Cabinet Painting for Brighton, MA homeowners.

A kitchen in 02135 could date from almost any decade. Census figures for the ZIP code show 38.8% of housing units built in 1939 or earlier and 11.9% built in 2010 or later, with a median construction year of 1956. The Aberdeen district's study report also notes apartment buildings converted from rentals to condominiums, and a conversion can put a newer kitchen inside a much older building. So the age of the building says little about the cabinets; opening a few doors says a lot more.

Painting makes sense when the cabinet boxes are solid and the layout works for you. It changes the color and sheen and can freshen worn edges, but it won't fix sagging shelves, swollen bases under the sink or a layout you dislike.

Matching the method to the material

A quick test tells a lot: if a strip of tape pulls existing paint off a scuffed spot, that coating has to come off or be sealed before anything goes over it.

• Solid hardwood doors (maple, cherry, birch): the most dependable surfaces for enamel
• Oak: paints well, but its open grain shows through unless it is filled first
• MDF doors: smooth and stable, a good base once edges are sealed
• Thermofoil or printed laminate: poor adhesion, and peeling skins usually point to replacement
• Cabinets painted decades ago: check adhesion and test for lead before sanding

Older painted cabinets and lead

Built-in cupboards and early kitchen cabinets in pre-war homes may have been painted in place, and those early coats may contain lead. Sanding doors, frames and shelf edges in one kitchen can disturb well over six square feet of paint, the EPA's per-room limit before lead-safe practices are required in pre-1978 housing. Testing first decides whether the work needs containment. Our lead-safe painting page covers what that involves.

Owners facing larger lead problems can look at the City of Boston's Lead Safe Boston program, which offers forgivable abatement loans per unit to eligible property owners.

Working in a condo building

In 02135, 56.8% of housing units are in buildings with five or more units and 20.0% are in buildings of 50 or more. A cabinet job often moves doors and drawer fronts to a separate spray area while the boxes are finished in the kitchen, so it is worth asking your management office how materials and parts can move through the lobby and elevator, which hours are allowed for work, and whether ventilation rules limit what products can be used in the unit.

Only 23.3% of occupied units in the ZIP code are owner-occupied; the rest are rented. If you rent, painting the cabinets is a decision for the owner, not the tenant.

Paint, reface or replace

Painting keeps the boxes, doors and countertops. Refacing keeps the boxes but adds new doors and veneer. Replacement usually pulls countertop, backsplash and plumbing work along with it, which in a condo can also mean board approval and a longer disruption. Our refinish versus replace guide compares the options, and the cabinet painting process explains each step from labeling doors to rehanging them.

Allow for cure time. Cabinet enamels can feel dry within hours yet take days to weeks to reach full hardness, so go gently with doors and cleaners for a while after reinstallation.