Built to fit the hull
Boat cabinetry is cut to follow the curve of the hull, and on many boats it went in before the deck did. New cabinets mean templating, custom joinery and taking apart the cabin around them.
Boat Interior Restoration in Chicago. Repaired and repainted, not replaced.
Old, worn-out boat cabinets and interiors don't need to be torn out. We fix, repair and repaint them right on your boat, or in our shop over the off-season.
Get Your Estimateor call (630) 615-1283
EPA Lead-SafeCertified Firm
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5.0 on Google125+ reviews
250+ Five-Staracross all platforms
Est. 2012Founder-led
The technical difference
We repair and repaint the cabinets you already have
Fulton Revivals fixes, repairs and paints the cabinets and woodwork inside boats. If your boat's cabinets and interior are old and worn out, we repair the doors, veneer and hardware and repaint everything in a hard, sealed finish, right on the boat or in our shop, so the cabinets you have look right again without tearing them out.
We've painted cabinets in Chicago homes since 2012. A boat takes the same craft in a tighter, damper space, and we treat it that way.
Can you paint boat cabinets on the boat itself?
Yes. Most of the work happens right on your boat. We tighten and re-hang doors, glue lifting veneer, fill dings, replace worn latches and hinges, then prime and paint the cabinet boxes, face frames, trim and built-ins in place. We cover cushions, electronics and floors first, and we use a waterborne enamel so the cabin doesn't fill with solvent.
Doors and drawer fronts can be painted on board too, or come to our shop for a sprayed finish while the boat sits in storage. We'll recommend whichever suits your boat and your schedule.
What can you restore inside a boat?
Any painted or paintable wood and cabinetry below deck that's worn, faded or damaged, including:
- Galley and cabin cabinets, doors, drawer fronts and face frames
- Trim and bulkhead panels
- Built-ins like the dinette, nav station, settee bases and hanging lockers
- Cabinet hardware: push-button latches, hinges and pulls
We work on cabin cruisers, express cruisers, trawlers, sailboats, motor yachts and houseboats, among others.
Should you paint a boat interior?
Paint is the right call when the finish is failing, the veneer is stained or patched, the cabinets are laminate or plain plywood, or the cabin has gone dark over the years. A soft white on the cabinets and bulkheads, with the trim left as it is, brightens the whole cabin.
If your teak is in great shape and you'd rather keep it wood, we'll tell you so. Paint is hard to take back, and a lot of buyers value original wood. Before anything is sprayed, we make a painted sample on your boat's wood so you can see the color in that light.
When can you do the work?
The work itself takes about 1 to 2 weeks for most boats. Boats in the water can be done at the slip once it's warm enough to paint. Over the off-season, we plan around your haul-out and launch dates. A typical schedule:
- September and October: a walkthrough on board and a written plan.
- At haul-out: we pull any doors and drawer fronts going to our shop and label every piece.
- November through March: shop work on the doors, plus repairs and painting on board if your boat is in heated indoor storage.
- April: we reinstall, adjust hinges and latches, and walk through it with you before launch.
Paint needs the air and surfaces at 50°F or warmer to go on right, so built-ins on a boat stored outside under shrink wrap wait for spring or a heated building. The doors in our shop don't wait for anything.
What paint do you use on a boat interior?
Doors and drawer fronts get ILVA two-part polyurethane over Woodscoatings primer, sprayed in our shop. It's the same system we use on kitchen cabinets, and it cures hard and sealed, which is what a damp cabin and daily handling call for. Built-ins painted on board get a waterborne enamel such as Benjamin Moore Advance, so there's less solvent in a closed cabin.
Before we coat anything, we clean off mildew, make sure the wood is dry and test the existing finish, because paint over the wrong finish peels. Boat veneer is thin enough to sand through in seconds, so we scuff and prime it instead of sanding to bare wood.
Where do you work?
On boats in Chicago harbors and the storage yards around the city. That includes DuSable, Monroe, Burnham, Belmont, Diversey and Montrose harbors, and yards along the river and the south lakefront. Doors and drawer fronts come back to our shop on South Union Avenue.
If your yard needs a certificate of insurance or has rules for outside contractors, we sort that out with them before we start, the same way we do with condo buildings downtown.
What don't you work on?
We stick to the cabinets and painted woodwork. Your yard or a marine specialist handles:
- Varnished and oiled wood finishes
- Engines and mechanical work
- Fiberglass and gelcoat repair
- Hull, deck and topside painting
- Bottom paint
- Upholstery, cushions and canvas
- Electrical and electronics
If rot has reached the plywood core of a bulkhead or cabinet, that's structural, and we'll tell you to bring in a shipwright first.
ILVA 2K polyurethaneWoodscoatings primerBenjamin Moore Advance
Why refacing
Keep your boxes. Change everything you see.
Good bones, tired finish
Sun through the ports, damp winters and years of use break down the finish, lift veneer edges and wear out latches. The boxes underneath are usually solid.
