Out with the dark stain and in with the sage — that’s what one homeowner in Clarke Farms chose to transform her kitchen.
The work was done in a matter of days by Painted Kitchen Kabinets, a local business specializing in cabinet and interior door refinishing.
“It was one of those [projects] that completely transformed everything,” Dennis Malaney, co-owner of Painted Kitchen Kabinets, says, recalling the project. “Her counters popped after that. You could tell she had a backsplash, whereas before the dark cabinets took over.”
This is one of many refinishing projects Dennis and his company have completed in the Denver metro, and it’s one Parker resident Dennis remembers fondly.
Dennis has been in the painting business on and off for the last 12 years. He started as a paint technician, spraying cabinet doors for PKK. Four years later, his mom, Sandra Crescenti, purchased PKK from its original owner.
Dennis took a two-year break from paint and cabinets to work in the wind turbine industry before returning to PKK in 2023.
Today, Dennis leads Painted Kitchen Kabinets and helps residents from Parker to Northglenn upgrade their kitchen and bathroom cabinets.
He and his wife, Caitlyn Harlan, took over PKK from Sandra in 2025 and continue running the business as a family operation. Caitlyn handles the marketing and advertising and helps on-site, and Sandra assists with bookings and on-site work, on occasion. PKK has seven employees, including Dennis’s son and a childhood friend.
“I found my niche,” Dennis says. “I really like [refurbishing cabinets]. It’s fun for me. It puts a smile on people’s faces…I like offering a factory finish to completely change someone’s kitchen.”
At PKK, refinishing cabinets includes cleaning, sanding, priming and painting existing cabinets, doors and drawers. The process allows homeowners to make a “big change for a low cost,” Dennis says.
Refinishing a 30-piece kitchen with PKK costs clients about $3,000, as compared to a complete remodel, which runs around $12,000 to $14,000, according to Dennis.
“I like giving people good deals. I like being able to do quality work. This is the most change I could give somebody in their home at cost,” Dennis adds.
PKK’s process includes work inside the home and off-site at the company’s shop near Santa Fe Drive and Hampden Avenue. The company removes the cabinet doors and drawers to spray them at the shop. The boxes and insides of the cabinets remain at the home, where the PKK team typically uses brushes and rollers to paint them.
In addition to offering a cost-effective solution for homeowners wanting to upgrade their space, Dennis prides himself on quickly understanding clients’ goals and needs. He, like his mom, who did color consulting years ago, helps them select the best colors to get the job done.
And Dennis likes to remind people that it’s okay to be bold and colorful.
“I always push people to go with color, go with something different, do something fun,” he says. “If you don’t like it, we’ll figure something out…but I usually don’t get any pushback afterwards. Usually it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh. I’m glad we did this. This is amazing.’”
If clients grow tired of the color on their cabinets after a year, Dennis and his team offer a color change for 33 percent of the cost. They also do free touch-ups on their work for the next five years.
“When you use us, you have us. We stay with you for years and years,” Dennis says proudly.
In addition to adding color to cabinets, Dennis says upgrading handles and hardware is another way to refresh a room. He notes that wallpaper and gold hardware (typically against dark blues) are back in style. Bread boards in kitchens are also trending, as are sages.
“I always push people to go with color, go with something different, do something fun." — Dennis Malaney