[Rkn]

Ok, so my house was built in 1900. It's old lol. My kitchen cupboards are also REALLY old. Don't get me wrong, they're nice... like the contours of the cupboards are really nicely detailed, but the actual stain color drags my kitchen down. It makes the cupboards look dated. So, what am I going to do? I'm going to paint them. I've had sooo many mixed reviews on this idea (I'll take some pictures to show the cupboards by tomorrow), some people are telling me i'm insane to paint over wood. Some people say it will be worth it. My plan is to antique them. I think given there antique build, the antique paint will really make them pop in the kitchen. Question #1 - when antiquing cupboards, what is the actual stuff called, give me a brand name if possible please (as in the paint used to give the antique effect, the darker stuff lol).
And #2 - what color would you suggest as a base coat to put under this. I'm wanting something light, but I'm not sure that white is the right option.

Next we have the counter tops. The cupboards and the counter tops are the two things I'm sure of. The counters are laminate, I'm also going to paint these. They're going to be black with flecks of metallic gold.


The backsplash - heres the tricky part. I'm REALLY wanting to do teal glass tiles because I have a moss green kitchenaid mixer and I kind of love the color. I think teal behind it would be AMAZING. Plus, it would add a nice pop to the room and it wouldn't be a cold and well, boring kitchen.

Now for another question. With all of this going on, what color would you suggest I paint the remaining walls?

So that leaves us with:
Walls - ?
Cupboards - antiqued ? color
backsplash - teal (or will it be too much?)
counters - black

opinions, please!

 

[DIY-Her]

for one, I wouldn't paint your countertops, not a safe thing to do since food will be coming in contact with it from time to time. Anything you drag across a painted countertop, is going to eventually scratch. Laminate was not made to be painted over and I don't think the paint will adhere properly.
I would leave the countertops be, and wait until you can replace it with something more logical.

 

[Rkn]

If you google it you'll see that there is like a clear resin overtop of the painted counter tops, it actually winds up looking like granite in the end.

 

[TrailerParadise]

not sure about the teal backsplash, a lot of people dont like bright color and it might hurt your resale value. in fact i know a girl who just redid her kitchen in teal, she wanted the rustic look and although she did a lot of work and i know she is proud, it doesnt look good. It does to her, but from a buyer's point of view, that kitchen would put me off the sale regardless of the rest of the house. if you did use teal, i would make it a mixture of color. black countertops, fine. get some of the mosaic tile that has a mixture of black, shimmery, and teal tiles. that way it blends and isnt an overload of teal. i think the antique cupboards are a great idea, but if you plan to do it DIY then just be careful because there is a fine line between distressed antique, and just plain trying too hard. and believe me it shows.
if you are going to use teal in your backsplash, i would consider using it elsewhere in the kitchen too, not just to blend with your mixer. maybe trim or cabinet hardware.

 

[Rkn]

Thanks! You're probably right about the resale factor, we don't plan on staying here forever so you have a good point. More subdued colors is probably best.

 

[DIY-Her]

I have always stuck with subdued colors with things that are more permanent like tile. Most of my walls are pastel type colors like cream, pale green, and tan. They can always be repainted obviously, but it makes it easy to decorate and throw in accent colors to brighten up a room rather than a more permanent decor option.

We will be replacing out countertops and put in a backsplash within 2 years, so I too am trying to think of something that would go with enough types of decor to not hurt resale value years from now.

 

[Rkn]

I love glass tiles but they are pricey, how do you guys feel about cutting corners and not tiling all the way to the floor behing the cupboards and stove?

 

[TrailerParadise]

you are not supposed to tile behind the cabinets and stove, just from the countertop up to the bottom of the upper cabinets

 

[Rkn]

so basically where it's visible then? How come on all of those DIY shows I always see them tiling to the the floor on the backsplash behind things like the stove and even behind the counters? Trying to make us spend more money than we have to those buggers!!

 

[TrailerParadise]

what shows are those? Ive watched Kitchen Crashers (love Alyson Victoria) and renovation realities. Thats where i learned a lot of the "dont's" from. But Alyson always puts it between the top of the countertop and the upper cabinets, sometimes to the floor behind the stove but never behind cabinets, at least not that ive ever seen. Try to screw a cabinet through glass tile, it will shatter unless you drill a pilot hole, and even then its not guaranteed.

 

[Rkn]

Definitely good to know, I'm thinking of shows like Property brothers and those house flippers, but that may be because they're tiling BEFORE they even get the cupboards? I don't know, all I do know is that I wont be putting them where they wont be seen if I don't have to.

 

[TrailerParadise]

You dont have to. Its a waste of money.