Done while she's on the hard
We work between haul-out and launch, so the boat is ready when the season starts and you don't give up a weekend on the water.
In their own words
What homeowners say after the reveal
★★★★★
Joe the owner is a pleasure to work with. The quoting process is meticulous and he helped me devise solutions and help me update the condo's look while keeping costs reasonable. Any issues from walkthrough is quickly addressed and Brayan from Joe's crew did a good job painting the various parts of the apartment. Will definitely work with them again and recommend Fulton Revival to anyone looking at painting jobs. Give them a call!
Jenny T.
Interior Painting · Evanston
★★★★★
Joe and his team at Fulton Revivals were excellent and we are extremely pleased with the interior paint work done throughout our condo. They were professional and timely - communicating to us throughout the project. Joe had the team out quickly after project completion to address minor touch-ups post walk-through. Highly recommend and will utilize Fulton Revivals services for future work.
Carol H.
Interior Painting · Brookfield
★★★★★
We recently had our kitchen cabinets refinished by Fulton Revivals. Working with Joe and Krystal was amazing and we couldn’t be happier with the results! They were professional, reliable, and went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. Our cabinets look absolutely beautiful — it’s like we have a brand new kitchen! Their attention to detail and pride in their work truly show. We highly recommend them to anyone looking for quality craftsmanship and outstanding service.
Margaret P.
Cabinet Refinishing · Deerfield
1,500+
Kitchens Revived
250+
reviews across all platforms
5.0
Rating on google
2012
serving chicago since
Ready when you are
Ready to start your boat interior restoration project?
Tell us about your kitchen, and we'll text you a link to book your consultation.
How it works
From first call to finished kitchen
STEP 01
Walkthrough and plan
We come aboard, open every door and note what's failing. You get a written plan and a painted sample on your boat's wood.
STEP 02
Prep and protect
We cover cushions, electronics and floors, and pull any doors going to our shop, labeling each one.
STEP 03
Repair and paint
Repairs come first. Then we prime and paint the boxes, trim and built-ins on board, and spray the doors in our shop or paint them in place.
STEP 04
Back before launch
We reinstall everything, adjust the hinges, fit new latches and walk through it with you.
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Common questions
Questions we hear most
- Can boat cabinets be refinished instead of replaced?
- Yes, in most cases. Boat cabinet boxes are usually solid. What fails is the finish, the veneer edges and the hardware. We repair those and refinish the cabinets in paint. If a single door or panel is too far gone, we build a new one to match and keep the rest.
- Do you paint boat cabinets on the boat, or do they have to come off?
- Both work. We fix and paint cabinet boxes, face frames, trim and built-ins right on the boat. Doors and drawer fronts can be painted on board or brought to our shop for a sprayed finish while the boat is in storage.
- Can you paint the inside of a boat?
- Yes. We spray doors and drawer fronts in our shop with a two-part polyurethane and paint built-ins on board with a waterborne enamel. If your teak or other hardwood is in great shape and you'd rather keep it wood, we'll tell you, because paint is hard to take back.
- What parts of a boat interior can you paint?
- Cabinet boxes, doors, drawer fronts, face frames, trim, bulkhead panels and built-ins like the dinette, nav station, settee bases and hanging lockers. We don't paint upholstery, headliners, floors or anything in the engine space.
- What kinds of boats do you work on?
- Cabin cruisers, express cruisers, trawlers, sailboats, motor yachts and houseboats, among others. If it has cabinets or painted wood below deck that are worn out, we can look at it.
- Do you refinish varnished teak?
- No. We paint. If you want your teak stripped and re-varnished, that's a job for a marine varnish specialist, and we'll tell you so at the walkthrough instead of painting over wood you'd rather keep.
- Can you paint over teak or other wood veneer?
- Yes, with the right prep. Teak is naturally oily, so we degrease it, scuff it and seal it with a bonding primer before any color goes on. Skipping that step is why paint peels off teak.
- Can you paint laminate boat cabinets?
- Usually. Laminate needs a scuff and a bonding primer to hold paint, and we test adhesion on a hidden spot first. If the laminate is lifting or bubbling, we glue it down or replace that panel before painting.
- What paint do you use on boat cabinets?
- Doors and drawer fronts get ILVA two-part polyurethane over Woodscoatings primer, sprayed in our shop. Built-ins painted on board get a waterborne enamel such as Benjamin Moore Advance. Both cure to a hard finish that wipes clean.
- Why use a two-part polyurethane on boat cabinet doors?
- A two-part finish cures through a chemical reaction instead of just drying, so it ends up harder and more resistant to scuffs, moisture and cleaners than a one-part paint. It has to be sprayed in a controlled space, which is why the doors come to our shop for it.
- Will painted cabinets hold up to the humidity on a boat?
- Yes, when the prep is right and every face is sealed. We prime and coat the backs and edges of doors, not just the fronts, so moisture can't get in behind the paint. Keeping the cabin ventilated in storage helps any finish last.
