Should box interiors be included?

Exclude them by default and price them as an option. Interiors are slow, awkward, and most customers don't want them — but the ones who assumed they were included are unhappy at reveal, so the exclusion needs to be written, not implied.

How do I price prep by condition?

Use two or three bands — light, standard, and heavy (grease, previous coatings, or damaged finish) — with a stated price each. It's faster than assessing every door and far more defensible than one number that assumes the best case.

How long should I say the kitchen will be out of use?

State it on the estimate: doors off for X days, boxes sprayed on day Y, hardware back on day Z. A kitchen is a household's most-used room, and a written timeline prevents most of the friction on an otherwise smooth job.

Cabinet Refinishing Estimate Template (Free)

What belongs on the estimate

Business name, license number, contact info
Customer name, property address, phone
Door count, drawer front count, linear feet of box face
Prep band — light, standard, or heavy
Primer and finish — product, sheen, coats
On-site box spraying with masking and containment
Hardware — new, reused, or customer-supplied
Timeline — days doors are off
Exclusions

The template

[Your Business Name] · License #________
[Phone] · [Email]

Estimate #____        Date: __________
Prepared For: [Customer Name]   Phone: __________
Property: _____________________________________
Doors: ____   Drawer fronts: ____
Box face: ____ lf   Existing finish: ___________
Prep band: [light / standard / heavy]

--------------------------------------------------
Description                              Amount
--------------------------------------------------
Removal, labeling + hardware strip       $______
Prep — degrease, sand, deglossing        $______
Repair of damaged doors/edges            $______
Bonding primer — [product]               $______
Finish — ___ coats [product / sheen]     $______
Doors + drawer fronts — ___ @ $___       $______
Box faces — ___ lf @ $___                $______
Interior of boxes (OPTION)               $______
Masking, containment + floor protection  $______
Hardware supplied + installed x___       $______
Hinge boring / soft-close upgrade x___   $______
Reinstall + adjustment                   $______
--------------------------------------------------
Subtotal                                 $______
Tax (if applicable)                      $______
Estimate Total                           $______

PAYMENT: ___% deposit at signing
         Balance at reinstall.

TIMELINE: doors removed __/__, boxes sprayed __/__,
reinstall __/__. Kitchen usable throughout except
___ day(s).

NOT INCLUDED: box interiors unless selected above,
cabinet box replacement or structural repair,
countertop, backsplash, or plumbing work, wall
painting, appliance moving.

Photograph the grease

Prep band disputes basically end the moment there’s a photo. A kitchen above a heavily used range genuinely needs more degreasing, and one picture at estimate time makes the heavy band obvious instead of an argument.

Write the timeline into the estimate

Doors off for a week is a real inconvenience in the most-used room in the house. Dates on the estimate turn that from a complaint into a plan the customer actually made with you.

Skipping the copy-paste

Software with your per-door, per-drawer, and per-foot rates already saved builds this from a five-minute count and turns the accepted version straight into a deposit invoice.