Let's be honest. Your kitchen cabinets have seen better days. The doors are faded. Grease has built up around the handles. Hinges are loose. That corner cabinet beside the dishwasher started to swell - first a little, then a little more.
For years you didn't pay much attention. Then one day the kitchen looks tired, and suddenly every cabinet feels like evidence of neglect.
So here's the real question: paint or replace? The answer depends on what has actually gone wrong - not on what looks bad.
Quick comparison: paint vs. reface vs. replace
| Question | Paint | Reface | Replace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinet boxes are solid | Usually suitable | Usually suitable | Possible, but often unnecessary |
| Existing layout works | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Doors are badly damaged | Sometimes | Often suitable | Yes |
| Boxes have water damage | No | Usually no | Usually yes |
| Layout needs major changes | No | Limited | Yes |
| Typical Ottawa cost | $3,000 – $8,000 | $5,000 – $12,000 | $15,000 – $40,000+ |
| Plumbing stays where it is | Usually | Usually | Can |
| Building permit needed? | Generally no | Generally no | Generally no (if plumbing stays) |
Starting points, not quotes. Ottawa painting-cost guides put professional cabinet painting near $3,000 – $7,000; Home Depot Canada puts refacing at about $6,500 on average; new cabinetry is a $15,000 – $40,000 swing on the same kitchen depending on stock, semi-custom or custom.
Bottom line
- Paint when the boxes are solid and the layout works for you.
- Reface when the boxes are fine but the doors have had it.
- Replace when the boxes are failing or you need a different layout.
- Always check for water damage before picking colours.
- Count doors and drawers before judging a painting quote.
- Count demolition, installation and adjacent work before judging a replacement quote.
- Ottawa does not normally require a permit just to paint cabinets.
- Ottawa also allows cabinet replacement without a permit when plumbing fixtures stay in place.
A larger kitchen renovation may involve counters, flooring, plumbing, electrical and walls. Cabinet painting does not. That distinction decides a lot.
Paint fixes a finish. Replacement fixes cabinets. Sometimes the cabinets need fixing. Sometimes they're just an outdated colour.
What it really costs to paint kitchen cabinets in Ottawa
Ottawa painting-cost guides put professional cabinet painting around $3,000 – $7,000 for most kitchens. Ottawacontractors.ca and Paintersottawa.com are the local sources we see quoted most: a small kitchen lands near $3,500, and a large kitchen with an island runs $8,000 – $10,000. Extra doors, islands and difficult prep are what move you up the range.
Most of that money goes to labour, not paint. A proper job involves:
- Removing doors and drawer fronts
- Numbering every piece
- Removing hardware
- Degreasing surfaces
- Repairing chips and dents
- Sanding or scuffing
- Applying bonding primer
- Sanding again
- Spraying finish coats
- Coating cabinet frames
- Drying and curing
- Reinstalling doors
- Adjusting hinges
- Touching up minor defects
Door count matters too. A kitchen with 18 doors is one amount of labour; 38 doors is another. Drawers, panels, crown moulding, islands and pantries all add to the tally.
Door construction changes the job as well. Oak often shows grain unless the prep includes grain filling. MDF accepts coatings well when sound. Laminate and thermofoil need close inspection - adhesion and delamination can create problems.
One fact worth keeping front and centre: painting does not change the cabinet layout. The sink stays. The pantry stays. That awkward narrow cabinet beside the stove stays. If the kitchen functions well, that's exactly the point. If the layout drives you mad every morning, paint only makes the problem a different colour.
What new kitchen cabinets cost in Ottawa
"New cabinets" covers a wide range, from stock units to fully custom.
- Stock cabinets use standard dimensions and finishes.
- Semi-custom allows more variation.
- Custom involves specific dimensions, door profiles, storage systems, panels and detailed installation.
Cabinetry is usually the single largest line item in a kitchen budget, and the choice between stock, semi-custom and fully custom is easily a $15,000 – $40,000 swing on the same kitchen. That is the useful lesson here: "replacement" doesn't describe one product.
