# What would you do w/these cabinets?



## Iluvitalian (Feb 20, 2012)

Hi, we just bought our 1st house and our kitchen is very outdated. I would live to tear everything down and start fresh, however it is just not in our budget at this time. So I'm curious as to what some of you would do to make this kitchen come to life? Besides replacing appliances which we will do as soon as we can. Would you paint the cabinets, if so what color? http://m1186.photobucket.com/albums/19yvette88


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## Chemist1961 (Dec 13, 2008)

Given the amount of trim work, those cabinets are likely very solid as well, so work with it until the budget improves. I would clean them with TSP or sand them lightly and neutralize with a melamine type cabinet paint. However I would examine that fancy scroll trim at least around the window to see if I could remove some of it before painting. Then add a contrasting counter top or paint it dark with a counter top refinishing kit. Add stainless appliances when done as the budget allows...


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

I love your cabinets. I would trade you in a heartbeat. I love the solid wood fronts. I'll take real wood grain over paint any day.
I'd cut off the scroll work and change out the hardware (hinges and pulls). 
IMHO, that, and a new countertop would give you a whole new kitchen.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Primer then paint and some new hardware will do wonders. Not sure melamine paint is needed here. It will give you a nice finish but it is pricey and prone to chipping. It is great over laminates.

You could reface the cabinets but not sure you gain over paint.

That frilly scroll work is rather gross.

You can paint appliance fronts to buy time until you figure out a new kitchen.

Hard to advise color until you put kitchen in color flow context. What is existing or future lighting like? What are your color preferences? What other color elements do you have to workaround---at least for now?


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## Iluvitalian (Feb 20, 2012)

Yeah, I would have to say that my biggest problem with these cabinets is the scroll work! I've looked at it and the doors over lap the border do don't think can be removed.if I'm wrong please tell me how! The window border might be possible though. How do you go about getting it off though? As far color goes I was debating on if I should stain them a dark brown espresso color or paint them a shade of white. For wall paint I'm really liking greys and purples at the moment, oh and we are putting in recessed lighting very soon. I also had no idea you could paint appliances...wondering how that would look though, any pics?


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## Chemist1961 (Dec 13, 2008)

*Cabinet makeover*

I painted 35 yr old sunburst brown cabinets with off white melamine when we moved in. It transformed the entire room. The doors are still dated but unnoticeable and the cabinets are very solid, hardwood and plywood so they have lasted.
We have a tiny galley kitchen. We did a granite type formica counter with light tile/dark accents on my back splash. Recently sprayed all hardware with antique oil rubbed bronze to compliment what is now a stainless kitchen. But when we moved in 21 yrs ago I also painted an unused, virtually new, harvest gold dishwasher and a brown range hood and got an extra 10 yrs out of them while saving for new appliances. The secret with appliance paint is thin coats and a steady hand.

Espresso is in right now and would compliment the right shade of purple... 

Would need to see some closeups of that window area to see if the trim is detachable easily. It appears to be custom work. Take a few more pics of the detailing and repost.


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## Iluvitalian (Feb 20, 2012)

Thanks, I'll definitely take some close ups when I get home later on tonight and post them.


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## Chemist1961 (Dec 13, 2008)

This shows the painted cabinets and new counter and back splash before stainless appliances. Imagine brown sunburst cabinets, yellow trim

https://picasaweb.google.com/105456...thkey=Gv1sRgCKaIxtnRwITCVg#537686755124834566.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Iluvitalian said:


> I also had no idea you could paint appliances...wondering how that would look though, any pics?


So far I have only found rather generic looking pictures of appliances and hope to find you something more dramatic. This will pic will give you the general idea though even though it is just shows turning appliances white. I guess disguising the microwave as a plant is pretty cool?










I have been known to take appliances to an auto body shop for painting with automotive finishes if they can be moved. Some may actually advertise appliance refinishing.

Your best option is probably to spray more or less in place with spray cans. What you use will depend on what situations you have. But all these come in spray cans. You may have to shop around to find the different kinds or go online. You should be able to get them for between $5-14/can depending on type you need. 

1. Epoxy appliance paint. High gloss finish but it seems to come in only basic appliance colors. Washable and durable.

2. Plastic paint like Krylon Fusion or Rustoleum Plastic Paint or Primer. Many new refrigerators have plastic or vinyl panels and regular paint will not stick to them.

3. Heat resistant paint. You may need heat resistant paint for things like oven doors and range hoods. It may suffice for the range top.

