Most kitchens have a strip of painted wall that works harder than it looks. It runs above the backsplash, beside the range and the sink, and it takes steam, splashes and a sponge most days of the week.
Each surface in a kitchen takes its own finish. The cabinets, the walls, the ceiling and the trim get handled and lit differently, and a finish that suits one can look wrong or wear badly on the next. The cabinets come first, and the big change there is wood. Renovating homeowners now choose wood and white about evenly.
| Cabinet color | Share of renovating homeowners (%) |
|---|---|
| Wood, all tones | 29 |
| White | 28 |
| Medium wood | 15 |
| Light wood | 11 |
| Dark wood | 3 |
Source
Source: Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, an online survey of 1,780 homeowners fielded in July 2025.
In the source list: 1
Wood edged past white this year, up 6 points on the year before. Many kitchens now mix the two, with wood on the island or the lower run and paint above. Every edge where two finishes meet draws the eye. We plan each surface before anything gets sprayed or rolled.
A kitchen wall, surface by surface
Illustrative elevation, not to scale
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The ceiling usually goes flatter, because it’s rarely touched and a low sheen hides more.
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Finished in coatings chosen to bring out the detail and stand up to long-term wear, such as Benjamin Moore Advance or FPE Hollandlac.
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We level the surface first, with Level 5 prep where it’s required, then prime where needed and apply two finish coats minimum.
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Most homeowners stop the backsplash at the cabinets or range hood. The painted wall above it meets steam and splashes every day.
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Doors are removed, labeled and sprayed off site in a two-pack conversion varnish or FPE Aquanamel, then reinstalled and adjusted.
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In a two-tone kitchen we sample the paint against the wood in your light first, because a wood tone changes how a color reads.
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Crown molding, baseboards and casings are where the cabinet finish and the wall paint meet.
Refinishing cabinets that are still sound
If the boxes are sound and the layout works, you may not need new cabinets at all. Our cabinet refinishing runs in four phases.
- Color. We make sample boards in the specified product and look at them in your kitchen, next to any wood that’s staying.
- Prep. The doors get labeled and go to our shop. The boxes are prepped on site, with EPA Lead-Safe protocols where required.
- Spray. In the shop, away from dust and foot traffic, the doors get a low-pressure HVLP spray finish in a two-pack conversion varnish, or in FPE Aquanamel for color depth.
- Reinstall. The doors and drawer fronts go back on and get adjusted, and we go over them with you.
Walls that get wiped
Most renovated kitchens still keep painted wall right beside the cooktop and the sink.
| Figure | What it means for you | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 84% of renovating homeowners update their cabinetry | Cabinets sit at the center of most kitchen jobs. 68% replace all of them and 27% replace some, so refinishing is worth weighing when the boxes are sound. | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study |
| 67% stop the backsplash at the cabinets or range hood | One in 10 take it all the way to the ceiling. In the rest, the painted wall above the backsplash meets steam and splashes every day. | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study |
| 87% hire a professional for their kitchen renovation | Most kitchens have several trades in them. Painting is usually among the last, so its finish is what you see and touch every day. | Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study |
We repair and level the walls and ceiling first, to Level 5 (a skim coat over the whole wall) where it’s required. Primer goes on where the topcoat needs it, then at least two finish coats.
The general guidance is that kitchen walls do better with some sheen, because it wipes clean more easily than flat paint. The catch is that sheen shows every ridge, and kitchens often have big windows that rake light across the wall. GA-214, the drywall standard, names Level 5 as the recommended finish for paints with sheen or gloss and for surfaces under severe lighting. We level before we roll. Ceilings usually go flatter. Nobody touches them, and low sheen hides more.
In a bathroom the steam is worse, and Part 2 takes that room surface by surface.
The trim holds it together
Carry one trim color through the room and the two cabinet finishes stop fighting. We brush the crown, baseboards and casings in a hard enamel, either a water-based alkyd such as Benjamin Moore Advance or Fine Paints of Europe Hollandlac, a Dutch oil-based enamel. Our paint finish guide goes further into sheen.
Can we keep our wood cabinets and paint the island?
Yes, and it’s a common two-tone kitchen. We sample the paint against your wood in your own kitchen first, and check the island’s boxes on the walkthrough.
Should we refinish or replace?
If the layout stays and the boxes are sound, refinishing can save money. If the layout changes, new cabinets usually make more sense. Our post on refinishing versus replacement goes into it.
Do you remodel kitchens too?
Yes. Our kitchen and bath work covers the full room under our B-2 license, with plumbing and electrical by licensed subcontractors. Part 1 of our Remodel Series covers how we run a kitchen redesign.
The bathroom is next. If your kitchen needs a new finish, request an estimate or call us at (650) 961-7415.
Sources (2)
- Houzz, 2026 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study pro.houzz.com (https://pro.houzz.com/pro-learn/blog/2026-houzz-kitchen-trends-article) Cited 1, 2, 3, 4
- recommended finish for paints with sheen or gloss and for surfaces under severe lighting wconline.com (https://www.wconline.com/articles/89568-recommended-levels-of-finish-revised-and-expanded) Back