- How do you deal with mildew on boat cabinets?
- We clean it off with a mildew remover, let the surface dry fully and check the moisture before priming. Paint over live mildew lets it come back through, so we never skip that step. In storage, a dehumidifier or open lockers keep it from returning.
- Does painting a boat interior leave a smell?
- Not much. The doors are sprayed and cured in our shop before they go back on the boat, and the paint we use on board is waterborne, which has less odor than solvent paint. We keep the hatches open while we work.
- What colors work in a boat interior?
- Warm whites and soft off-whites are the most common choice, because they brighten a cabin with small windows. Some owners pair painted cabinets with the original wood trim left as it is. We make a painted sample on your boat's wood so you see the color in the cabin's own light.
- Can I see a sample before you paint?
- Yes. Before anything is sprayed, we paint a sample on your boat's wood so you can see the color and sheen in the cabin. Nothing starts until you've signed off on it.
- Can you fix water-damaged or peeling veneer on boat cabinets?
- Usually. Lifting edges can be glued and clamped, small damage can be filled and smoothed before paint, and a panel that's too far gone can be replaced with new plywood and painted to match. If the plywood underneath is soft or rotted, that's a structural repair for a shipwright first.
- What happens if you find rot?
- We stop and tell you. Rot in the plywood core of a bulkhead or cabinet is a structural repair, and it goes to a shipwright or your yard before we paint anything. We won't paint over soft wood.
- Can you fix sagging or misaligned cabinet doors?
- Yes. We tighten or replace the hinges, re-hang the doors so the gaps line up, and re-glue loose joints while the doors are off.
- Do you replace boat cabinet latches and hinges?
- Yes. We replace worn push-button latches, hinges and pulls while the doors are off, and we match the existing cutouts where we can so there are no new holes in your woodwork.
- How long does a boat interior project take?
- About 1 to 2 weeks of work for most boats. We schedule it around your season, at the slip when it's warm or between haul-out and launch, so you don't lose time on the water.
- When should I schedule boat interior painting?
- Book the walkthrough in September or October, before haul-out. That way the doors can come to our shop as soon as the boat comes out, and everything is back in place before spring launch. If your boat is in the water, warm months work too.
- Can you work on my boat while it's in winter storage?
- Yes. Doors and drawer fronts come to our shop, so that part runs all winter. Built-ins are painted on board when the boat is in heated storage or once spring temperatures allow, since paint needs the air and surfaces at 50°F or warmer.
- Can you paint my boat while it's in the water at the slip?
- Yes, once it's 50°F or warmer. Plan on not using the boat on the days we're working on board, since the paint we use there needs about 16 hours between coats.
- Does my boat need to be in heated storage?
- Only for painting on board over the winter. A boat stored outside under shrink wrap gets its doors done in our shop over the winter and its built-ins painted in spring.
- Do I need to empty the cabinets first?
- Yes. Please clear out the cabinets, lockers and drawers we're working on. We cover cushions, electronics and floors ourselves before we start.
- Do I need to be there while you work?
- No. After the walkthrough, we coordinate access with you and your marina or yard, and we keep you posted as the work moves along.
- Will you work with my marina or storage yard?
- Yes. If your yard needs a certificate of insurance or has rules for outside contractors, we sort that out with them before we start, the same way we do with condo buildings downtown.
- Where do you work?
- On boats in Chicago harbors and the storage yards around the city, including DuSable, Monroe, Burnham, Belmont, Diversey and Montrose harbors and yards along the river and the south lakefront. Doors and drawer fronts come back to our shop on South Union Avenue.
- How much does it cost to restore a boat interior?
- Most boat interiors we take on run about $6,000 to $15,000. Where yours lands depends on how many doors, drawer fronts and panels there are, whether the surfaces are wood veneer or laminate, how much repair the veneer needs, and how much has to be done on board rather than in our shop. We give you a written number after a walkthrough on the boat, because photos don't show lifting veneer or soft spots.
- Is painting boat cabinets less expensive than replacing them?
- In most cases, yes. New boat cabinets have to be templated and built to the curve of the hull, and the cabin often has to be partly taken apart to fit them. Painting keeps the cabinets you already have.
- Will painting my boat interior hurt its resale value?
- It depends on what you start with. Painting a worn, stained or patched interior usually helps a boat show better. Painting a teak interior in good shape can turn off buyers who want original wood, and we'll tell you that before we start.
- Are you insured?
- Yes. We're fully insured, and we can send your marina or storage yard a certificate of insurance before we start.
- Who does the work?
- Our own crew, the same people who paint kitchen cabinets for Fulton Revivals, a family-run Chicago company since 2012.
- What don't you work on?
- Varnished and oiled wood finishes, engines and mechanical work, fiberglass and gelcoat repair, hull, deck and topside painting, bottom paint, upholstery, cushions, canvas, and electrical work. Your yard or a marine specialist handles those.
Ready when you are