4. High heat paint such as engine enamel or stove paint. Comes in many colors. Usually has a high ceramic content to dissipate heat. May be necessary for countertops since they can get very, very hot. High heat paints can take temps up to 650 degrees F without melting or discoloring. 

5. Primer

Once you figure out what situations you have, you will want to figure out what color options you have that come in all forms of paint that you need. 

Then, take photos or make sketches/tracings of any dial markers you are going to have to replace on the stove, etc. 

Repair any rust damage and fill any obvious dings and scratches with auto body bondo filler. Sand. Clean surface thoroughly and rough up with wet sandpaper. 

Remove any knobs you can. Mask off everything you do not want painted. Cover counters and floors in the kitchen to prevent them from picking up overspray. Remove any panel to be painted you can---it will be easier. 

Using an even spray motion and multiple light coats rather than fewer heavy ones, spray the appliance surfaces. Allow to dry and cure according to the can instructions. 

Hopefully you have basic graphic arts skills or nobody to recreate the dial facings for you. You can have them reproduced at places like Kinko's on to adhesive or decal stock.

Affix the decals. Re-position the knobs. Good to go at least until you can afford to redo the kitchen.

Have fun! As I said, it could buy you some time until you have plans and budget for a new kitchen if your appliances work.


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## dougp23 (Sep 20, 2011)

I agree with Blondsense. You got some beautiful cabinets there to start with. I might sand them down a bit to get them to a lighter shade, and like someone else said, swap out handles and hinges and see what you got. But it's your kitchen, YOU have to like it! Good luck.


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## Donnan (Jul 13, 2011)

Can the scroll work be trimmed (cut off)? As for changing colour/finish check out Rusteolum's new product. You can view the cabinet transformation kit on Rusteolum's website. There are numerous colours/finishes available.
Last summer I redid a kitchen from 1978. The job is not a weekend project but it was definitely worth the time and effort. Swap out the old hinges and handles and you will have an amazing transformation. 

Good Luck!


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## diy'er on LI (Jul 6, 2009)

depends upon the amount of work you want to do....

very little work: swap out hardware... just make sure the new ones cover the old hardware foot print...

a little more work: swap out counter top with modern yet inexpensive one

a little more work: applying that stainless-look adhesive to appliances to de-yellow them.

more work: paint or restain cabinets and remove scrollwork. painting is likely easier...

I feel your pain. We also have a 70's harvest gold kitchen... We find it tolerable with a new floor, a few new stainless appliances, and a redone eat-in area. Our counters are still bright yellow, unfortunately.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

You mentioned painting the cabinets. 

option one: If you want to paint them, paint them a creamy white.
Make sure they are preped well first, cleaned well and lightly
sanded first. 
the hardware can be painted with rusteleoum spray paint. (antique bronze
is a nice color) My friend painted all his cabinets white, and hardware
with rusteleoum paint.

After he painted the hardware he baked it in the oven at 350*
for about 20 -25 minutes to set the spray paint.

First take off all the doors and drawers and do the frames first. 
then the doors and drawers. I hope you have a good area to work
like a basement.

option two: sand them completely down and apply a coat of Boiled linseed oil,
wait three days for the linseed oil to completely dry 
and then stain them a lighter color.
Then 24 to 48 hours later, them apply 3 coats of poly (24 hours between coats)

Do you know what kind of wood they are? the pic's you posted are
so small I couldn't tell.


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

Check ebay for the cheapest prices on pulls. Far, far less than anything I found locally. I got new pulls for both the kitchen and the bathrooms there. 
Measure the distance between the current holes first, so you don't have to re-drill anything. 
The only bad thing about them is the ones I got seemed to be seconds. A couple were bent and weren't useable, so order a couple of extras just in case.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Blondesense said:


> Check ebay for the cheapest prices on pulls. Far, far less than anything I found locally. I got new pulls for both the kitchen and the bathrooms there.
> Measure the distance between the current holes first, so you don't have to re-drill anything.
> The only bad thing about them is the ones I got seemed to be seconds. A couple were bent and weren't useable, so order a couple of extras just in case.


Always nice to use the same holes for things but don't be married to them. You can always fill so you never see the old ones. You will not anyhow if you paint.


