Cabinet paint calculator
Cabinets are counted, not measured: doors, drawer fronts, and whether the frames get painted too. This page turns the count into enamel and primer you can buy, usually in quarts.
How the math works
An average cabinet door runs 3.5 sq ft per face; we count 7 sq ft per door because the backs get painted too. Drawer fronts are front-only at 1.5 sq ft. Painting the face frames and exposed ends adds about 35% in a typical kitchen (our factor, from comparing counted kitchens against frame measurements). Fifteen doors and five drawers with frames is roughly 152 sq ft; two coats of enamel at 350 sq ft per gallon is 0.87 gallons, so one gallon, plus a gallon of bonding primer at one coat.
The primer is not optional on factory finishes. Clean with a degreaser, scuff sand, prime, then enamel. Every peeled DIY cabinet job skipped one of those.
Questions people ask
How much paint do kitchen cabinets take?
A typical kitchen (15 doors, 5 drawer fronts, painted face frames) has about 150 sq ft of surface counting both sides of the doors. Two coats is one gallon of cabinet enamel, plus about a gallon of bonding primer at one coat. Small kitchens land in quarts.
Do I really need bonding primer on cabinets?
Yes, and this is the hill we die on. Factory cabinet finishes are slick; regular paint grabs them badly and peels at the first fingernail. One coat of a bonding primer (after cleaning and a scuff sand) is the difference between a finish and a future regret.
Why count both sides of the doors?
Because you paint both sides. A 15 x 30 inch door is about 3 sq ft per face, 7 sq ft painted including edges, and the backs show every time a door swings open. Drawer fronts are front-only, about 1.5 sq ft each.
Brush, roller, or sprayer?
The paint quantity barely changes, but sprayers waste 20 to 30% to overspray, so add a quart if you spray. Finish quality is another story: a fine-finish roller gets you close to sprayed for a fraction of the masking.