This should not happen at all...yes over time some paint around the handle can show wear but should not just peel off.....if the cabinet finish was not completely sanded off and they did not get a proper primer coat before they are painted this is what happens...your painter should do whatever he can to fix the issue...so sorry...

How long did the project take? If it was done in one day...it is impossible that it was done correctly!!

He didn't prime with the right product, and likely didn't sand well either. A house painter is pretty far from a cabinet finisher. And house paint is a far cry from the professional conversion coatings used by a professional cabinet finisher. The average for a truly professional job is 6-9K. Most house painters top out at about 2K for their attempts. Which usually end up about like your guy's attempt. For a job that should take at least a week, and done in a single day. SMH.

It was done rather quickly, yes. ugh. My fault for hiring someone that was clearly not a cabinet painter though he states he does them. When he told me his process it seemed to be what I read online...Sand, prime, paint. I didn't have any reason not to trust him but I guess I didn't ask the right questions. Guess I will need to start over and do it myself the right way then. I will talk to the painter but I'm afraid to have him touch them again honestly. Does anyone have any links to share that show how to paint them correctly so when I have time I can start this project? There are quite a few out there that show different options. I'm overwhelmed. Do I need an electric sander or can you sand using sandpaper? I've not used a sprayer before but I have been told I can rent one. Isn't spraying them the best way? At least the doors anyway......Does anyone have any feedback on the SW Proclassic? Is that a good paint to use or should I use another one this time? Thanks for all the feedback.

I think that bm advance takes a month to fully cure...maybe sw is the same?

It sounds like you will need to move towards a professional rather than DIY. A DIY approach is possible - had these been UNTOUCHED by a painter. If you had started them WITHOUT someone else's mess to clean up, you MIGHT have had a chance. This just got more complicated because you are now forced to deal with TWO finishes - the bad paint on top and the factory finish underneath. This gets messy and extremely technical.

At this point, a DIY approach is probably going to cause more damage than what you have right now. And cabinet paint - as pointed out by Sophie - is a VASTLY different beast than "wall paint". It often times has multiple coats (couple of primer coats, a couple of paint coats and a top coat of "varnish") that each take DAYS to cure. Each coat needs to cure before the next goes down. This is why cabinetry painting can take WEEKS....not hours.

A professional can deal with the painter's oopsa and the factory finish. But it is now going to cost more. More money and more time than if the professional cabinet refinisher had been employed in the first place.

Hopefully you have NOT paid the painter. That money can be put towards the real professional. If you are asking about how to rent a sprayer and which paint to use, then it sounds like your DIY skills are not quite ready for this MAJOR effort.

People have done it....and they ALL say it takes a TON of time and a MASSIVE effort to get it done. And during that time their kitchen is in an uproar. Some have been without their kitchen for several months while they do the kitchen on weekends.

You could just redoor the kitchen and strip/paint/veneer just the frames.

I have diy painted horrible oak cabinets in two previous homes. As others said, totally impossible to do it right in one day. I have used Benjamin Moore Advance and it is a great finish and overall easy to work with. I think the SW product is similar, but this is a technique issue not a product one. Setting aside prep and sanding time (which should take at least a day just for that), there are not enough hours in a single day for adequate dry time of two coats of primer plus however many coats of the product he painted. If your doors aren't done you could send those out to a spray shop and redo the boxes yourself if you can't recoup what you spent with the painter.

I respectfully disagree with Cancork; he will have to be paid what was agreed upon in in the beginning, as both parties knew his primary skill from the onset.
I agree though, do not attempt this as a diy project. Your guy, somewhat experienced, did not get it to your standards. With no experience I doubt you will, and I mean no offence in saying so.
Your best option is to live with it until your budget allows a pro job. notch this one up to experience ;) Regards

I never would have used latex paint to do kitchen cabinets! It just isn't durable enough, he should have used BM Advance at least. I use Ace cabinet paint Alcatex. Regardless he probably used the wrong primer if at all and recoated before the first coat was dry. So sorry for your mess:(

I just read back and see you are considering doing this yourself having no real experience. I'm not sure you realize how much work doing this right entails! I would remove the latex paint that's on there to start! If you think you can handle this I would be happy to walk you through the steps but be prepared to not go anywhere for awhile!

This took awhile and it's a small kitchen;)!

why can't he fix the problem? you paid for the cabinets to be painted and the paint is peeling. he's telling you this is OK? no. it's not. You should not be able to ding it w/your nail or peel it off in sheets. have him rectify the problem or get a refund. If you paid to have your car painted and the paint peeled and chipped, would you say, oh, well I'll do it myself?

He's lying. it was not properly prepped. period. I've done kitchen cabs numerous times. prepping is the longest and most tedious and certainly can't be done in a day. unless he has 10 workers.

Tell him to strip off the paint. BTW, do you see a white primer under the paint? if not, it wasn't done.

