Refinishing kitchen cabinets

10 years ago

Gonna be refinishing the cabinets and could use some guidance. Can I paint right over these or do the need to be sanded down? Any help on some colors would be helpful as well. The walls in the kitchen are a light brown color and as you can see the island is black and will probably be done also. Thanks! And btw the gold is going away as well! Lol

Thanks

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Jeff Whiteley
Original Author

10 years ago

Finally finished! Couldn't be happier!

Let me know what ya'll think

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Comments (94)

california57
10 years ago
I have just redone my kitchen (this is a slightly unfinished state). The back wall cabinets are painted over oak and the island is natural oak, unpainted. I've kept the colour simple it is Farrow and Ball: elephant's breath. Your granite is quite strong and to show it off you should have more subtle colour on your cabinets
saratesoro
10 years ago
do please google 'contrasting upper and lower cabinets' and based upon playaazul's idea, (coz your island looks beautiful but all black cabinetry would be toooo much) I would paint all base/lower cabinets the same as your island and lift the overhead cabinets with an old english white - of course, the tricky bit is your fridge surround, i.e. where to cut off the base or paint it all the antique white. it looks up to date and fab. good luck.
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Painting them white isn't going to make the space bigger and it won't make it much brighter either, because they are already a light colour. Unless you get these refinished professionally, I doubt that painting them yourself will be an improvement. Is this a dark room at night? If so, I'd try to bring in more lighting. Even just a wall sconce on the wall to the left of the window could add some light and interest here. This actually looks like a very pleasant space and I like how the wall has been used for pot-storage. A magnetic strip could be installed on the stove wall for knives and other accessories too. But to answer your question, no I do not recommend painting these cabinets.
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Hi, I have just finished repainting my kitchen myself. Overall I am happy with the new look, but I think the final verdict is only possible after some time (to see if the paint hardens enough). I have used Ammonite Farrow and Ball which is very warm grey colour. It looks nice in dark corners as well. Had to apply 4 coats of paint after 3 coats of FB primer. So be aware of the quantities. I must say that the process of repainting was not an easy ride. I spent overall three weeks (full time weekends and doing some smaller works in the evenings). Preparation is the hardest part (sanding, sanding and sanding), while painting is also a vey delicate process). If you are not afraid of hard work do it yourself! Otherwise, a professional is always a good option. Check traditionalpainter.com website they have a number of good instructions on repainting the cabinets.
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Dear Azfar, I think your units are lovely, very sophisticated and much nicer than white. Your units and work tops are very similar to those I have in my kitchen, which also have black granite tops. I also have a wooden floor of a similar shade, please don't change this, it is lovely. I was aware when I had my kitchen fitted that the units appeared darker than in the showroom but this was due entirely to the colour of the walls they were installed on. To lift the units, and celebrate their beautiful colour, you should paint your walls a darker and contrasting colour, I have chosen a really shocking pink, Rock Candy, but there lots of options. The showroom I saw my units in used a burgundy colour, too dark for my Victorian kitchen. There are so many colour options which don't have to be expensive, play around with a few tester pots and see which you prefer. This is by far the cheapest option, and I'm sure you'll fall in love with your kitchen units again once your units are allowed to stand out. Incidentally your unit colour helps to visually integrate your stainless steel 'fridge, another reason to stick with it. If you want to add units in the future you could pick up on your new wall colour for a very stylish look.
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God I love your cabinets and worktop - don't change a thing! You could add pops of colours - almost anything will look good as a nice neutral pallet. Do you like maybe a soft lavender which always goes nice with the soft grey-green of cupboards? F&B Elephants Breath has a hint of it. I'm glad to see everyone saying leave cupboards as they are. They are gorgeous. Hope you find inspiration from some of these comments and this amazing website. Good luck,
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saratesoro
10 years ago
afterthought: I live in italy 6 months of the year and looking at remodeling here, many of the high end kitchens, bulthaup, poggenpohl, val cucina, have lower cabinets a different color to the overheads. with the upper cabinets usually being a much lighter color, in order to 'elevate' them. cheers.
Jeff Whiteley
Original Author
10 years ago
