Remodeling Kitchen....Question About Cabinets

A good friend of ours had hers painted professionally - they take them down - cleaned with mineral spirits then sanded them to prep them- spray painted then put on a finish like a polyurethane and rehung them for around $500 (s.carolina) with her DH acting as the man's helper to defray some of the cost. When they bought the house it had pink cabinets so they had planned on painting then from the beginning. They painted them ivory because they have bisque appliances and a light teal walls, and beige quartz counters.Anyway, they are perfectly beautiful and I would do it if I needed to. As long as the wood is in good shape and you don't want to change the configuration of the cabinet arrangement - I'd say save the money and paint them. My friend also wanted to change the handles to a more modern style so before they took the doors off her DH removed the old hardware and filled the holes with wood filler then after they painted them he redrilled them for the new hardware she had chosen.

Thanks for replying, happy housewife. I am waiting for an estimate to come in today or tomorrow. There is a certain amount we just won't go over. We need a new dishwasher and I would love a new sink. Also, my stove is pretty beat up after 20 yrs. Also the refrigerator is 6 yrs. old and the microwave older than that. I am willing to go with Formica counters if it means I can have a new sink and stove. My countertop now is Formica in a dark green marble and I have always like it but it is chipping at the seams now. You don't have to baby Formica and I saw some this week that looked really good. That should save us some money over granite or quartz. Your friends colors sound pretty. If we paint, we are leaning towards a light sage or olive green with cream.

Jubilant...Could come back here let us know about the estimate. I want to do the same thing to my Dad's house. His cabinets are about 15 years old. They are the light almost white washed stained oak. But they are really dirty/sticky looking. I was thinking of doing the same thing but having them re-stained. Can you ask if painting the cabinets will hold up and not peel or ding vs staining the cabinents instead? Your sage or olive colors sound beautiful!

I am going to look into this too...I'll post back if I get any info.

Bestdressed Yes, I'll get back with you as soon as I get the estimate. She said she would send it by email either today or tomorrow.

I have not had any problems with my french vanilla factory painted cabinets, even with teenage boys and pets. I was worried about this and got a combo of painted cabinets and stained cabinets, but the paint still looks great despite a few mishaps. I can't believe how durable the factory paint is.

On 4/24/2014 RocketMom said:

I have not had any problems with my french vanilla factory painted cabinets, even with teenage boys and pets. I was worried about this and got a combo of painted cabinets and stained cabinets, but the paint still looks great despite a few mishaps. I can't believe how durable the factory paint is.

Oh thanks! This is good to know.

Bestdressed I got the estimate today. Keep in mind my kitchen is on the small side.

New stained wood cabinets.......$6600
New factory painted cabinets.....$7200

Premium color laminate (Formica) with superform underwrap edge.....$1056
Group 2 granite or quartz.......$2900

New hardware for cabinets.....$245

Just got this an hour ago. Still undecided but think the prices seem fair. We are leaning on having our existing cabinets painted ($700).....which would leave us more wiggle room on appliances if we need to go to stainless steel and would allow us a new sink and faucet. I have always had white appliances but may have to go with stainless if the white won't look right with the colors I pick. Also, my house is country/colonial so we may save money by going with bead board for the backsplash instead of tile. Haven't checked that out yet. We would also update the hardware on our existing cabinets. May have to pay more than the $245 listed above to get the ones I have my heart set on but would easily still be a little under budget at that! Hope this helps you.

Just a suggestion...IF you go new. When I designed my kitchen, about a decade ago, I decided to make the space under the counter tops deep DRAWERS rather than the standard cupboards. Best thing I every did in this kitchen! No lids getting lost, etc. I use the drawers for all Tupperware and Lock 'n Lock, pots and pans, pantry food items, etc. It has put an end to getting down on my knees, crawling around to find something in the back, etc. Good luck!

Jubilant...Thanks for the info! I think I will check out pricing to paint cabinets and get a new sink & quartz or granite countertop.