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## thunderseed (Feb 21, 2012)

Iluvitalian said:


> Hi, we just bought our 1st house and our kitchen is very outdated. I would live to tear everything down and start fresh, however it is just not in our budget at this time. So I'm curious as to what some of you would do to make this kitchen come to life? Besides replacing appliances which we will do as soon as we can. Would you paint the cabinets, if so what color? http://m1186.photobucket.com/albums/19yvette88



If that were my kitchen I would surely sand it down and make the wood lighter to brighten up the place. 

I always invest in those very toxic chemicals that take off stains, top coats, and all types of things in wood easily, just because I despise how long it takes to use a sander. Those chemicals burn if you get them on your skin, so you have to be cautious. You have to make sure your kitchen is well ventilated before you use the chemical sanders, and plan not to make any food in it until it's aired out properly. But I do that, because I don't like sanding, and it lifts up the wood stains and colours without having to grate at the wood. 

I would also think about working with that beautiful floor. I would try to sand down the wood as light as it can go, and pick a wood stain a very similar shade to the floors. Personally I like blending colours like that to make the room appear bigger.

I never paint over wood, I love wood grains too much to do that. I sand down all the wood in my house to be the same colour. (using chemicals to do so)


I absolutely love white countertops, I actually painted over and sealed my own countertops a brilliant bright white. Before they were a speckled design. Though my cupboards were also white, so I painted them a very dark brown, and mixed some of the cupboards with white, so it has a japanese feel to it.
Yet I wouldn't recommend you going with any dark shades, darker browns only work in very well lit surroundings that have very light wall colours. 

If you plan on painting in the kitchen, especially countertops, make sure to seal it with a _food safe_ gloss coat. I sealed mine with a very high gloss that was food safe, very shiny, with many coats, and because of that my white countertops never get dirty or stained.


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Remember some strippers give off fumes that are heavier than air and float along the floor toward pilot lights. They are highly explosive. Use gel strippers if you use chemicals as they are safer. They may take longer.

Use all chemicals only with adequate ventilation.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

We do a lot of furniture restoration and refinishing and always use a sander.
The new circular sanders are a lot faster and easier than furniture stripping.
I only use the stripping in the hard to reach places like corners. I apply the
stripper and use steel wool. 

Years ago, we refinished our old maple kitchen cabs and we used liquid stripper,
it was a long a tedious job...we have since learned to use a
sander. (and have since put in two new kitchens since then...the most
recent one, we made the cabinets ourselves)


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## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

Since they are so outdated, stripping and refinishing them seems an awful lot of work to me unless the new kitchen is to have a retro look? The odds of them matching up with any contemporary appliances are slim too I suspect. A shame since they look like nice cabinetry for their day.

If you must strip? Your goal should be to keep as much threat of the finish melting into the grain as possible. I was always surprised how much paint and varnish I could get off with a *SHARP* scraper.

Both chemical and mechanical methods---like sanding---can force melted materials down into the grain. I usually did what I could with them, then put a coat of shellac on to stick to melted finish in the grain, then used a lighter liquid stripper to pull it and the shellac off. 

Last tool I bought when still working was an infrared stripper. It was a gift from God. I used it extensively on exterior siding and interior trim and it worked beyond fast---heating only paint layers. I see no reason it would not take at least the clear varnish off kitchen cabinets. The tool is expensive but you can rent them. Know there are waiting lists though.


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## hardtimesdesign (Feb 23, 2012)

I think changing out the hardware will indeed do wonders. Staining is a solid option. I love wood grain, but some wood looks dated, like oak. I don't know what your cabinets are made of, but their finish and hardware (and that scroll trim) all contribute to them looking quite dated; two of those three things are easy to fix. On the other hand, you could get mouthy with your kitchen and paint the cabinets one color and the doors another. Or, better yet, the doors a few different colors. Slap terrible design in the face with indignant rebellion. Say, gray cabinets, with doors that are red, orange, and lighter gray. I actually think that might look cool with your counter tops (I think? Are they solid white?) and I love that color combination, but it would depend on the rest of the space.

Syd


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## canoes (Sep 30, 2011)

I'd remove scroll trim and change pulls. If you still don't like it, sand and stain. Don't paint solid wood. 

You can also change doors and panels but keep base (refacing). Lowe's and HD do that but my nephew, who does refacin for one of them says people spend so much money with the 2 big companies doing that, that he could build them a custom kitchen. He said it would be cheaper to go to a small cabinet shop whose been in business for a long time and get them to reface.