I can't believe all the fantastic information that you all have given me. To recap I definitely plan to degloss the cabinets and clean before painting. I really like the idea of replacing the doors and just doing the other portion of the cabinets. I'm gonna digest all of this and get started soon. Thank you for all the advice and I'll definitely be posting my progress. Thanks again!
Jeff Whiteley
Original Author
10 years ago
I really like the idea of splitting the colors between the top and bottom of re cabinets. I would assume my island would match the lower color. Would you do different shads of mocha possible or maybe mocha on the bottom and island and maybe white on the top?
Andrea D.
10 years ago
You do not need to degloss or primer. I had professsional painters use sherwin williams primer and a white gloss paint that cleans well but doesnt look glossy. Trust me! You only need that primer first. We have two kids and two years later the cabinets look brand new. Save yourself some time and hire a professional. We live in NH and spent $1300 and had them use the sprayer. My old cabinets were dark, glossy, and dirty from 1980. Any other advice you get is old advice.
saratesoro
10 years ago
I think your island with the black cabinets under, looks great - you already have black stools and chairs to augment. Kitchens are busy looking anyway, so i would keep it simply black from waist down and ivory above. IMO, mocha would diminish the drama of your gorgeous granite and the chairs/ stools which blend so well to the island already; and hey, you save some work by leaving the island as is. what's the name of the granite?
Jan W.
10 years ago
Kathryn Peltier made a great point--see what the manufacturer recommends for prep for the specific paint product that you choose to use. I will say this--with high use items like cabinets-- especially items with a varnished finish--if you don't prep properly to make sure that the paint is going to adhere, you're going to have a disaster. Good luck! :)
diyher
10 years ago
Kathryn Peltier Design, I used paint that self levels, SW Pro Classic Semi Gloss. While I didn't see brush marks, I still saw the orange peel from the high density roller.
A couple times while spraying outside, a fly landed on my door lol. I picked it off and messed up the paint. Funny thing was, that little mess up leveled itself out and was no longer visible, yet the roller marks never leveled out.
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Tricia Hauser Tidemann
10 years ago
You would be safest to stain and not paint your oak cabinets. Oak has a very defined grain and is very prominent even when painted. If you like seeing the grain throught the paint then go for it but if you do not like that look then staining is the way to go. I believe the next and safest stains are the medium to dark tones. If you go too dark it will show every imperfection in the wood and dirt and grease and wear. I would pull out the darker color in your granite for the stain color for the perimeter cabinets and keep the black Island. I like to see the Island a different color to create more interest in the space and the black goes beautifully with your granite.
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Tricia Hauser Tidemann
10 years ago
I would also add some crown molding to your wall cabinets, that is a very inexpensive way to create a more custom look.
User
10 years ago
Remember to post "after" pics! :)
diyher
10 years ago
fyi, you DO need de-glosser :) I had an old door from the cabinet that was destroyed which was why we had to replace the whole cabinet. Just to test out the paint color, I hand painted with primer and the top coat so I could move the door around the room to see how I liked it. It was obvious the paint didn't stick well and scratched pretty easy. All the doors that I de-glossed and lightly sanded, primed and painted with 3 top coats all came out really nice and so far still no scratches.
diyher
10 years ago
my 2nd house I ditched the old doors and sanded the face frames and bought side panels and stained and varnished them all myself. I had a much smaller kitchen then, maybe 14 to 16 doors. The kitchen I am in now has at least 22 and looking to add 2 more cabinets that would make it 24 doors.
diyher
10 years ago
oh, as far as the grain showing, as long as you sand, and paint at least 4 coats, one being the primer sanding lightly between all coats, and use good leveling paint, the oak grain goes away. I found using a paint sprayer helps more because the paint seems to go on thicker than it would hand painting, at least with the primer I noticed that dramatically.
User
10 years ago
I agree about adding crown moulding if it suits your overall style. When I had my kitchen and dining room repainted my contractor suggested crown moulding and charged me about $250.00 more - an amount I readily agreed to - and I'm so glad I did it! :)
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Plume
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Right on, rabhimself. The largest problem I see in this kitchen is the door style. Regardless of what color paint you choose, your kitchen is going to look dated because of your current door style. You can purchase painted, Maple, flat-panel Shaker doors for about $50 per door online, plus matching end panels. If you order them to be full overlay, rather than the partial-overlay you currently have, the frames will be barely visible. I have done this for many clients with fantastic results.

