It can be done both ways (before everything goes in, or after) but you get a MUCH cleaner and neater job if you paint prior to the cabinets and countertops going in.

Even the most accomplished pro painter will tell you that the lines you'll get from taping and cutting in aren't nearly as crisp and nice as if you painted when the room was empty, and then installed the cabinets and countertops on the already painted wall.

keptoz, Im waiting until everything is installed, too. I have NO idea what color I want to paint and I want to wait till the cabinets, granite and backsplash are complete before I decide on THAT. Besides, Im bogged down with so many other decisions right now (granite, pendants, backsplash) there is just no way I can make that decision right now! It will be fine....

We primed the walls and primed and painted the ceilings. I don't know what color I want, as a wall has been opened from the new kitchen to the old. We won't demo the old kitchen until the new one is up and running. I want the same color in both rooms, so I'm waiting, too.

Once the new walls & ceilings were up in our Kitchen & DR but b/f the cabinets were installed, we primed walls & ceilings and painted the ceilings. It's a lot easier to paint ceilings with no cabinets...plus no worries about getting paint on the cabinets. We did, however, have to re-paint around the hood duct b/c of the mess they made of the ceiling around it.

We're glad we didn't paint the walls the final color ahead of time b/c they wrote all over the walls as well as got gray/black marks on them during cabinet & appliance installation. I think it would have been difficult to "patch paint" throughout the kitchen and not have it look like a "patched paint job".

I just asked my GC the exact same question today. So, a few people mentioned the pluses of painting before the cabinets get installed, but it doesn't necessarily mean you can't change your mind. My GC said that sometimes they prime, then paint one coat so you can get an idea of what the cabs with the paint will look like, then they install and then paint the second coat after install. Ceiling painting before cabs go in sounds like a smart idea--no drips from above!

We painted before the cabinetry and everything. I agree that it does make it easy to put up cabinetry over the finished walls, but your point about wanting to see how other elements work together is very valid. I had wanted a blue/black/cream kitchen. We chose a blue based paint. After my designer's other elements arrived, it was clear that I had a greenish kitchen with blue paint. It's not horrible, but not what was planned. Even if you paint early on, there is still touch up and finish painting to be done around door jambs, . . .

As far as using your own painter, I'd highly recommend it. GCs can hire any day laborer or jack of all trades to do the painting. People who specialize in painting generally are more skilled and may have steadier hands. I'd pay extra for my own specialist painters in a heart beat in future projects.

Ceilings, I'd agree, should be done early on. Absolutely!