Our entire ceiling is new and we painted it (2 primer coats + 1 final coat) before the cabinets went in.

However, while we did put 2 coats of primer on the walls, we did not put the "final" paint on, for which our contractor's carpenter is grateful! He marks up the walls w/his measurements as he goes along. Also, while we have paint recommendations from our KD (BM Cornsilk or BM Wedgewood Gray), I will need to see it on the wall with cabinets, countertop, and lights installed...and then over the course of a few days to see how it looks in the AM, PM, night, etc.

HTH!

Thanks ~ I'm smiling wide because I choose a paint color that I thought I liked, and my carpenter doesn't know that I don't like it, but I'm certainly seeing his chicken scratches all over my walls!

You were wise to hire a KD. I used Home Depot to help me come up with the kitchen layout, a good use of my $100. We parted ways due to a number of reasons and I found a cabinet company that had a great selection and good prices. They also enhanced Home Depot's layout design. But the rest has been on me and the selection process has been painful, and probably not the best. I'll never know until it is all put together, but it sure is a step up from what it was, so I'm going to try not to overanalyze that point too much! :-)

I don't know your kitchen design, but I looked at those two colors on line. They are both pretty, but I am really drawn to the Wedgewood Grey.

Good luck with your remodel - I don't know about you, but I'm so ready for this to be done (6 weeks into the remodel now for me)!! I am ready for no random men to be unexpectedly showing up, and for the rapid fire decisions that are coming my way to END!!! I can't wait to put my dining room back together, which was disassembled as it adjoins my kitchen, and sit at my table sipping a glass of wine and looking at my completed kitchen!

I didn't get it quite right the first time, and now we are selling the house, so I had the painter (not me this time) just do the whole house. It looks good, and the cabs/surfaces are paint free.

Our GC and painter both said - paint first, cabs after, with a touchup for all the dings last.

we ended up painting our kitchen twice! (before by the expensive professional and after by my DH, because there were just too many knicks and scratches etc - it looked much better all evenly covered, than just touched up, which we did before deciding to repaint...if i had to do it all over, i would follow what someone said above, prime first and paint final coat after installation of everything is finished...remember professional painters are used to painting after everything is installed.

We painted before with the idea we might have to do some touch-ups. Mainly because we were doing the painting ourselves and I preferred to not have to edge paint around cabinets and baseboards. Plus, in our kitchen, the painted walls only touch the cabinet in one place, so there was less risk of dings and marks. That said, if we were having professionals paint it, I probably would have waited. HTH

God bless all of you who know what color walls, ceilings, trims you want before you see your cabinets installed, counters and floors done. I can't even pick a countertop now that my cabs are done. Painting will be last for me out of necessity.

Our painter came/will come in several times. The first time he came, was before the cabinets were intalled. He painted all of the new drywall, and the ceiling.

Both of the tile backsplash people we had bid on the job said that they'd tile directly on the drywall, but that it has to be painted first. Because we had an electrical "oopsie" (long story - too boring to tell), he'll have to come in & paint the backsplash wall again, and while he's here doing it he'll do several other things such as painting the beadboard where it was replaced, some spots on the ceiling, the exterior where the siding was replaced to accomodate the new door and window, etc.

From what GC says, he'll probably have to come back a third time to do touch ups when it's all done.

I was up until after midnight painting before the cabinets went in the next day. I didn't want to cut in around the new cabinets. I'm very happy I did it this way as now I only have a few minor touch-ups. The cabinet guy had given me a sample of the cabinet stain, along with the granite sample I was able to select the color paint. But I'm not a professional painter who knows how to paint around new cabinets. Good Luck!

I am a paint freak :) I love to paint, but whenever I can do it without extensive prep and cut in's I'm in heaven :) I wouldn't worry if you're hiring a good painter. Frankly I'm very good...and I can paint with or without cabinets in and not damage or drip on cabinets or counters. (Paint won't hurt your counters by the way) I don't do this daily :) Your painter will probably be much better than I am about neatness when working in your new kitchen, but just to be safe, hang around and watch the prep. All cabinet surfaces near walls should have blue or green tape (don't let them apply white masking tape...it can pull up finishes). They may or may not cover the counters (I wouldn't and then I'd work socking feet if I had to stand on the counter). That's the fun part of kitchens...some areas are so darned tight you have to climb like a monkey to get to them, which is why painting first and touching up is prefered.

If you feel they're going to be a problem (ie they don't sock their ladders and will scratch the floors...or put dirty shoes on your counters) don't be shy. Stop things RIGHT NOW!

I'm doing a venetian plaster finish on my walls (I will be doing it). My contractor was horrified that the other contractor had written notes on my wall in the powder room (after I spent a week plastering it) so I don't expect he'll write on it, but dings happen, and are easy to fix :) With paint or plaster!

I'm one of those people who sees the color before it all begins :) It's a freak gene I think :oP None of my friends seem to have it heh heh

I wasn't planning on painting after the cabs went in. Current color is fine. New cabs will extend over where old cabs were hanging. Tonight, though, I came home after a couple of days away to find that the installers/carpenters had written notes to themselves on the walls where cabinets will NOT be hanging! ARGHHHH!! Now I have to paint! Another glass of wine, please....

PS- If you are inspired to re-paint the kitchen, I say go for it! Just ask friends and neighbors who they used.

.... because of the timing of everything the painting was after the cabs.. and YES they got paint on my cabs!!!! So my decision would be to make sure you got a good painter. Personally if I ever do another remodel I will do the painting myself.

My boyfriend is a former finish painter, and says the process he prefers is to prime all the walls first, then paint after everything is up and fixed in place. There are always installation oopses and last-minute changes that mar the walls, not to mention carpenters running wild with pencils.

If you're having it done, my advice would be to find a finish painter (as opposed to regular painter) -- they're fussy and very used to cutting in around expensive things, and they tape off like Howard Hughes with OCD. [ Ask me how I know .. ;-) ]

My kitchen's been finished except for painting since August. So I guess you could say I'm painting afterwards. I have only one good excuse; in late August I had shoulder surgery on my dominant arm, which kept me out of commission for three months. Then the poor excuses start. It was the holidays, and then I went back to work, and then I decided to "hire" my adult daughter (independent, but in a first job that pays peanuts) to help me. So that's where we are, waiting for some time when she's got a whole weekend to get here and paint and get back.

So, yeah. Waiting until after it's done. It'll be great; I'm thinking it'll be like a whole new kitchen all over again. Kind of extending the joy!

Vicki