Painting and decorating
Spray painting and finishes
Whether this needs a licence in Ireland
No licence required
Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer
Spray painting and finishes: what the job involves
Spraying a smooth, factory-like finish onto kitchen doors and units, internal doors, wardrobes, radiators, uPVC windows and front doors. It changes the colour of fitted items without replacing them, done in the home or in a workshop.
Also asked for as: kitchen respray · kitchen spray painting · spray painting kitchen doors · upvc spraying · spray painter
How the job is usually done
- Check the surfaces — wood, MDF, foil-wrapped, laminate, uPVC or metal — and agree colour and sheen
- Remove doors, drawer fronts and handles, and label them; take pieces to the workshop if that is the method
- Degrease, sand and repair dents and chips
- Mask and tent the room to contain overspray, with extraction running
- Spray an adhesion primer suited to the surface
- Spray two or more topcoats, de-nibbing between coats
- Leave to cure, then refit doors and handles and adjust hinges
Spray painting and finishes: what is included
Usually included
- Degreasing, sanding and filling small chips
- Masking and protection of worktops, floors and appliances
- Primer and topcoats
- Removing and refitting doors and handles
Usually not included — agree it separately
- Replacing damaged or swollen doors
- New handles or hinges, unless supplied
- Spraying insides of carcasses, unless agreed
- Repairing peeling vinyl-wrapped doors, which may need stripping or replacing
Materials and who supplies them
- Primers and topcoats — water-based or two-pack — supplied by the sprayer
- Masking film, tape and extraction — the sprayer’s
- Replacement handles or hinges — usually the customer’s
How long it takes
A kitchen respray usually takes two to four days including drying and curing; workshop spraying of doors takes longer overall but the kitchen stays usable.
When to book
Spray finishes cure faster in mild, dry weather; on-site work in winter needs the heating on for the curing days.
Spray painting and finishes: the rules in Ireland
What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.
Since 24 August 2023 every professional user of a product containing more than 0.1% diisocyanates — many two-pack polyurethane lacquers, primers and clear coats — must have completed the required training before using it, renewed every five years.
Applies to: the sprayer, and their employer
Health and Safety Authority — REACH Annex XVII, entry 74 · hsa.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Repair, maintenance and redecoration of a home is charged at the reduced rate of VAT (13.5%) by a VAT-registered business, subject to Revenue’s two-thirds rule: if the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, the goods rate applies to the whole job.
Applies to: the painter or decorator, if VAT-registered
Revenue — Value-Added Tax Consolidation Act 2010, Schedule 3 · revenue.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
What spray painting and finishes costs, and why
What jobs on Talqero came to
Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.
What affects the price
- Number of doors, drawer fronts and panels
- Surface: solid wood, painted MDF, foil-wrapped, laminate or uPVC
- Condition: chips, swelling or peeling wrap
- On site or in a workshop
- Paint system and number of coats, and the sheen chosen
- Whether insides of carcasses, end panels and plinths are included
- VAT: building work on a home is charged at the reduced rate of 13.5% by a VAT-registered business — unless the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, when Revenue’s two-thirds rule applies the goods rate to the whole job. Ask whether a quote includes VAT.
Paperwork to ask for at the end
- The paint system, colour code and sheen used, for touch-ups
- Any written guarantee on the finish, with its conditions
Safety
- Keep everybody out of the masked area while spraying and until the extraction has cleared the air
- Two-pack products contain isocyanates that can cause asthma: only a trained sprayer with proper masks and extraction should use them in a home
- Turn off gas hobs and pilot lights and do not use naked flames near solvent-based spraying
- Doors are soft for days after spraying; close them gently and do not clean with harsh products for the first weeks
Spray painting and finishes: before you hire
Questions to ask a tradesperson
- What primer and paint will you use on my doors?
- Will you spray on site or take the doors away?
- Are you trained to use two-pack products, if you use them?
- How long until I can use the kitchen normally?
- Do you guarantee the finish against peeling?
What you can do yourself
Brush-painting a small piece of furniture is fine DIY, but spraying fitted kitchens and doors in a home needs masking, extraction and equipment a householder rarely has.
What to put in your task
- What do you want sprayed?
- How many doors or panels roughly?
- What are they made of?
- Would you rather it was done at home or in a workshop?
Photos that help
- The whole kitchen or set of items
- Close-ups of the door surface and edges, especially any chips, swelling or peeling
- Inside a door, showing the hinges
- The worktops and appliances that need protecting
Spray painting and finishes by county
Choose your county for spray painting and finishes close to home.
- Spray painting and finishes in Dublin
- Spray painting and finishes in Cork
- Spray painting and finishes in Galway
- Spray painting and finishes in Kildare
- Spray painting and finishes in Limerick
- Spray painting and finishes in Meath
- Spray painting and finishes in Tipperary
- Spray painting and finishes in Donegal
- Spray painting and finishes in Wexford
- Spray painting and finishes in Kerry
- Spray painting and finishes in Wicklow
- Spray painting and finishes in Mayo
- Spray painting and finishes in Louth
- Spray painting and finishes in Waterford
- Spray painting and finishes in Clare
- Spray painting and finishes in Kilkenny
- Spray painting and finishes in Westmeath
- Spray painting and finishes in Laois
- Spray painting and finishes in Cavan
- Spray painting and finishes in Offaly
- Spray painting and finishes in Sligo
- Spray painting and finishes in Roscommon
- Spray painting and finishes in Monaghan
- Spray painting and finishes in Carlow
- Spray painting and finishes in Longford
- Spray painting and finishes in Leitrim
Painting and decorating
Need spray painting and finishes? Describe the job.
Post it once, free. Professionals near you reply with their own price and when they could start. You choose, and pay them directly.
Questions about spray painting and finishes
Does spray painting and finishes need a licence in Ireland?
No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.cru.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.
Can foil-wrapped kitchen doors be sprayed?
Often yes, with a specialist primer, provided the wrap is not lifting. If it is peeling at the edges, the wrap has to be stripped or the door replaced, because paint over loose wrap will fail.
Is spraying better than hand-painting?
Spraying gives a smooth, brush-mark-free finish closer to new. Hand-painting is fine on traditional timber doors. The preparation and the primer matter more than the method.
Can I use the kitchen while it is being sprayed?
Not while the room is masked on site, usually two to four days. With workshop spraying the carcasses stay usable and only the doors are away for a few days.