Can a painter add soft-close hinges or new hardware during a cabinet refinishing project in my Surrey kitchen?

Most painters who offer cabinet refinishing will remove and reinstall existing hardware, but installing new soft-close hinges or upgraded hardware is typically outside a painter's core scope — though many will coordinate it or accommodate it as an add-on.

Here's how this plays out in practice on a Surrey kitchen cabinet refinishing project.

What a Cabinet Refinishing Painter Actually Does

When a painting contractor refinishes your kitchen cabinets, the standard process involves removing all doors and drawer fronts, labelling them, degreasing and sanding every surface, priming, spraying 2–3 coats of a hard enamel (typically Benjamin Moore Advance or Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel), and then reinstalling everything once fully cured. Removing hardware — hinges, pulls, knobs — is a necessary part of that process. Reinstalling the same hardware afterward is standard.

Where it gets nuanced is with new hardware. Soft-close hinges are a mechanical upgrade, not a painting task. Installing them correctly — especially European-style concealed hinges — requires drilling precise hinge cup holes in the door and adjusting the mounting plates on the cabinet box for proper alignment and gap consistency. Some experienced cabinet painters are comfortable doing this and will include it as a paid add-on. Others will tell you upfront it's outside their scope and suggest you hire a carpenter or cabinet installer for that portion.

The Practical Reality for Surrey Homeowners

The good news is that a cabinet refinishing project is actually the ideal time to upgrade your hardware, because the doors are already off and the surfaces are being refinished anyway. New drill holes for different pull placement can be filled, primed, and sprayed over seamlessly — something that would be much messier to do after the fact on finished cabinets.

When you're getting quotes for your Surrey kitchen, ask each contractor directly: Do you install new soft-close hinges, and is that included or billed separately? A flat answer either way is fine — what matters is that it's clear upfront so there's no confusion on installation day. If the painter doesn't handle hinge installation, a finish carpenter can typically do a full kitchen's worth of soft-close hinge installation in a few hours, and that work can be scheduled to happen before the doors go back on.

Hardware Costs to Factor In

Soft-close hinges for a typical Surrey kitchen (20–30 doors) run roughly $5–$15 per hinge for quality brands like Blum or Grass, with most doors needing two hinges. Budget $200–$600 in hardware costs depending on kitchen size and hinge quality. If a painter or carpenter is installing them, expect $150–$400 in additional labour for a full kitchen. New pulls and knobs are separate — a mid-range pull runs $8–$25 each, so a full kitchen hardware refresh can add another $200–$600 in materials.

One Thing to Clarify Before Work Starts

If your existing cabinet boxes use older European hinge plates and you're switching to a different hinge brand or style, confirm compatibility before purchasing hardware. Blum hinges, for example, use specific mounting plates — mixing brands can create alignment headaches. A contractor experienced in cabinet refinishing will know this, but it's worth raising during your estimate conversation.

A professional cabinet refinishing job for an average Surrey kitchen (20–30 doors and drawers) runs $4,000–$8,000 for the painting work alone. Hardware upgrades are a worthwhile addition at that stage — the incremental cost is small relative to the overall project, and the result is cabinets that look and function like new.

If you'd like help finding a painting contractor experienced in cabinet refinishing in Surrey, Vancouver Paint Contractors can match you with local professionals at no cost — get in touch to get started.