topic Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets in Home

suggestions-kitchen cabinets

deeds2 — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 17:33:32 GMT

My 1977 colonial house has medium woodwork throughout (not oak, but not sure what it is..maybe pecan?). We are replacing our kitchen cabinets that are part of an open floor plan w/ the dining and family room, so I think white or painted is out.

When looking at so many pictures, it's hard to decide what might be best as I don't think I want to swing too far from the rest of the house, but dark or quite light like maple seem to be so popular. We likely will be downsizing in 5 or so years, so don't want to pick only what I like best. It's an investment, so some eye toward resale. Also have changed out hardware to oil rubbed bronze for door handles etc., but again, not sure I want to go that route for cabinets or for faucets.

Any advice appreciated. Those that sell houses or have recently sold theirs, chime in!

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

Snowpuppy — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 17:55:32 GMT

Pecan was popular in the 70's. They may be very good quality compared to what's out there today.

Take some current photos. Ask some kitchen design services like HD or Lowe's. Some places can photoshop your kitchen w/a new look so you can preview before you buy.

I've been house hunting for several months. I just looked at one home where the kitchen was overdone compared to the rest of the home. I mean like overdone on steroids. While it was very nice it showed how the rest of the home needed upgrading badly.

Think about your neighborhood and your home. Who will be your likely buyers? Young families? Take that into consideration if you're going to be moving in a few years.

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

colliemom4 — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 18:09:57 GMT

You might want to check out pinterest or some decorating blogs and see what people are doing now.

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

151949 — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 18:16:24 GMT

You should spend some time looking around - we have medium brown kitchen cabinets that are maple. There are also nice medium brown cherry out there. i had a hard time deciding which I wanted between the cherry and the maple and chose the maple because I liked the smoother finish as the cherry had highs and lows on the how the wood took the stain. I have medium brown cherry in our trailer and they are pretty there with a small space and so much wood with all the built ins - the highs and lows look nice there.

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

Carmie — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 18:52:28 GMT

We built our home in 1988 when everything was oak, I love cherry and chose cherry wood for our cabinets.

Right now cherry is in big time. I don't think it ever goes out of style. To save a dollar or two, maple wood looks very simular.

I think maple and or cherry wood is always in style. The wood grain is very nice.

I agree with Happy Housewife that cherry does take on stain differently and the color will be varied on the same piece. Maple takes the color more evenly. Maple can be stained light, medium or dark. Sometimes maple is stained to look like cherry.

I would stay away from pine...it's too soft and shows dents and nicks and oak too as the grain is very pronounced and dominent.

If you're thinking of selling in the future choose cabinet doors that will appeal to the masses..a smple style that will go with modern as well as traditional styles.

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

faeriemoon — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 19:02:21 GMT

If you want to incorporate that trim color into your cabinetry, you could consider doing the uppers and lowers two different finishes. One stained and one painted. This would keep the flow of the wood color in your house, yet incorporate another color so there won't be too much wood tone. Or you can do an island in a different finish, etc...

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

LooPY — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 19:26:22 GMT

I would recommend going to a kitchen showroom--you will be stunned by the all the options available and combinations that you never even could have imagined! New displays are being added all the time. Don't limit yourself to Home Depot and Loew's--they're just the tip of the iceberg. It doesn't cost anything to look, and a good kitchen designer can guide you in the right direction for your price point and particular circumstances, and save you endless hours of your time.

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

deeds2 — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 20:53:22 GMT

I know I need to spend some more time in the show rooms...just sometimes the options start multiplying! And price points can really differ.

I think I will stick w/ medium tone wood, likely in maple, but also appreciate that I don't want to 'over-improve' relative to the whole house. Thanks for all the great suggestions! I appreciate your opinions,

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

wismiss — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 21:10:15 GMT

I just had a hutch made by the Amish about a year ago. This is the top part of the hutch. It looks like oak, but it is hickory. Hickory has a much tighter grain than a lot of other woods and is beautiful. If you leave hickory in a natural state, there will be a lot of variation of color, but a stain will tie it all together.

Hope you like this. I have to agree, I would consult with a designer from a show room.

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

IamMrsG — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 21:15:51 GMT

If your wood cabinets are in good condition, you might want to consider keeping them. I took the doors to my large upper cabinets to a woodworker and had them customized. We removed the center panels and replaced them with glass. For less than $50 each.

We are very pleased with the result.

