Service · Miami
Cabinet Refinishing in Miami-Dade, Florida
A cabinet refinishing job lives or dies on what happens before the first coat of paint touches the surface. Smoke Painters removes every door, drawer front, and hinge, sands each piece to bare or scuffed substrate, and applies a bonding primer before a single stroke of enamel. The result is a kitchen that looks factory-finished — without the cost or disruption of a full remodel.
quality craftsmanship · transparent pricing · done right the first time
What's included
What Smoke Painters Refinishes and Accepts
Smoke Painters refinishes kitchen and bathroom cabinets across the full range of residential conditions found in Miami-Dade homes — from the original 1970s builder-grade wood frames in older Hialeah houses to the thermofoil-wrapped and MDF-construction cabinets common in 1990s and 2000s construction throughout Doral and Miami Lakes. The process begins with an honest assessment: not every cabinet is a good candidate for paint, and we tell you that upfront rather than after you've invested in a job that won't hold. Solid wood and plywood-box cabinets with intact frames are ideal — sanding gives the primer a real mechanical bite, and a quality enamel applied in controlled coats produces a finish that handles the heat, humidity, and daily contact of a working kitchen. MDF and thermofoil surfaces require different prep — delaminated thermofoil must be fully removed, edges sealed, and a shellac-based or high-adhesion primer applied before any topcoat, otherwise you'll see peeling within months. We address all of that in the prep phase, not as an afterthought. Hardware is removed completely — hinges, pulls, knobs — so there are no tape lines around the hardware and no paint bridging the gap between door and frame. Box interiors are cleaned and scuff-sanded. Cabinet doors are laid flat and sprayed rather than brushed in place, which eliminates brush marks and gives the finish a smooth, furniture-grade appearance. We use Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore waterborne alkyd enamels exclusively for cabinet work — these products level beautifully, cure to a hard film, and resist yellowing over time, which matters in Miami's year-round sun. Reassembly is part of every job: hinges adjusted, doors aligned, and soft-close hardware reinstalled correctly. If you have cabinets that are structurally sound but look tired, stained, or dated, refinishing is almost always the right call. A properly prepared and painted cabinet can outlast a replacement by years, provided the prep was done with discipline.
- 01Solid wood cabinet doors and drawer fronts
- 02Plywood-box cabinet frames, interior and exterior faces
- 03MDF cabinet components with proper edge sealing
- 04Thermofoil cabinets after full delamination and prep
- 05Builder-grade cabinets in need of color update
- 06Dated oak or laminate cabinets in Miami-Dade kitchens
- 07Bathroom vanity cabinets and built-in cabinetry
- 08Kitchen islands and peninsula cabinet bases
Pricing logic
How Smoke Painters Prices a Cabinet Refinishing Job
Cabinet refinishing pricing is driven primarily by scope and surface condition — the number of doors and drawer fronts, the substrate type, and the amount of prep work required before primer ever touches wood. We provide free estimates after a walk-through, so the price you receive reflects the actual job rather than a generic per-door rate that may not account for your kitchen's specific conditions. The factors below explain what moves the number up or down.
Door and Drawer Count
The single largest driver of price is simply how many pieces need to be removed, prepped, primed, painted, and reassembled. A small galley kitchen with 20 doors and drawers sits at the lower end of the range. A large open-plan kitchen with 40+ pieces, including a full island, can push toward the upper end. Each additional piece adds measurable labor time in sanding, coating, and reinstallation.
Substrate Condition
Cabinets with peeling thermofoil, delaminating edges, water damage near the sink base, or heavy grease buildup require significantly more prep time than clean, intact wood. Delamination repairs, edge filling, and extra sanding passes add labor hours that are reflected in the estimate. Skipping this work is not an option — the prep on those surfaces is the entire job, and cutting it short is what causes peeling and cracking a year later.
Current Finish and Color Change
Dark-stained wood cabinets being converted to a light color — a very common request in Miami-Dade remodels — require shellac-based primer and often multiple topcoats to achieve full opacity. This adds material and labor cost compared to a light-over-light repaint. Tannin bleed-through on oak or cherry, if not blocked at the primer stage, will discolor the finish within months.
