Foil, painted and high-gloss IKEA fronts
IKEA Cabinet Painting in Kitchener
Kitchener Elite Cabinet Painting & Refinishing paints IKEA kitchens, vanities and wardrobes across Kitchener and Waterloo Region. The SEKTION boxes behind most Canadian IKEA kitchens are sturdy and square; it is the fronts that date the room, chip at the edges or stop matching the rest of the house.
Painting the fronts you already own costs far less than ordering new ones, and it opens up any Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams colour instead of the handful IKEA sells. Since 2010 we have completed more than 1,700 jobs, including plenty of the foil, melamine and high-gloss surfaces many painters turn down.
IKEA surfaces are slick by design, so every IKEA job starts with an adhesion test, not a promise.
- Written fixed quote
- WSIB covered crew
- 1-year labour warranty
What we paint
IKEA Kitchen Cabinet Painting Services
IKEA cabinet painting means refinishing the fronts and visible panels of an IKEA kitchen in a new colour while the boxes, drawers and hinges stay exactly as they are. We paint IKEA pieces in any room of the house.
- Kitchen doors and MAXIMERA drawer fronts on SEKTION boxes, plus older AKURUM kitchens
- Cover panels, deco strips, filler pieces and the plinth along the toe-kick
- GODMORGON and HEMNES bathroom vanities
- PAX wardrobe doors and BESTÅ media units
Vanities and wardrobes follow the same prep as kitchens; our bathroom vanity painting and closet and wardrobe cabinet painting services cover those rooms in detail.
Front by front
Which IKEA Fronts Can Be Painted?
Most IKEA fronts can be painted, as long as the surface is intact and passes an adhesion test. The finish matters more than the door name, and IKEA changes its lines often, so we confirm each kitchen from close-up photos or in person.
| Front finish | Example IKEA lines | Paintable? | Prep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factory-painted fibreboard | VEDDINGE | Yes | Degrease, 220 grit scuff, INSL-X STIX |
| Plastic foil over fibreboard | VOXTORP matt | Yes, if the foil is fully bonded | Scuff sand, STIX, adhesion test patch |
| High-gloss | RINGHULT, VOXTORP high-gloss, older ABSTRAKT | Yes, with more prep | Scuff until no gloss remains, STIX, test patch |
| Wood veneer or solid wood | Oak-faced lines | Yes | Zinsser B-I-N on oak to stop tannin bleed |
| Lifting, chipped-through or swollen fronts | Any line | No | Replace the front, then paint it |
The same bonding primer system we use here is used for painting melamine and laminate cabinets of any brand.
Adhesion
Why IKEA Finishes Need a Bonding Primer
IKEA foil, melamine and factory lacquer are made to shed grease and water, which means they shed ordinary paint too. A bonding primer gives the topcoat something to grip, and a test patch proves it before the whole kitchen is sprayed.
- Degrease twice with Krud Kutter Original and rinse, since cooking film is invisible on glossy fronts
- Scuff with 220 grit until the factory sheen is gone everywhere, edges included
- Prime with INSL-X STIX, a waterborne bonding primer made for slick surfaces
- Prime and topcoat a hidden spot, let it cure, then score a cross-hatch with a blade and pull tape across it
- Spray the fronts with Renner 2K in our booth once the patch passes
If the test patch lifts, we stop and tell you, and those fronts are better replaced than painted. It costs a day, not a peeling kitchen.
Paint or replace
Your Options: Paint Existing Fronts or Order New Ones
Painting your existing IKEA fronts is the cheapest way to change the colour, and it keeps the exact fit, gaps and hinge settings you have now. New custom fronts make sense when you want a different door profile or the fronts are damaged.
| Paint existing fronts | New custom fronts | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $110 to $150 per door, $75 to $95 per drawer front | Set by the maker, plus shipping |
| Lead time | Usually booked 2 to 3 weeks out, then 5 to 7 working days | Depends on the maker's production queue |
| Colour | Any Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams colour | The maker's range, or primed for paint |
| Door style | Stays the same | Slab, Shaker or profiled, your choice |
| Fit | Unchanged | Must be ordered to IKEA sizes and hinge bores |
New unfinished MDF fronts can be sprayed in our booth too, which is the territory of painting MDF cabinet doors. If you go the replacement route, our cabinet refacing and new doors service handles the swap.
Careful handling
How We Remove and Rehang IKEA Doors and Drawers
IKEA hardware is designed to come apart without tools, which suits painting as long as every setting goes back the way it was. Labelling is most of the job.
Map and Label Every Front
Each door, drawer front and cover panel gets a numbered tag that matches a sketch of your kitchen, and each hinge stays paired with its own door.
Unclip the Doors
Clip-on hinges release from their mounting plates, so the plates stay screwed to the box and the hinge position is never lost.
Release the Drawer Fronts
Drawer fronts come off their drawer brackets, and we note each one's height and tilt adjustment before it leaves the house.
Rehang and Reset
Doors clip back onto their own plates and the hinges are adjusted for even gaps. Soft-close is checked on every door and drawer, and plinths clip back onto their legs.
Pricing
IKEA Cabinet Painting Prices
IKEA kitchens are priced exactly like any other kitchen: $110 to $150 per door and $75 to $95 per drawer front, both sides sprayed, before HST. IKEA layouts tend to have more drawers than older kitchens, so count drawer fronts carefully when you estimate.
- Up to 20 pieces: $2,400 to $3,400
- 21 to 35 pieces: $3,400 to $5,200
- 36 to 55 pieces: $5,200 to $7,800
- Full-height cover panels and tall doors: $160 to $220 each
- Second colour for a two-tone kitchen: $250 flat
Foil and high-gloss fronts take more prep than painted or wood fronts, which can move a kitchen higher within its range. Every extra is listed on our cabinet painting price list.
FAQ
IKEA Painting Questions
Most IKEA owners ask the same three things before booking: the warranty, the high-gloss doors and the colour.
Does painting affect IKEA's kitchen warranty?
It can. IKEA's kitchen guarantee is written for its products as sold, so assume painted fronts lose coverage for their finish, while the boxes, hinges and drawers we do not paint are unaffected. Check the guarantee terms for your kitchen before deciding; from then on, our 1-year labour warranty covers the paint.
Can high-gloss IKEA doors be painted?
Yes, with more prep. The gloss has to be scuffed off completely, every edge included, before STIX goes on, and the test patch matters most on these fronts. The result is an even sprayed finish in your chosen sheen, up to semi-gloss at about 50%, rather than the original mirror shine.
Can you paint IKEA doors a Benjamin Moore colour?
Yes, any Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams colour. We spray a sample board in your colour and sheen before the job starts, so you see it in your own kitchen first.
Free quote
Send Photos of Your IKEA Kitchen
Send a wide photo of the kitchen, a close-up of one door edge and the door name if you know it. We will tell you whether your fronts are good candidates for paint and send a written quote within 1 business day.
- Adhesion test on a hidden spot before the full job
- Per-piece pricing, the same as any kitchen
- Any colour, sprayed in our booth, with a 1-year labour warranty
- Shop
- 330 Gage Ave, Kitchener, ON N2M 5C6
- Monday to Saturday
- 7:00 am to 9:30 pm
- Sunday
- 9:00 am to 9:00 pm