Kitchen remodeling services
Kitchen Cabinets in Bellevue, WA
Not sure whether to paint, reface or replace your kitchen cabinets in Bellevue? Our design team helps you pick what fits your kitchen and budget.
Then we build it, with a written price before work starts. Call (425) 600-3942.
If the boxes are solid and the layout works, painting or refacing saves money. If the boxes are damaged, the layout fails you, or you want new storage, replacement makes more sense.
Kitchen cabinets in Bellevue WA: your three options compared
Painting changes the color, refacing changes the doors and the look, and replacement changes everything, including the layout and storage. Each step up costs more and takes longer.
Painting
- What changes
- Color of doors and boxes
- Best when
- Boxes and doors are solid wood in good shape
- Main trade-off
- Paint can chip on heavy-use doors
Refacing
- What changes
- New doors, drawer fronts and veneer on boxes; often new hardware
- Best when
- Boxes are sound and the layout works
- Main trade-off
- Layout and box sizes stay the same
Replacement
- What changes
- New boxes, doors and interiors
- Best when
- Boxes are damaged, layout fails, or you want new storage
- Main trade-off
- Highest cost; counters usually replaced too
Refacing keeps the cabinet boxes, so the countertop can sometimes stay. Replacement almost always means new counters, since old stone rarely fits new boxes.
Should I paint my kitchen cabinets or replace them?
Paint them if the boxes are solid wood, the doors are in good shape and you like the layout. Replace them if the boxes are swollen, sagging or the wrong size for how you cook.
Check three things before you decide:
Step 01
Water damage
Look under the sink. Swollen particleboard or soft spots mean that box needs to go.
Step 02
Door style
Flat or simple doors paint well. Heavy raised panels with deep grooves show brush marks and wear faster.
Step 03
Storage
If you need deep drawers, a pantry pull-out or a taller upper, paint will not fix that.
In older Bellevue homes, check the age of the paint first. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says anyone paid to disturb paint in a home built before 1978 must be certified in lead-safe work practices. Sanding old cabinet paint counts.
Custom kitchen cabinets in Bellevue: stock, semi-custom or custom?
Stock cabinets come in set sizes and ship fastest. Semi-custom cabinets offer more sizes, finishes and storage options. Custom cabinets are built to your exact room and cost the most.
Stock
- Sizes
- Fixed widths in set steps
- Lead time
- Shortest
- Good fit
- Rentals, budget remodels, simple layouts
Semi-custom
- Sizes
- More widths, depths and finishes
- Lead time
- Medium
- Good fit
- Most family remodels
Custom
- Sizes
- Built to the room
- Lead time
- Longest
- Good fit
- Odd walls, high ceilings, upscale kitchens
The Cost vs Value 2025 major midrange project uses 30 linear feet of semi-custom wood cabinets. Its upscale project uses custom cabinets. That one change explains much of the jump from about $86,000 to about $172,000 in the Pacific region.
Order cabinets as soon as the design is final. Semi-custom and custom cabinets are the longest lead item on most jobs, and the counter fabricator cannot measure until cabinets are installed.
Kitchen cabinet refacing in Bellevue
Kitchen cabinet refacing covers the existing boxes with new veneer and replaces every door and drawer front. It keeps the layout and the counters, and the kitchen stays usable for most of the job.
Refacing works well when the boxes have solid face frames and dry, sound sides. It does not work on boxes with water damage or on layouts you want to change.
On kitchen cabinet refacing cost in Bellevue: we price it per job after measuring, since door count drives the cost more than room size. Ask any refacing quote to list door count, drawer count, hinge type and hardware.
Kitchen cabinet replacement in Bellevue
Kitchen cabinet replacement removes the old boxes and installs new ones. It is the only option that changes the layout, adds drawers in place of shelves, or raises uppers to the ceiling.
HomeGuide's cost guide puts the national cost to replace kitchen cabinets at $4,500 to $15,000 and lists cabinets as about 25% of a typical kitchen budget. HomeAdvisor says cabinets are nearly 30% of the budget. Custom work goes well above both.
Popular add-ons follow how people store food. The Houzz 2026 Kitchen Trends Study found that "Pantry cabinets lead the list of options (47%)." Among homeowners changing style, transitional led at 25%.
Do you need a permit to replace kitchen cabinets in Bellevue?
No. The City of Bellevue says "A building permit is not required for replacing kitchen cabinets or countertops." You may still need a plumbing or electrical permit if that work is part of the job.
Moving the sink, adding an outlet circuit or moving a gas range all need trade permits. Read kitchen cabinet replacement permit rules in full before you plan a layout change.
Our cabinet process
Every cabinet job follows the same five steps, from measure to final adjustment, so you know what happens each week.
- 1Measure the room with a laser and check walls for level and square.
- 2Design the layout and storage on screen, then confirm sizes against your appliances.
- 3Order cabinets and schedule the counter template.
- 4Install, level and fasten boxes, then hang doors.
- 5Adjust hinges and drawer slides after counters go on.
Kitchen cabinet painting in Bellevue: what to expect
Kitchen cabinet painting takes doors off site to be cleaned, sanded and sprayed, while boxes are prepped and painted in place. Expect about a week without doors.
Cold, closed rooms slow paint curing. Plan to run heat and ventilation during the job. Ask what paint the painter uses, how many coats, and whether the doors are sprayed or brushed.
FAQ
Kitchen cabinet FAQs
Is it cheaper to paint or replace kitchen cabinets?
Painting is almost always cheaper than replacing kitchen cabinets. It keeps the boxes, doors and counters, so you pay mostly for labor and paint. Replacement adds new cabinets, removal and often new counters. Painting only saves money when the boxes and doors are sound.
Can cabinets be refaced in older Bellevue homes?
Yes, if the cabinet boxes are dry and solid. Sturdy face-frame cabinets reface well. If the home was built before 1978, the refacer must follow lead-safe rules when sanding or cutting painted surfaces. Swollen sink bases usually get replaced.
How long do new kitchen cabinets take to arrive?
Lead time depends on the cabinet level. Stock cabinets ship fastest, semi-custom take longer, and custom take the longest. Ask your supplier for a written ship date before demolition starts, so the kitchen is not torn out while you wait.
Do new cabinets mean new countertops?
Usually, yes. Stone counters are cut to fit the old cabinets and often crack when moved. If you reface or paint, the counters can stay. See quartz countertops in Bellevue to plan both at once.
See it in a real job. Our Crossroads refacing project shows sound cabinets refaced so the budget could cover quartz and a better range, with the cost, the timeline and the permits.
Plan your Bellevue cabinet project
Call Bellevue Kitchen Pros at (425) 600-3942 for a cabinet visit, or open the Kitchen Planner chat to see what cabinets mean for your budget.
Read the kitchen remodel guide for Bellevue for the full process, or go back to the kitchen remodeling Bellevue WA homepage.
Book a visit
Begin planning your Bellevue kitchen.
Share the layout questions you already have. A coordinator from Bellevue Kitchen Pros will contact you.
Bellevue Kitchen Pros14206 SE 36th St #100, Bellevue, WA 98006(425) 600-3942How to check any contractor, including us