The invoice can include:
- Removal and disposal of old cabinets
- New boxes, doors and drawer fronts
- Hinges, slides and handles
- End panels, fillers, toe kicks and crown moulding
- Installation
- Wall repairs
- Countertop work
- Plumbing and electrical adjustments
This is where replacement starts pulling other parts of the kitchen into the picture. Remove base cabinets and the countertop becomes relevant. Change the sink cabinet and plumbing enters the conversation. Move the range and electrical work follows. Extend an island and the floor shows old scars around the previous footprint.
Choose appliance dimensions early. A fridge needs a real opening, measured against the spec sheet before the cabinets are ordered.
When painting makes sense
Start with the boxes. Ignore the colour. Open the sink cabinet and look at the floor. Check the corners. Check around supply lines and beside the dishwasher. Push lightly against the cabinet sides. Open every door.
Cabinets worth painting usually show these traits:
- Boxes remain firm
- Shelves remain level
- Doors are structurally sound
- Hinges stay anchored
- No water swelling
- The current layout works
- Storage meets daily needs
- Surfaces can accept a coating
- Most problems are about colour or surface wear
A cabinet doesn't need to look good before painting. It needs to be good underneath.
Water damage is the deal-breaker. Particleboard and MDF swell after repeated moisture exposure. Once the material has expanded and lost its shape, paint can't restore the structure.
If the layout works - two people can use the kitchen without blocking each other, doors open properly, the fridge clears nearby drawers, and there's enough storage - painting preserves those conditions. If the layout doesn't work, colour is just a distraction.
Permits are simple here. The City of Ottawa lists painting and decorating among the projects that don't require a building permit. You can also replace cabinets without one, provided plumbing fixtures remain in the same location.
Painting still needs proper ventilation. Health Canada advises increasing ventilation while paints, varnishes and adhesives are in use, and choosing low-emission products where possible, because coatings release volatile organic compounds.
Ask your painter: where does the spraying happen? What prep is included? How long does curing take? When can normal kitchen use resume? Colour can wait until those questions have answers.
When replacement is the right call
Some cabinets are done. Water swells the bottom panel. A joint pulls apart. Shelves bow. Thermofoil lifts from a door. A sink cabinet goes soft around an old leak. At that point paint is decoration over a structural problem.
Consider replacement when you find:
- Swollen or soft cabinet boxes
- Serious water damage
- Broken joints or failed shelving
- Severe door distortion or delamination
- Persistent moisture damage
- Poor appliance clearances
- Serious storage problems
- A layout that genuinely needs to change
That last item changes the discussion completely. Paint can't move an island, create drawer banks, widen a refrigerator opening, or make a dead corner disappear.
A planned layout change belongs with an experienced Ottawa kitchen contractor, because the cabinets then interact with counters, plumbing, electrical, appliances and sometimes walls.
The City of Ottawa draws a useful boundary: straight cabinet replacement doesn't require a permit when plumbing stays put. Broader renovation work involving material alteration or repair can require one, and permitted work needs inspections at specified stages.
Write down what moves and what stays. Then decide whether this is still a cabinet replacement or whether it has quietly become a kitchen renovation. Projects drift that way - they start with one ugly door and end at a plumbing rough-in.
Cabinet refacing: the middle ground
There is a third option: keep the cabinet boxes and replace the visible pieces. That's cabinet refacing - new doors, drawer fronts, hinges, and new material over the exposed cabinet surfaces. The kitchen keeps its structure and changes its face.
Home Depot Canada lists an average refacing cost of about $6,500 excluding taxes, with common ranges of $5,000 – $12,000. Scope and materials move that number.
Ask what "refacing" means on the quote. One proposal may cover doors and drawer fronts. Another may include finished side panels, new hinges, moulding, valances and hardware. The word alone tells you very little.
Refacing makes sense when:
- Cabinet boxes are solid
- The existing layout works
- Door style is the main problem
- Existing doors have damage
- You want new hinges
- Painting the existing surface creates adhesion concerns
- Complete removal serves no clear purpose
Like painting, refacing keeps the boxes and their locations, so the storage geometry stays the same. That works when the layout already does its job, and poorly when the layout is the problem. Our guide to cabinet refacing vs. replacing in Ottawa walks through that comparison in detail.
