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[homedecor1]

After months of searching bathroom cabinets I've come the conclusion after seeing my friends kitchen today I might want to consider this.

The cabinet is double door 37" cabinet.  It's actually in great shape just a "pinky rose" formica from 1997.  I want to update to either cream or white, add new silestone or granite top/sink.

I have gotten a price for custom cabinet it was 700+ and takes 6-8 weeks.  Not a problem but seems a lot of money to waste when this is a guestbath used maybe 3-4 times a year.

I am also putting in new flooring, fixtures, lighting.

If you've had this done can you share your experience.  I plan to call the contractorin my area tomorrow.  

Thank you for your input 🙂

[CAcableGirl2]

@homedecor1   I painted my honey-oak kitchen cabinets about 3 years ago and am still glad I did.  It was a lot of work, but I couldn't see spending the money to replace perfectly good quality cabinets.  My kitchen is quite large, with 30 doors and 11 drawers.  

Since I did it all myself on weekends (usually a few hours a week), it took a really long time, but it looked so good, I stayed motivated.

I used Rustoleum cabinet transformations, so the cost was less then $200 for the 2 kits to go from the honey oak to a dark black, but it was hours and hours of my own labor. 

I think others have mentioned having their cabinets re-done and if I remember correctly, there was a lot of good advice on what to expect and what to watch out for on some prior posts. 

[SteelerFaninMD]

I painted my orange-oak kitchen cabinets about 7 years ago, still looks great.  If you are removing the cabinet doors, label each and put the drawer pulls, hinges, in separate bags.  First, give cabinet a thorough cleaning, there is a product at local big box store, can't recall the name, but it's a degreaser/cleaner, then remove reside w/damp microfiber cloth.  Lighly sand, then remove any residue/dust w/ cloth again.  To paint - I propped each cabinet up (i used soup cans, plastic bowls), primer was Zinser 1-2-3.  I used a Benjamin Moore microfiber roller (expensive but worth it).  I primed one side & edges, dry overnight, then flipped over to repeat on other side.  Then lightly paint in selected color, I did a couple of coats, drying 24-48hrs between each coat.  Once it was done, I used a clear-coat poly sealer and applied 2-3 coats of sealer.  There are probably a lot of videos on youtube, some good, some bad.  If you're nervous, you can get a cabinet door from the stock aisle at local big box store, I practiced both technique and color choices on 4 different test cabinet doors before tackling the kitchen.  Take your time and don't rush, and have fun!!!

[hick]

I "refaced" my kitchen cabinets two years ago after moving into a condo that hadn't been updated in 30 years.

My cabinets were that old oak and the doors were all crookedly hung.

I debated between having the cabinets installed new - I didn't want to go thru the hassle and the mess and the time it would take.

I had the Cabinet guy out here and he told me that if I just had the cabinets painted white, the oak grain would show thru the paint.

So, I decided to reface which had nothing to do with painting.

It was not as easy a process as you think it's going to be.

You need to empty all the cabinets.

This is, of course, after they measure. 

The guy comes and takes all your doors off.  These will be replaced.  However, the surrounding wood, is all covered with some kind to material that requires glue and heat.

It cost almost 8 thousand dollars.  And I have a small kitchen.

It's now 2 years later and I wish I would have just had the cabinets painted.

I've had problems with the material coming off some of the wood but the company I dealt with was wonderful and even though almost 2 years later, they sent someone out who fixed all of it.

No charge.

I will say, they did a good job and also that the cabinets look beautiful.

[queendiva]

I got a quote from a well known local cabinet refacing company. Eye-popping estimate- equal to what I had paid for new solid cherry cabinets 10 years earlier in my previous house. I hired instead a local paint company that specializes in repainting cabinets to paint my kitchen cabinets white over the original oak. They prepped everything and set up "shop" in my basement to strip and spray the doors and drawers. Bonus: I had them paint my kitchen walls and trim as well, all for a fraction of the cost of refacing. My kitchen was builder's basic everything. 

I like your plan to update your guest bath on a budget as it is used infrequently. I also suggest contracting with your painter if you go that route around Jan. 1 as they often give significant discounts for work to be done after fall and winter/ holiday season when they are busiest.

I did as you plan to do with your guest bath with my kitchen in 2019: Kept all appliances and floor, painted the cabinets, etc, updated lighting, replaced cabinet pulls, sink and faucet, replaced backsplash tile and dark green laminate counter tops with marble. Very pleased with the result and the savings. I stay on budget for everyting except the small backsplash area, where I splurged on a handmade glass tile.

[VaBelle35]

I have one burning question:  those of you who painted yourself or had it done, is the inside of the cabinet painted, too?  

This thread has great information.

I follow all the home sales in my neighborhood that are the same model that I have (I am an original owner).  Only a few people have painted their 1990s oak cabinets white.  You can tell because it's the same cabinet, just painted.  Everyone else has left them as is, or just added hardward (these have no hardware).  I have wanted to go to open houses to see the painted cabinets up close to see if the wood grain shows through.  There is also the mystery of how they cover the sides that have what I now know from the above post, some laminated picture of wood.  I couldn't figure out how they covered that in white.  I do notice that in some of the photos I see, if the appliances have been removed, they have not painted that part of the cabinet that is covered by the appliance.

[VaBelle35]

The reason I don't want to invest in painting or refacing mine is that while the doors are oak, the majority is particle board.  When they took off my countertop to replace it, you could tell it was 27 years old in there.  Many of the glued pieces needed to be reglued.  I was concerned that they would not be able to hold my new granite countertop, but they said it was fine.

I am fortunate that mine do not have that "orange" look that oak can get.

[AuntG]

Resurfacing is the way to go. My first home was carpenter built in 1953 so the kitchen cabinets were extremely sturdy, but very plain. On a single person's salary, I wasn't about to totally remodel my kitchen. However, I got new flooring, appliances, lights, sink and resurfaced the door and drawer fronts, adding pretty hardware too. Oh my gosh, it looked like a brand new room with beautiful oak cabinetry for a very reasonable price.

[queendiva]

@VaBelle35 : as mentioned above, my oak cabinets were professionally painted white. The inside of the doors, drawers and frames were painted. The shelves and interior of the cabinets were left their neutral finish, as you would find in other, new cabinets. The wood grain in oak is not heavy and it does show through the white painted surface of the doors minimally. Mine are the ever popular Shaker style framed doors. The result is very acceptable to me and only noticeable upon close inspection- certainly preferable to me as compared with the old, dark, dated oak cabinets that had no hardware. The oak cabinets were in good, sturdy condition. I replaced 3 cabinets over the cooking area which is the focal point of the room with 42" cabinets as I have high ceilings and the original, shorter cabinets look ridiculous and out of scale there. You cannot tell that they are not a perfect match to the others.

I updated my kitchen for me and for my enjoyment, but I am sure I have increased the value of my home by doing so. Did similar updates on my bathrooms for the same reasons, also painting the large oak double vanity in the master bath gray but keeping the counter tops and integrated sinks.

[depglass]

For all the work and all the expense I've read about in this thread I would have just put in new cabinets.  What did some of you save, 20%?  I had a house built 13 years ago and I know I didn't pay more than $8,000 for my small kitchen.  Rustic pecan with sliding shelves and soft close doors.  Has stuff gone up that much in 13 years?