KITCHEN CABINETS: “We are set apart by the quality of our work and our excellent staff. People feel as if they’ve hired a family. There is a high comfort level, and customers often comment on how personable our staff is, and, of course, on the excellent quality of their work.” Kevin Casey, left, founder and owner of Cabinet Painting Guru, is shown with Adam Elsayed, Jarod Chamberlain, and Max Ronollo, three of his five colleagues, in a recently completed kitchen.

By Jean Stratton

The kitchen is the heart of the home, and no matter how large or small, it is so often the favorite gathering place, not only for family, but also for friends and neighbors.

Having it function efficiently for the cook is the major priority, but eye appeal adds so much to the overall comfort level, especially considering the many hours spent within its confines.

Kevin Casey, founder and owner of Cabinet Painting Guru, headquartered in Pennington, wants to help you make your kitchen even better.

Painting kitchen cabinets is his company’s specialty, and he and his staff can create an entire new look with the application of fine quality paint.

Lighter Colors

“Painting can offer a great turnaround, and it is very cost-effective,” Casey points out. “We are known for fine finishing, and we are now using Milesi, an excellent paint from Italy. It is an industrial coating, known for durability, available in any color, and very good for kitchens, which have such high traffic.

Different types of paint finishes are offered, including matte, satin, and semi-gloss, he adds, and right now, satin is the most popular. People are also looking for lighter colors, such as white, light gray, and greige (gray-beige).

There is no question that Kevin Casey knows all about paint, but he also knows so much more! His previous experience in different careers enables him to bring an unusual level of expertise to his customers.

Even as a boy, he showed the beginnings of a talented entrepreneur. Growing up on Long Island, N.Y., he started a house painting business while he was in high school, and continued it during college, adding friends to his team each summer. And as he notes, “I actually had the largest house painting business on Long Island!”

Majoring in math at the College of the Holy Cross, he went on to earn a master’s degree in business management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. This was accomplished while he was a captain in the U.S. Air Force, serving as a navigator in B-52 bombers.

He then went on to hold various sales leadership roles, building markets for new cancer screening tests, including the PSA test for prostate cancer.

Internet Photo Sharing

In 1999, Casey was the first entrepreneur to bring photo sharing to the internet. His venture-funded software company was very successful. As he says, “If you get a link to see images from a wedding or event that you attended, chances are you are enjoying the technology platform that my team and I pioneered.”

When he sold the software company in 2012, he headed in a new direction. Starting with painting his own kitchen cabinets.

“I always like to have a purpose, to be involved in constructive activities, and I like to pay attention to detail,” he reports. “I decided to redo the kitchen, and I thought I’d like to turn my golden oak cabinets into a more modern shade of white.”

Everyone was so pleased with the results, that one thing led to another, and soon another new flourishing business was on tap for Kevin.

Describing his approach to the work, he explains that communication with the customers is uppermost. “This is very important,” he says. “Some customers appreciate a face-to-face meeting in the beginning, and others communicate online. We do a lot online, and people can see all the images of our work on our website, including a video.

“We offer very high quality work, and our standards are very high. We use an 18-step process. Prepping is everything, including cleaning and sanding before painting. Our customers are those who appreciate quality, attention to detail, and completely understand that you get what you pay for — especially when it comes to cabinet painting.

Core Values

“Our team brings the following five core READY values to our projects every day:

RESPECT: We respect you, your time, and your kitchen refinishing project.

EXPERIENCE: Our team has decades of experience doing detailed painting.

AFFORDABLE: Cabinet Painting Guru will save you up to 75 percent over replacing or refacing. Less money, less dust, and no waiting weeks or months for new cabinets to arrive.

DEPENDABLE: We know the importance of delivery on time, on target, and on budget. You can depend on us to get your kitchen cabinet refinishing project right!

YOU: Your project. Your home. Your budget. Your timeline. This project is about YOU.”

Casey reports that the company is currently very busy, with projects booked eight to 12 weeks in advance.

“We were very busy during COVID,” he adds. “People were staying home so much more, and they wanted their house and kitchen to look nice. Also, in addition to painting, we do backsplashes, countertops, and door and drawer replacements. We have a talented kitchen designer who can help if the client wants a special new look. Customers really appreciate that we can
offer them expert help in so many areas to achieve their vision.”

“They know that they can depend on us, and this is so important,” continues Casey, “The experts on our staff are all full-time employees, licensed, insured, have workman’s compensation, and they are well paid. This can be a real career for them.”

Technology Evolution

A typical job takes five days, he says, and he notes that the quality of the paint has become even better in the 10 years since he opened Cabinet Painting Guru.

“Over the past 40 years, painting technology has continued to evolve,” he says. “It has made the paint stronger and more durable, and especially able to withstand high use and traffic, such as in the kitchen.

“Keeping up with the demand for our business is our main challenge, and, of course, we are very fortunate to be so busy. There are many requests for our work in Princeton, central New Jersey, and Bucks County, Pa.”

When he does have some spare time from his busy schedule, Casey enjoys his longtime hobby of painting watercolors. Having taken art classes at the age of 12, he developed not only a liking for art, but a real talent for painting, especially watercolors. His painting of The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., is a case in point. It has been greatly admired by the owners of the hotel, and having taken him 100 hours to complete, it is a tribute to his talent and to his attention to detail.

After experiencing a career with so many facets, Kevin Casey says he is very happy in this current enterprise. Cabinet Painting Guru makes him and his customers happy.

As he observes, “What I most enjoy is seeing the smiles on the customers’ faces when they view the finished work. This is so rewarding.”

For more information, call (215) 982-0131. Website: cabinetpaintingguru.com.