds two days to the timeline but it's the difference between "refinished cabinets" and "looks like new cabinets."
What we did
- Labeled and removed every door + drawer to our shop
- Degreased with TSP substitute, scuff-sanded 220-grit
- Grain-filled with water-based filler, sanded smooth (the "factory finish" step)
- Two coats of Zinsser STIX bonding primer
- Two HVLP-sprayed coats of BM Advance in Cloud White, semi-gloss
- New satin-nickel hardware (homeowner-supplied)
The result
Same kitchen layout, same boxes — completely different room. Keeping the boxes, layout and countertops meant no demolition and no weeks of a torn-out kitchen.
For cabinet work in Hopkinton, see cabinet painting in Hopkinton or what drives cabinet refinishing cost in MA.