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

queendiva — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 21:20:38 GMT

OP: curious as to why you are planning to replace the cabinets. If you are not creating a new floor plan for the kitchen I would rethink that. ITA that your 1977 cabinets are probably much better quality than you will find new. Also, replacing all your cabinets will cost significantly more $ than replacing all your appliances. Maybe just new doors? that will save a ton and give you that new look.

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

Mi47 — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 21:39:48 GMT

I agree with queen diva about your existing cabinets. They r probably a better grade than most of the cabinets on the market today. If the boxes r in good shape, consider replacing the doors and drawer fronts. U can also retro fit the inside of the lower cabinets with pull outs. Would be much cheaper than replacing all the cabinets. I just did a complete redo, I had to settle for cabinets from a big box store and the cabinets cost was 12,000.00. I don't have a large ktchen either. Additional cost for all new applicanes, light fixtures, hardware, sink, faucet, garbage disposal, paint, countertops and the labor. So do your homework and consider doing the doors and drawers only. Good luck

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

queendiva — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 21:51:15 GMT

Eight years ago, the cherry cabinets for my small kitchen were $10k. Believe me, that was a good price for solid cherry, with no special trims, rubs or stains. I shopped around for several months. Wish I could have salvaged the old ones, but they were some mystery material, wrong size and bu++ ugly. They had to go!

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

stevieb — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 23:33:14 GMT

I replaced the hardware and faucets in my kitchen with oil rubbed bronze and love it. It looks great and is different from the norm... No ideas on the cabinets... other than to say, despite resale being a factor, I still think you should go with what you like. When it gets right down to it, nothing you could select is going to appeal to everyone anyway...

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

Lilysmom — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 01:08:40 GMT

Love natural cherry.

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

deeds2 — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 01:08:52 GMT

Have been out w/ a cold, but am catching up on responses. Thanks so much to all of you. Although you might think the cabinets would be better quality (and I think the doors themselves probably are) some of the tracks etc are starting to fail. I did retro fit a couple of pull out shelves in wood for lower cabinets and hope perhaps those can be reused, but with the soft close drawers etc., am thinking I just need to get some new ones.

Have plans to check out some of the show rooms and see what looks like a good blend of what I like (who knows when you'll really move right?) and what I think will be generally appealing. Again, my thanks to the posters!

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

Ibby114 — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 03:04:02 GMT

On 2/15/2015 wismiss said:
I just had a hutch made by the Amish about a year ago. This is the top part of the hutch. It looks like oak, but it is hickory. Hickory has a much tighter grain than a lot of other woods and is beautiful. If you leave hickory in a natural state, there will be a lot of variation of color, but a stain will tie it all together.

Hope you like this. I have to agree, I would consult with a designer from a show room.

I did a lot of work upgrading my kitchen last year- quartz countertops, new appliances, but I kept my original cabinets. It's a small kitchen and you really can't do much with the layout. They're this shade and I love them What's 'in' comes and goes so often, I love the shade, seeing the grain of wood, etc. Cleaning them up with Regency Gold (from hsn) worked wonders- they shine like they're new! I'm considering new hardware to go with my appliances (stainless) - other than that I was VERY content spending around $7,500 to modernize an 18 year old kitchen!

Re: suggestions-kitchen cabinets

deeds2 — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 14:40:19 GMT

On 2/18/2015 ibb38 said:
On 2/15/2015 wismiss said:
I just had a hutch made by the Amish about a year ago. This is the top part of the hutch. It looks like oak, but it is hickory. Hickory has a much tighter grain than a lot of other woods and is beautiful. If you leave hickory in a natural state, there will be a lot of variation of color, but a stain will tie it all together.

Hope you like this. I have to agree, I would consult with a designer from a show room.

I did a lot of work upgrading my kitchen last year- quartz countertops, new appliances, but I kept my original cabinets. It's a small kitchen and you really can't do much with the layout. They're this shade and I love them What's 'in' comes and goes so often, I love the shade, seeing the grain of wood, etc. Cleaning them up with Regency Gold (from hsn) worked wonders- they shine like they're new! I'm considering new hardware to go with my appliances (stainless) - other than that I was VERY content spending around $7,500 to modernize an 18 year old kitchen!

that's great....love it when you can get a refresh for a lot less money. Sadly I think some of my drawers (guide pieces etc) are just plain wearing out and so I've got more going on that just the facing wood part of the cabinet. Thanks for your reply. Did you decide to go with stainless hardware on the doors then? Even a change of handles can do so much.