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kitchen cabinets

2K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  ARI001 
#1 ·
hi there, new to DIY site, just boughtmy first home. I don't have a lot of money to spend and i would like a fresh look in my kitchen. The Kitchen cabinets are about 30 yeras old, hardwood, with a tacky design. I was thinking about sanding them down so it would be flushed and stained them? or paint? I'm not even sure if they will work. This is not my kitchen but the closest picture of the same design in the wood.


please share your ideas and suggestions.

Thank you :whistling2:
 

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#2 ·
Well, you could clean them, degloss them, prime them with a nice alkyd and paint with nice quality paint store, not box store, products. This would brighten them up and buy you some time to think about what you are going to do in the kitchen? Switch out the door pulls. This is your least expensive option.

You could see if they could be refaced with a laminate. Not sure with that recessed pattern. Never been wild about the approach.

You could just have the doors replaced. It looks like your frames are in good shape.

You will never be able to sand them flat. If the doors are solid I suppose you could run them through a planer but they will probably end up too thin and are likely to start warping on you.
 
#3 ·
If I had to freshen up the same kitchen on a budget, I would paint the cabinets, change the hardware, and re-laminate the counter tops to change the look. Take your time and do a good job on the cabinets because bad paint jobs on cabinets are hard to hide.
 
#8 ·
Usually refacing ends up costing as much as replacing the cabinets. If the boxes and frames are real wood you can make new door and drawer fronts that are more to your liking. You can also have new doors and drawer fronts made if this is above your skill level or you lack the equipment. Find a local cabinet maker to do them and you will save some money vs. ordering from box stores or supply catalogs.

Another option is to replace the cabinetry with box store stock cabinets. These cost less than the cabinets they design (lay out) and order for you and are about the same quality wise. The only real difference I have seen is choice of material, finish, and the drawers are not dove tailed (typical of lower end furniture and cabinetry).

If you are really tight budget wise you can strip them down and fill the recess on the doors with filler (use a two part filler with a hardening agent not the typical off the shelf wood filler/putty), sand them down, and paint them.

You may also consider installing frosted (or other) glass in them (check with a couple of local glass companies for prices on the glass). This can be done by cutting a hole in the door, routing or cutting a rabbit in the backside of the door for the glass to sit in and holding it in place with a combination of silicone and glass brackets.

For the counter top check around the builder surplus outlets. I have seen granite in them with a chip in it go for $.50 a square foot. You can build butcher block style tops relatively easily (do some research on material and top coats first). There is always the pre-fabricated Formica which is relatively cheap and available pre-mitered. You can also install a variety of tiles for counter top applications.
 
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