It’s never worth paying a Pro 7-9K to paint cheap cabinets that don’t even cost that. You’d be better if taking the builder grade cabinets and buying the better ones after closing. 15-20K gets you Cabinets for a mid grade kitchen.

I'd go for the upgrade since painting later on will be more work and money.

If that's not appealing to you, see if you can get a cabinet credit from the builder. Then you can use the money and put in the ones you want from another supplier.

Painted cabinets after the fact will never hold up like factory finished cabinets.

What brand are the cabinets

I’m suspicious that MDF is $7k+ more re than maple......

Yeah, that sounds crazy to do it after. Go with the factory finish now.

Thanks everyone for your comments- please keep them coming. The standard included cabinets are Legacy Brand with Recessed Panel. Would it make a difference if we had the cabinets sprayed vs. hand-painted after closing in terms of quality?

If you want painted go MDF no movement with changes in humidity.

By the time you spend a week sanding, cleaning, sanding, cleaning,
sanding, cleaning, sanding, then final cleaning, buying a quality
primer, proper paint, etc, the $1700 is a bargain in my opinion.

I sanded and re-stained my cabinets once. It was tedious work, and I definitely spent more than a week at it; however, it was worth the savings.

MDF is the superior material of choice for painted finishes. If you decided to paint your cabinets, the joints will shrink and the paint will crack at the joints after a few months.

My advice is to pay upfront for what you want. Don't mess with immediately painting. You are going to a lot of other items to deal with when you move into brand new construction. Voice of experience.

The finish they spray in a factory is a heck of a lot different and a heck of a lot more lasting than any finish you'll do on your own or any finish a painter you hire will do.

For example, I got sample boards of the colors I wanted from the cabinet guys I'm using. The boards have been banged around, etc with no chipping. Try that with a regular paint finish and see what happens.

Do you have pictures of the standard cabinets and the two upgrade choices? What door style is the standard?

homechef59, That totally depends on the cabinets and how they are built. Sweeping generalizations are not really helpful. I have not experience any issues at all, on mine.

That said, I would advise OP to pay upfront for what they want rather than trying to do it later. But I also agree that an upcharge for MDF over solid maple is very suspicious.

The MDF cabinets may just be referring to the sides of the boxes, with maple doors and drawers. This is often a great way to save a bit of money. I would definitely go with the cabinets finished from the factory the way you want them, mdf or not, and not go down the road of refinishing and painting in a brand new kitchen.

We paid $6,000 to have our kitchen cabinets sprayed inside and out along with 21 doors. Most of the work went into prepping the cabinets and removing cabinet doors and hinges, but most of the actual paint went on the doors. I'd get some estimates from commercial painters.

Get what you want right now, not down the road.

Can you just not have ANY cabinets installed and get what you want from an outside vendor? It doesn't sound as if your builder is offering any really nice cabinets but is charging you a lot of money for crapola.

What's wrong with maple?

To be clear, I was saying that it’s nonsense that MDF is an up charge from maple. Mdf is superior for painted cabinets, but it shouldn’t be more expensive.

The builder seems to be price gouging.

Such great feedback so far- thank you!!

This is such a tough one.Unfortunately, our builder will not offer us a credit and requires that we install cabinets through them. So buying cabinets on our own is not an option.

It sounds like painting after, even through a contractor, is less than ideal. We just want to be sure that the upgrade and quality is worth the price (and the additional interest we will be paying by wrapping it into our mortgage).

And yes, this is a money grab from our builder. So frustrating but we are stuck.

auntthelma, I don't think anything is wrong with maple. It offers a good paint finish, and if it's hard maple, all the better. I've read that MDF offers the best painting surface, but if it were my choice, I'd prefer wood. MDF has to be completely/carefully sealed or it will soak up water like a sponge, and it is very heavy. If you get a chip with water damage, look out. There are many projects where I would choose MDF, but my cabinets are not one of them. ( I think I am in the minority on that, here, but so be it. )

http://maplevillesproducts.com/mdf-vs-plywood/

In any event, there is no way that MDF should be a higher cost than wood cabinets. That's just nonsense. If anything, it should be CHEAPER. Because it IS cheaper!

What is the actual layout and other details you are allowed?Builder entry level kitchens run the gamut. Some are tear out worthy just by glancing..others have upgrades and a layout by a kitchen designer the builder sent you to. If the kitchen is bland, white bread variety and you will redo it.....don't add xtra cost.

"And yes, this is a money grab from our builder. So frustrating but we are stuck."

Unfortuately thats what happens when you make a change on a builders home plan.

Shop "painted" cabinets are commonly finished with tinted lacquer, not latex or alkyd paints.

Painted cabinet doors are typically constructed of soft maple or poplar frames with MDF panels. MDF panels will not expand and shrink exposing unfinished areas that can occur if using solid wood panels.

Upgrade with the builder if you can, also if you decide to paint cabinets after the fact do realize that might void any warranty on said cabinets. Thus why I upgraded ours when we built but happily we only paid half of the upgrade so it was 1800 out of pocket for deposit that we did get back at closing.

Upgrade with the builder & move on ....

On the topic of cabinet finish.. as many stated the finish from the manufacturer will far surpass an onsite paint job. It is true you seem to save if you paint yourselves, but through the upgrade option, do you also get internal upgrades?
Is all the hardware soft close (hinges and drawers) Is your overlay a full or standard? Look up cabinet construction

Another question -if you switched out cabinets after- is the countertop. If you plan on a solid surface, removing cabinets to switch out after the fact could be VERY expensive... 1- can the stone be salvaged, 2-If not you will have the cost of a whole new countertop!

I also considered doing things to the kitchen after we moved in and opted out of that.. Boy was I glad. Life moves fast and when you move in you really want to move in.

I'd go with builder and what you really want and avoid all the small surprises that will arise doing work after the fact.

Good luck in your process!!

You mention adding "cabinet panel trim and molding" after closing. What do you mean? If you're adding trim on the cabinets, you will want a field painted finish so your additions will match the cabinets. (If I'm understanding your intentions).

It isn't necessarily a money grab. Painted cabinets are usually more money than stained maple cabinets.