Box Interiors
Painting the interior faces of cabinet boxes — the sides, shelves, and inside of the frame visible when doors are open — adds meaningful scope to the job. Many customers opt for a contrasting color or a clean white interior to complement the exterior finish. This is priced as a separate line item because the labor involved in cutting in and rolling box interiors is distinct from door and drawer work.
Hardware and Hinge Replacement
If you're updating pulls, knobs, or hinges at the same time as refinishing, that work is coordinated during reassembly at no additional mobilization cost — but the hardware itself and any hole-filling or drilling required for new hardware placement affects the overall estimate. Soft-close hinge replacement, in particular, requires careful alignment time per door.
Paint Product Selection
The labor is the same either way, so the paint is usually the wrong place to cut. Smoke Painters uses Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore waterborne alkyd enamels for all cabinet work. These products cost more per gallon than standard wall paint, and that material cost is reflected in the estimate. The trade-off is a harder, more durable film that resists chipping and daily contact.
In practice
Who Calls Smoke Painters for Cabinet Refinishing
Cabinet refinishing appeals to a wide range of Miami-Dade homeowners — from buyers freshening up a just-purchased home to long-term owners who want a kitchen update without a five-figure remodel. These are some of the customer patterns we recognize most often.
New Homeowner, Outdated Kitchen
You bought the house and the cabinets are structurally fine but the honey-oak stain from 1998 isn't your style. A full kitchen remodel isn't in the budget right now, but a repaint to a modern white or soft sage transforms the room for a fraction of the cost.
Pre-Sale Refresh
You're listing your home and your real estate agent told you the kitchen is the thing holding back the asking price. A professional refinish tightens up the look, photographs well, and costs far less than replacement — a straightforward investment before going to market.
Rental Property Refresh
A property manager in Hialeah or Doral needs to turn over a unit that looks tired after years of tenants. Cabinet refinishing restores the kitchen without the cost or timeline of cabinet replacement, keeping the unit rentable at market rate.
Peeling or Flaking Previous Paint Job
A prior contractor painted the cabinets without proper prep — no sanding, no bonding primer — and within a year the finish is peeling at every edge. You need the old paint stripped, the surface prepped correctly, and the job done right this time so it actually holds.
Color Change Mid-Renovation
You're updating countertops and backsplash and realize the existing cabinet color no longer works with the new palette. Rather than replace the cabinets, you want them repainted to match the new direction — and you want the new color coordinated with the rest of the renovation.
Bathroom Vanity Makeover
The bathroom vanity cabinet is dated but solid. You don't want the cost or mess of replacing it — you want it cleaned up, primed, and painted in a color that works with new fixtures or tile you're adding.
Long-Term Homeowner, Kitchen Refresh
You've lived in the house for twenty years and the cabinets have served you well — they're just dingy, slightly yellowed, and overdue for a refresh. A refinish brings the whole kitchen back to life without the disruption of a full remodel.
Ranges
Cabinet Refinishing Pricing in Miami-Dade, Florida
Cabinet refinishing in Miami-Dade typically ranges from $2,500 to $5,000 for a standard kitchen, with the final number shaped by scope, substrate condition, and the level of prep work required. That range reflects real-world kitchens in the neighborhoods we serve — from the compact galley kitchens in older Hialeah homes to the larger, more open layouts in newer Doral construction. Understanding where a specific job falls within that range requires a walk-through, because the variables that move the price most — substrate condition, door count, color change complexity, and whether box interiors are included — are not visible from the outside. The Miami-Dade market for cabinet refinishing sits at a meaningful value compared to full cabinet replacement, which typically starts around $8,000–$15,000 for a comparable kitchen when factoring in materials, demolition, and installation. Refinishing preserves your existing cabinet boxes and frames, which in most cases are structurally sound, while delivering a finish that looks new. The investment is in the labor — particularly the preparation labor — and in using the right materials for the humid, warm environment that South Florida kitchens operate in year-round. Cabinetry in homes built before 1978 may trigger EPA RRP rule considerations (40 CFR 745) if lead paint is present on existing surfaces. We discuss this during the estimate process. Miami-Dade's year-round humidity also affects curing times — waterborne alkyd enamels perform well here because they tolerate ambient humidity better than older oil-based products, but cure times may extend slightly in peak summer months when indoor humidity stays elevated. This is an operational reality we account for in scheduling, not a price driver, but it does affect how quickly the kitchen can return to full use after the job is complete.
