We got a bid for $2500 to sand, prime and paint our cabinets. We're getting new, all wood locally built cabinets for $5000.

Cabinets are priced so competitively right now, as a kitchen designer I'm finding that frequently it doesn't even pay to replace the doors, panels and edgebanding (known as refacing) when you can buy new cabinets for only slightly more. I would hesitate to put that much money into IKEA cabinets. If they were all wood cabinets in otherwise great condition maybe painting would be a good choice.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchens for Living

i agree with posters above. am buying local all wood custom cabs and then painting myself.

Paint is cheap, we did ours a few years ago. The stripping off the old finish is work, but it's well within most peoples skill level.

Ikea fronts and panels should be super easy to replace if you buy from Ikea or order doors from Scherr's or the like, If the cabinets are in good shape and the layout works well. You can order unpainted doors and paint them if you don't like the Ikea styles.

Also, I had an estimate for stripping and painting for about $4000 for my 10x12 kitchen.