Create a new custom cabinet look without breaking the bank

By Beth Newcomb

Several years ago, a kitchen remodel set me back a budget-sapping forty grand. About half of that drain on my bank account was attributed to the cabinets. I opted for a lovely painted white to replace the outdated 1962 versions that were falling apart. But not everyone needs to sink their savings into replacing cabinetry like I did. Most people with kitchens dating back about 20 years or so can save a bundle by having their existing cabinets refinished.

“The trend in kitchens is to go light,” says John Neubert, owner of Neubert Painting. “Nearly everyone longs to have painted white cabinets—but they don’t want to break the bank replacing or refacing them.”

Neubert Painting’s exclusive factory-finish process means your kitchen cabinets can sport a fresh, new look for about $4,000-$6,000 (instead of $15,000-$20,000, with labor adding another several thousand dollars to the tab).

And the timeframe for Neubert’s team of expert craftsmen to work their magic is typically less than a week. “Our craftsmen take old wood cabinets and make them look like new,” John states. “Our team uses a systematic approach to achieve a hard-as-nails, durable finish—and the quality is amazing. I love to feel the silky-smooth finished products on the drying racks in our warehouse. They look and feel like new.”

The secret sauce in the Neubert Painting technique is the lacquer the team uses to deftly coat each door and frame. “It’s cabinet-grade paint that you can’t find at a home improvement store,” John notes. “If you cheap out, you’ll end up with chipping, peeling cabinets that can’t be fixed. This process is a one-time-only effort. If you do it wrong the first time, you’ll end up having to replace your cabinets. We can’t paint over other coatings.”

The devil is in the details, and lack of prep and planning causes other techniques to fail. That’s why John says it’s important to pick the right company—the first time. “Our craftsmen are experts at refinishing cabinets,” John says. “It’s all they do. We spray our coating on to produce a true factory finish. You can’t tell the difference between our refinishing and the finish on a brand-new cabinet. It’s that spectacular.”

John adds, “Our team of carpenters can add a backsplash and crown molding, and make kitchen modifications to accommodate new appliances.”

The Neubert team removes all doors and drawers and takes them back to the shop where they’re prepped with a Festool dustless sanding system before painting. All knobs and pulls are removed and labeled so they can be reinstalled. Cabinets are de-glossed with a strong cleaner and any oil or grease is removed. A specialty bonding primer is used before your doors and drawers are finished with Neubert’s premium factory finish.

Mary M., from Westlake, is a Neubert Painting believer. She opted to have this top team refinish her cabinets rather than having someone else replace them. “I really enjoyed having Ron in my home for a week,” she says. “He was clean and neat and arrived on time. It took just five days and the results are extremely professional.”

The frames of Mary’s cabinets were refinished on-site. And, as is the Neubert Painting way, her professional coating was applied to the doors and drawers back at the shop. “Because seeing is often believing, we invite all of our customers to visit our shop to see our process in action,” John smiles.

White is the color choice for many homeowners who opt to refinish their cabinets instead of replacing them, but John says some people decide to take the opportunity to get a little daring and lean into current trends more heavily. “We just finished a gorgeous job for a customer who chose a sharp robin’s egg blue for her cabinets,” he explains. “She went with brushed gold for the knobs and pulls and the end result looked like something from Houzz or Pinterest.”

If you’re ready to save thousands of dollars on the cost of a kitchen update, you can call Neubert Painting at 216-529-0360 to schedule an estimate. Learn more about this locally recognized company at NeubertPainting.com. Neubert also specializes in wood home exteriors, aluminum siding refinishing and interior painting.