Just an FYI in case you decide to do this, I've recently looked for cabinets and asked about trends. Glazing and dark colors are going out per one upscale shop.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Ya know, things constantly change. Things go out and then back in.
When we did our kitchen five years ago, I wanted shaker/arts and crafts style cabinets. 
The head cabinet maker wanted to make raised paneled doors, but
I convenienced him that Shaker cabs with it's plain lines was elegant. He loves them as much as I do.
I figured they were around hundreds of years ago, so
they wouldn't be out dated any time soon...Not that that bothered me either,
as we have many family antiques that have been around for a very long time.
So really, try not to go with the current fads, but get what you like when
choosing cabinets.


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## jojoroberts (Apr 1, 2012)

I would saw off the scroll straight, use tsp cleaner (removes grime and prepares for paint) remove doors and pulls, prime with kilz, Pittsburgh grand distinction paint for cabinets. The secret to the best finish is a foam roller, use for both primer and paint. Preferably 2 coats. If you can afford new hinges or pulls spray paint and spray with lacquer. Mine look great, did them in the color called Tall Grass with black hinges and pulls three years ago. Still love them.


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## jojoroberts (Apr 1, 2012)

Another idea is to add strips of wood along the outside of the doors like a shaker mission style, seen it on a blog, your doors would work well for this


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## goosebarry (Mar 28, 2012)

My parents had cabinets with scroll work and flat doors like yours. The cabinets were built-in place in 1964, solid color matched (no dark streaks) hickory. 
For 40 years all my parents did was brighten the lighting, put up light colored country motif wallpaper and scrub the cabinets with TSP every year. Your cabinets are a little darker, so you might want to paint them. The trick to create a look that says these cabinets belong here. Wallpaper maybe passe, but it is cheaper than new tile and counters. You could also stencil the walls and scroll work.
May I also suggest stopping by your local used book store and looking through the old Sunset, BH&G or similar kitchen remodelling books. I remember seeing issues from the 70's and early 80's with scroll work cabinets.


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## Janetp (Apr 1, 2012)

If you decide to keep the wood on the cabinets, you have to sand them to bare wood. Check the sides of the doors to make sure they are solid wood and not veneered. If they are venerred, just lightly sand after throughly cleaning, wipe down with a tack cloth, then PRIME and paint them whatever color you like. 
When I sand to bare wood, I use a wood conditioner before applying stain and poly to hydrate the wood. I would use oil based products for staining and varnishing, as they keep a wet edge longer. You can add mineral spirits to your oil based poly to decrease streaking. If the VOC on your oil based poly is 350 or less, you need to add 25-30% of mineral spirits. It's a long story, so trust me on that. Give the stain hours to dry. Make sure the color is even, and if not, touch up and wait. Sometimes, some parts of the wood will absorb more stain than other parts. You probably won't have this problem if you conditioned. In a pinch, you can always hydrate them before staining with water instead of conditioner, but keep in mind that raises the grain so wait at least 4-6 hours after doing so, then stain, wait, check, and apply poly as suggested. Once it is stained and before beginning poly, wipe again to remove any fine dust particles for a more professional look. Wait about 8 hours, apply second coat, 8 hours again, apply 3rd. Give at leat 24-48 before attaching hardware and rehanging.Don't wipe them down for at leat at week for proper adhesion.When applying poly, you can use a roller for a flat surface. Take them off, of course, remove the hardware, and lay them down in a well ventulated area. Don't over brush or roll or you will have streaks. Keep a wet edge while doing so. 3 lite coats are better than 2 thicker ones. If you take your time and do this right, they will look great.
After sanding, remeber to wipe down with a tack cloth( which is actually a cheesecloth with poly on it)to remove any dust before you apply stain.Wipe again before applying poly. DON'T put a fan or anything on them while drying!! You will help dust attach to them. Poly is a magnet for dust particles as it is, so avoid any movement in the drying area as much as possible. If you see any dust after your coat of poly has dried, you can use eithe 220 grit sandpaper or very fine steel wool between coats. Wipe with tack cloth before another application of poly. I prefer the steel wool myself. I think it adds a nicer luster and smoother finish myself. It will " dull" it a bit when you first steel wool it, but that is normal. Just wipe with the tack cloth, and keep going. Just watch your edges so you don't hace drips on the sides. Once they are hung, if you sanded the inside as well, you can do it while mounted if you like.Stain all sides before starting this project if you intend to do the insides as well. THis way, it has a nice finished egde under your hindge where it may show.
I have redone so many cabinets and furniture pieces I lost count.This is a tried and true method. Good luck!!!


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