I am unsure about changing the look of my kitchen cupboards. I am planning on selling next year and want to update the look of my kitchen and increase the value of my home. I have 1970's honey oak cabinets that are varnished and they are in mint condition other than needing a fresh coat of varnish. They are the square raised panel that are still popular and sold today. I love the finish sold that is a light cream base with espresso glaze to accent the details. I also thought about cutting some panels out and putting glass in. Also adding hardware to match a new faucet, pulls and knobs; this would mean drilling holes...I am unsure about my counter top; it is a dark almost esspresso with swirls that would contrast the newly painted cupbords and my major appliances are all white and under 5 years old so I wouldn't have to change them out. Right now my kitchen is dark and gloomy eventhough I have a 6' x 4' and a 3' x 2' window with direct sunlight coming in. A picture of my current cabinets is attached. Please send me your ideas and opinions...
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I agree with everyone who has suggested that you NOT paint your cabinets which are classic and still very attractive. What I would suggest you do for re-sale is install under counter lighting, and replace your flooring, which really is dated.
When you start showing the house I would de clutter the counter tops and "stage" them with a simple, colourfull bowl of fruit or pot of flowers, and perhaps spruce up the paint work on the walls and trim. I don't know what you have on your windows, but if you still feel the room is dark and gloomy I would remove all window treatments and make sure the trim is nicely painted.
I think they look great! I have white ones that drive me crazy insane when hubby makes pasta..LOL I would leave them and focus on other stuff
I would suggest putting in a light coloured back splash, light coloured granite counter top and light coloured ceramic tiles. This will tie in the white appliances better and lighten up the dark wood cabinets.
I also suggest that you put in under cupboard lighting. If you don't want to spend much you can get some detachable ones from IKEA. This will also lighten up the area.
I wouldn't paint the cupboards people pay good money to have cupboards like that. I would put hardware on them and tile your back splash. Maybe replace your white stove with a black or stainless steel one. Maybe if you have room an island would be nice. You could even add moldings to the top in a darker wood.
I agree with most of the others here..don't bother painting your cupboards since you are selling anyway. The stain and style of them aren't too bad at all IMO. I think they really could use some knobs on the doors and pulls on the drawers though. A new backsplash and wall paint would be good too.
When my kitchen cabinets were being constructed for my condo, I had them insert a glass panel into the corner cupboard for display. A puck light was installed above to allow light through. I lcve to display my glassware in there. By the looks of your cabinets, you can do the same with your corner cabinet as well. I hope this helps. I'll try to take a picture to show you!
Good luck,
Shannon,
Niagara Falls
Personally, I find your kitchen cabinets have a neat, clean, tasteful look to them and I would not go to the expense of refinishing them in any way. I think they would appeal to potential buyers who appreciate wood-finish cabinets, and I think NOT adding anything to the current finish (as in another coat of varnish) would be a favour to potential buyers who may wish to paint the cabinets. I really wouldn't advise replacing door panels with glass either. Not everyone keeps the inside contents of their cabinets tidy for display purposes. If you really want to do something, you could add knobs/pulls for interest. That alone will tally in the hundreds, most likely. Is there a vent above the stove so you could add an exhaust fan? That might be money well-spent. I wouldnt' add backsplash.
The only one thing that concerns me about the appearance of your kitchen is the way the flooring goes up the toekick area at the bottom of your cabinets. Is that tile or vinyl? If it's vinyl flooring, it would be easy to change it
Great kitchen. I do really like the painted cabinet plan you mentioned, but I just don't know if it's worth your time and money. Homes around me seem to seel pretty quickly, and they are not the perfectly staged ones either-they just GO. The only ones that linger on the market are those that don't look to me as though they would show well, and have extremely dated decor, or 'issues'. If the rest of your home presents as nicely as your kitchen, I don't think you'll have a problem. Tuck away a few things from the counter when showing, and keep maybe just the coffee maker, the utensils in their holder and the breadbasket out. Then set out a couple of decorative things, like maybe a pretty plate on an easel stand in the corner and a vase of flowers and you're done.
Good luck.
i would have to agree, i would NOT paint out those cabinets, call me old fashion or dated :D but if i were buying your home i would prefer the cabinets as they are, but perhaps im just tired of living with painted cabinets. I think they have a very nice style.....you say the room is dark....perhaps changing your lighting may help....what do you have for window treatments, as that can darken a room, is your counter top new, if not...perhaps one in a softer color...do you have pics of the whole room?
smiles
janetc
I agree about keeping the wood as is - it seems to be in great condition and lots of people, especially men, want to see a quality product. Your style is classic. You'll notice that tryntodecorate has undercounter lighting. Adding the light strips is inexpensive and will quickly brighten the room. Remove everything from the counter and above the cabinets when you decide to list. It makes the room seem much bigger and is easier to clean for showings.
Lastly I'd consider a new backsplash with more zing. Or consider a more exciting, but not too exciting, paint colour for there - if it works for the rest of the kitchen. With the new lighting - and maybe a new overhead light fixture - you may not need to change the backsplash. Even though you don't plan on selling for a while do the first things and then post another picture.
I agree with DBD.....your oak cabinets are decent and most people will like them...especially us country people...LOL....I have 80's oak and I changed the counter-top, installed a backsplash and revived the hardwood floors and the cabinets are now liveable....I may re-face them in the future but was quoted about $6800 bucks....so for now the Oak stays........see picture......and believe me ...you cupboards are much nicer almost a shaker style which is very appealing in today's market....
oh and I changed the sink, faucet, lighting and hardware on the cabinets...
Last year I sold a house with oak cupboards (not as nice as yours in style which I like a lot. Mine had the arched top.). Anyway I had exactly the same plan right down to the glaze so of course it seems a like a great plan to me. When the realtor brought her stager/designer around she told me to leave them alone as wood sells better even if it's a bit dated. Given the amount of work involved I was relieved and didn't even change the hardware (up side I guess is I still have the paint to do the cupboards in this place).
What I did end up doing was putting in a new floor and counter top (mine was really worn and dated), updating the light fixtures, and painting. Basically for my place it was updating to a point of being livable but still at a point where most buyers would be able to do it up the way they wanted without feeling they paid for something they might feel guilty changing.
Depending on the market where you are, you might save yourself some work. If you can find out what buyers in your area are looking for. That can help you figure out what to spend time and money on. I will say I had a lot of realtors around and not many of them had an original idea beyond beige everything but the designer sure knew what she was doing when it came to attracting buyers.
Thanks. I had also thought about the crown along the top and a smaller moulding on the bottom so it wouldn't cut into my counter clearence. I would DIY with the painting, we have nowhere I could have then professionaly done. Closest place is a couple hours away, I would be paying a mint on shipping alone. Thanks for the tip on Design inc., I watch most of her shows and never thought to check out her site.
i would recommend painting them out a soft white...check out design inc for inspiration. Shes done a lot of painted cabinets and lists the colour she uses. I wouldn't recommend the glaze..if you get it done they'll charge you a lot more for it and its more liekly to get dated then a flat paint. It seems like the best thing to do is send the doors out for spraying or spray them yourself...more even finish. I think SR said it was about $15 a door during one of the episodes. I would change the hardware and see what the counter looks like once the cabinets are painted...you might be able to keep it as is. It would be great if you could add moulding (crown) to the cabinets as well...it will beef them up and look great. Paint and hardware are definite musts and a clean white will work well with your appliances. Make sure you put everything away and keep the countertops relatively empty when showing the house...will make it look much bigger. Good luck :)