And Advance is a hybrid acrylic that is better suited for cabinets.

Beth is absolutely right. You should not be stripping this paint off! You paid for something you didn't get! This is not an easy job and by your own admission you are not a dui expert! He messed up! Period! He should fix it. Not you.

If this had been done right as Beth and I know it would have taken quite a long time! Paint needs to properly dry between coats before reapplying. How long long did he spend doing this? How many coats of paint were applied ?

I'm sorry that your hired painter is not a professional. Disasters happen with paint jobs and the way a painter gets the necessary knowledge is to experience, analyze and rescue disasters. The factor that sets a professional apart from hired labor is his approach to the job. A true professional discusses the expected difficulties that may cause issues and also discusses how he will handle the problems and what the customer will receive for his money. A good professional is competent and confident enough in his work to warranty the performance for a long enough time for most problems to appear (1 year is common).

Hiring a house painter to do kitchen cabinets is common and many of them will do a respectable job at a huge discount to a cabinet finisher's price. The problem you are facing is this guy is acting like a hired painter, not a true professional who accepts the responsibility for the outcome.

I once painted a large vanity that was previous finished wood. It came out fine but a year later I just didn't like the look - white not a great choice for a kids bathroom. I did strip the vanity back to unfinished wood, stain and finished. Once the wood is back to unfinished wood, it can be either painted or stained. I refinished my kitchen two years ago. It is a messy, time consuming job. It is not particularly hard or expensive. I think you should get your money back for a poorly done job, but if all else fails and you cannot afford to get them fixed or replaced you can improve them yourself. Just do a couple of doors at a time and start with those that get the most use.

no contract or anything? when you hire someone to do work you have an 'reasonable expectation' of workmanship and that result was not met. offer an alternative of small claims court to recoup some of your money, or he corrects his mistake. sending the doors out to be professionally finished is the best idea offered. (i have painted cabinets for a medium sized kitchen and it took 4 days just to prep the doors). good luck

Apologies Emily! I mistyped and said you weren't a dui expert( although one would not blame you for needing a drink;)! I meant to say DIY of course!

thanks, all. I will call him today to discuss. He's a very kind man so hopefully we can come to some agreement. I thought he was a professional. I have used him for things in the past as have some of my friends. He stated he had done cabs before, I thought he knew what he was doing. I was not knowledgeable enough on this process to know that something wasn't right until after it was too late. I will at least talk with him and tell him not to do this to someone else because what he did was a bad job and now it's costing me time/money/stress etc. Maybe I can research the project myself, have him redo the cabs using the process of my choice? The paint job looks flawless. They look beautiful...until you touch them. Ha! oh me. Thanks everyone. Live and learn, right?!

He probably has done cabinets before, but maybe not ones that were factory finished. He could have experience with painting unfinished cabinets which is much easier. Also, I agree that you should hold back payment (if you haven't paid him already) until you come to some agreement. Even without a written contract, there are laws in virtually every state that businesses have to act in good faith and there is a built-in warrantee of generally good workmanship. WHen paint peels in less than two weeks of application, something is seriously wrong with the workmanship and you shouldn't accept it as satisfactory.

If he really resists just tell him that you will feel obligated to truthfully describe the experience you had with the job on Angie's list, yelp, google reviews, and houzz.

I sanded and painted laminated cupboard doors with gloss paint lasted for years not chipping or peeling !

live and learn, indeed we do!
it's an unfortunate case, where it seems you both thought he'd do it properly and it didn't quite work out
I don't think you have grounds for not paying him, maybe an agreement of partial payment, big maybe
Good of you to advise him not to do this in future, it will serve him well to follow that, unless he learns the skill.
However I still don't recommend you get him to redo it, even under your supervision.
again, with no offence intended, neither of you have the knowledge or skills necessary for a good job. You can read up on it, but without any diy experience, you wouldn't even be able to assess what you're reading, know whether it's on the right track, missing vital info, etc. 'You don't know what you don't know' comes into play here.
rather move on, save up to get it done at a later stage by someone more experienced, preferably someone whose work you see beforehand. Best wishes

Good luck Emily. Hope it all works out for you!

What a pain. We are having some built-in shelves and cabinets put in, and our guy will only use oil paint on cabinets. I have repainted old cabinets with latex paint in the past, and they do peel, especially since I don't really have the strength to sand everything off.

latex paint isn't meant for wood, trim or cabinets. latex paint is meant for drywall.

Acrylic enamel is what should be used on wood. BM Advance is a hybrid of oil/water base paint. basically goes on like an oil base, cleans up like a water base.

You are not correct about using latex paints on wood, trim, or cabinets. If you properly prep such materials latex enamels are wonderful products. Benjamin Moore Advance is a great product as well and when it dries it becomes an oil base paint. Your latex enamels take a full 28 days to cure and harden.

Hi emily,

i am in the same postion as you were and i am wondering what the resolution ended up being with the painter