- Small Kitchen (up to 20 doors/drawers, exteriors only)
- $2,500 - $3,200
- Medium Kitchen (20–35 doors/drawers, exteriors only)
- $3,000 - $4,000
- Large Kitchen (35+ doors/drawers, exteriors only)
- $3,800 - $5,000
- Box Interiors Added (any size kitchen)
- $400 - $900 added
- Thermofoil Delamination Repair Included
- $300 - $700 added
- — All pricing subject to in-person estimate — door and drawer count, substrate condition, and color change complexity must be assessed on-site.
- — Hardware replacement (pulls, knobs, hinges) is priced separately from refinishing labor.
- — Homes built before 1978 may require lead-paint testing and EPA RRP compliance procedures, which may affect project scope.
- — Paint product costs (Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore waterborne alkyd enamels) are included in the estimate — no separate materials invoice.
""
Yolanda R. · Miami Lakes
Service area
Cabinet Refinishing Coverage Across Miami-Dade
Smoke Painters is based in Doral and serves a tight radius of Miami-Dade communities for cabinet refinishing. We work in-home — all prep, priming, and finishing happens at your property. Neighborhoods like West Hialeah, Miami Lakes, and Opa-Locka are regular stops for our crew, and most customers in our service area can be scheduled without a long wait.
FAQ
Common questions
Most standard kitchens in Miami-Dade take three to five working days depending on size, substrate condition, and how many coats the color change requires. Doors and drawer fronts are removed on day one, prepped and primed, then painted in subsequent passes with dry time between coats. The kitchen is partially functional during the process — the boxes are accessible — but doors and drawers are off until final reassembly. We give you a specific timeline during the estimate so you can plan accordingly.
Yes, with the right prep. Thermofoil that is still fully adhered and intact can be scuff-sanded and primed with a high-adhesion bonding primer before painting. Thermofoil that is already peeling or delaminating — especially around heat sources like the dishwasher or oven — must be removed completely, the edges sealed, and a shellac-based primer applied before topcoating. We assess the condition of every surface during the estimate and tell you exactly what prep is required. Painting over delaminating thermofoil without addressing it first is a shortcut we don't take.
Smoke Painters uses Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore waterborne alkyd enamels for all cabinet refinishing work. These products are formulated specifically for high-contact surfaces — they cure to a harder film than standard wall paint, resist chipping and yellowing, and level smoothly to reduce brush or roller texture. In Miami-Dade's humid climate, a product that cures hard and tolerates moisture cycling is not optional — it is the baseline for a finish that holds up over time. The paint product is a meaningful part of the job, and it's included in the estimate.
Yes, and this is one of the most common calls we receive. Peeling on previously painted cabinets almost always traces back to inadequate surface preparation — paint applied over a slick or dirty surface without sanding or bonding primer. The fix requires stripping the failed paint back to a stable substrate, properly sanding and priming from scratch, and applying the topcoat in controlled conditions. We do not paint over peeling paint or simply add more coats on top of a failing finish. The prep is the job, and doing it correctly is what makes the new finish last.
For standard cabinet refinishing — painting existing cabinets in place without structural changes — no building permit is required in Miami-Dade. If your home was built before 1978, the EPA RRP rule (40 CFR 745) may apply if lead paint is present on existing surfaces. We discuss this during the estimate process. If you are making structural modifications to cabinets, such as adding new cabinet units, that work may trigger permit requirements separate from the painting scope.
Partially. Cabinet boxes remain in place throughout the job, so the countertops, sink, and appliances are accessible. Doors and drawer fronts are removed and worked on off-site or in a designated area of the home. You won't have door or drawer access to your cabinets during the process, so we recommend clearing out frequently used items beforehand. We work to minimize disruption and keep the space clean throughout — drop cloths cover countertops and appliances, and we clean up at the end of each work day.
Waterborne alkyd enamels need about two to four weeks to fully cure after application, even though they feel dry to the touch much sooner. During that curing period, wipe spills with a damp cloth rather than scrubbing. After full cure, mild dish soap and water is the right cleaning approach — avoid abrasive pads, bleach-based cleaners, or oil-based products near the cabinet surfaces. In Miami-Dade's humid climate, ensuring adequate kitchen ventilation while cooking reduces the moisture load on the finish over time.
See also