What people often forget to check
Cabinet quotes look tidy at first. Then hardware arrives. Then trim. Then someone points at the backsplash.
For painting, confirm whether the quote includes:
- Door and drawer-front removal
- Degreasing, repairs and sanding
- Primer and spray finishing
- Cabinet-frame coating
- Hardware removal and reinstallation
- Hinge adjustment and touch-ups
For replacement, confirm:
- Demolition and disposal
- Cabinet boxes, doors and construction
- Hardware, finished panels, fillers, crown and toe kicks
- Installation and countertop removal
- Plumbing, electrical, wall repair and final painting
Then read the exclusions. They usually contain the interesting details.
Materials matter as well. New boxes may be plywood, particleboard, MDF, melamine-faced panels, or combinations. Health Canada notes that composite wood products, furnishings and building materials release volatile organic compounds, so ventilation and lower-emission products are worth considering.
Ask what the boxes are made from. Ask what the doors are made from. Ask what finish they carry. Write it all down. A good quote tells you exactly where the cabinet work stops. Otherwise the invoice will.
Final thought
The decision rarely needs much drama. Good cabinets with a tired finish can stay. Good boxes with failed doors suit refacing. Damaged boxes or a bad layout point to replacement. The cabinets have already supplied the evidence - you just have to open them.
Not sure what you're looking at? At Ottawa Property Experts we'll tell you honestly which one your kitchen needs at the free in-home consult, and give you a fixed price in writing either way.
- Is it cheaper to paint or replace kitchen cabinets in Ottawa?
- Painting, usually by a wide margin. The existing boxes, doors and layout stay, so you're paying for prep and finish rather than product and installation. Ottawa painting-cost guides put professional cabinet painting around $3,000 – $8,000. New cabinets start well above that once removal, manufacturing and installation are included.
- How do I know if my cabinets can be painted?
- Check the structure first. Solid boxes, stable doors and a working layout support a painting project. Swelling, serious water damage, delamination and failed joints need to be dealt with separately - paint won't fix any of them.
- Can oak cabinets be painted?
- Yes, in most cases. Oak's open grain may still read through the finish unless grain filling is included in the prep, so ask whether the quote covers it.
- Can thermofoil cabinets be painted?
- Sometimes, but inspect them carefully first. Peeling or lifting thermofoil means the surface layer has already failed, and paint won't repair that bond.
- Do I need a permit to paint kitchen cabinets in Ottawa?
- No. The City of Ottawa lists painting and decorating among the projects that do not require a building permit.
- Do I need a permit to replace kitchen cabinets in Ottawa?
- The City says cabinets can be replaced without a permit provided plumbing fixtures remain in the same location. Broader renovation work involving material alteration or repair may still require one.
- Do countertops need to come out for cabinet painting?
- Normally no. Painting keeps the boxes in place, and the counters are masked and protected during the work.
- Does refacing replace the cabinet boxes?
- No. Refacing keeps the boxes and changes the doors, drawer fronts and exposed surfaces. Read the quote carefully, because scopes vary widely between refacing proposals.
- Should I paint my cabinets before selling my home?
- It depends on condition. A cosmetic finish problem is worth painting. Structural damage doesn't disappear because you've decided to list - a buyer's inspection will find it.
- Should I replace my cabinets if I plan to move the sink?
- Moving the sink changes the scope. Layout, counters and plumbing all need to be coordinated, and the permit exemption for cabinet replacement assumes plumbing fixtures stay where they are.
- What should I inspect before asking for quotes?
- Count doors and drawers. Photograph the damage. Check under the sink and beside the dishwasher. Test the hinges. Note warped doors. Decide whether the layout works, and record any appliance changes. Then ask every contractor to price that same scope.
Aus Q.
Co-Owner, Ottawa Property Experts
Aus Q. co-founded Ottawa Property Experts with Emad H. He's on every project the company takes on, and writes about kitchens and bathrooms the same way he runs jobs: practical, specific, and with the numbers shown.