If you choose to paint, california57's color, "Elephant's Breath", by Farrow and Ball, is a terrific suggestion for your kitchen. "Cornforth White" might also work well, as I think I see a hint of greyish blue in your granite. Both of these colors are gorgeous neutrals. If F&B is beyond your budget, I have terrific luck having their colors color-matched. You can order small pots of paint from F&B's website.

Finally, without a doubt, a sprayed finish is the best. While it's easy to send your doors out to be sprayed, spraying the boxes and frames presents a whole new challenge. This is why I suggest going with a replacement full-overlay door. You can then paint the frames using an "inferior" method and still get away with a professional look. Consider how much your time is worth very carefully!!
love2browse
10 years ago
Stained my old oak hall bathroom cabinet with a mahogany stain over 7 years ago. The dark stain made the cabinets look a little more expensive. My house was built in 1987 and Merrillat cabinets were installed. I remodeled my kitchen at the time and installed Omega Cherry cabinets and overspent, so I didn't have the extra funds to change out the 66" base cabinet with a new top. I used the old kitchen cabinets in my garage and basement because they are better quality than the junk they make today for storage units. If you cabinets are in good shape and of good quality, why not stain a door before painting? You can always paint over the stain, but you may not be able to stain over the paint. I like the idea of adding crown molding and keeping your island as is.
love2browse
10 years ago
Here's a phot of my cabinet - took the picture on my iPhone and it appears a little lighter than in person.
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Underwood Painting
10 years ago
You can change the color of the cabinets to any color you want with translucent lacquer stain. I do it all the time, check out my profile and my website for pictures
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Underwood Painting
10 years ago
Here are a set of kitchen cabinets that I refinished without stripping
Denita
10 years ago
Well done! The cabinets look wonderful :)
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Kathryn Peltier Design
10 years ago
Jeff, you completely digressed from your plan to lighten it up lol but I think it looks great! That granite really sings :-)
Jeff Whiteley
Original Author
10 years ago
I did but I really like the way it turned out.
Jeff Whiteley
Original Author
10 years ago
I'm adding under cabinet led lighting soon as well.
simplicitythyme
10 years ago
Is that Java Mocha Gel Stain? I'm staining my kitchen that color right now. Your kitchen looks beautiful.
User
10 years ago
Please do let us in on the products and techniques you used. I'm really wanting to do mine now that I've seen yours! :)
abbyjean
10 years ago
Nice job, Jeff. Black is such a rich color in your room and a great one to play with now, too.
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Kathryn Peltier Design
10 years ago
Isn't it amazing how the black cabinets make the black on the appliances just disappear?
dclostboy
10 years ago
The black does look really nice.
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Sustainable Dwellings
10 years ago
That granite is absolutely STUNNING!!!! I love it! but the cabinets are Poop... they are crying out for some off-white paint and maybe a carmel glaze. Please post pics of your final.
PRO
Normandeau Window Coverings - Lacombe and Red Deer
10 years ago
It looks great. I am inspired to do mine. What process and product did you end up going with?
cani
10 years ago
I have the exact same cabinet doors and had been contemplating painting them white. I was told the grain would show through so have been in limbo on what to do. I love how yours turned out, looks totally updated. I would do mine a dark color in a heartbeat but my kitchen is too dark as it is. Love your new look!
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Peggy Poulos Interior and Exterior Design
10 years ago
Wow! Very dramatic and masculine! I like it! Remember there are so man many wonderful solutions and this is definitely one of them! I like the drama of the cabinet color.
jacey22
10 years ago
Wow! Looks fantastic! When you can, would you mind posting what products/process you used? You have plenty of opportunity to add color now in accessories. I'm not a fan of a bunch of stuff above cupboards, and I am not by any means implying that you need anything there, but you could put a nice colorful large plate, interesting piece of pottery...
Add a colorful rug in front of the sink, love the stainless utensil holder, but that's another pop to add color. I think it all looks really nice. You did a great job!
Jeff Whiteley
Original Author
10 years ago
I had a cabinet refinishing company come in and refinish the cabinets. It begins with light sanding on everything and then several coats of furniture grade laquer and then paint.
Jeff Whiteley
Original Author
10 years ago
The finish is very smooth and furniture type quality. I went with a refinishing company after realizing how long it was going to take me it was well worth the money. I had all cabinets in my house done this way. Two bathrooms and the laundry room.
Jeff Whiteley
Original Author
10 years ago
I'll get more details on the process and will report them if people are interested. Thanks so much for the support, I couldn't be happier with the way they turned out!
Jeff Whiteley
Original Author
10 years ago

Here is the process.
Jeff Whiteley
Original Author
10 years ago
User
10 years ago
I'm interested, Jeff! Thanks for sharing :)
caroltog
10 years ago
Today I had Home Depot come out and give me a quote for refacing my kitchen cabinets. I was shocked when they quoted me over $26,000. They say I have 45 linear feet of cabinets (that's top and bottom cabinets). The quote includes hardware, molding and a cherry wood finish. I wouldn't be shocked if this was for new cabinets but this was for refacing. I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area which might affect the cost.
jmbarnes1
10 years ago
Paint the cabinets white and add hardware to fit your style. It will look clean and new.
jacksonbeth
9 years ago
We sometimes opt for refinishing cabinets rather than replacing them (since we are home flippers). We use a lot of color options from Carolina Heartwood Cabinetry ( http://www.carolinaheartwoodcabinetry.com) They have so many custom color choices. The different and unique colors look great and help sell our homes faster! Just check out this photo below from one of our recent sales:
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WoodWorks
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
WoodWorks does Cabinet Color Changes!!! woodworksrefinish.com
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Porcelain Industries
9 years ago
Professional refinishing , most cos

t effective and durable
diyher
9 years ago
depends if you already know what you are doing :) I refinished my kitchen cabinets at our previous house 1989 and they turned out really nice. I refinish furniture for a hobby. I also bought unfinished higher end Cherry

cabinets and stained and finished them myself :) I used General Finished Enduro Var. But, if you've never worked with any refinishing products before, doing your cabinets is not the first place to start to learn.

caroltog, that is an outrageous price for refacing. It's costing me less to buy all new Conestoga Wood cabinets from the Cabinet Joint or any business that sells Conestoga cabinets.
bev0607
8 years ago
light sand with glass knobs just a satin watch your gloss,
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Beth H. :
8 years ago
Why is Houzz posting advice articles from over 2 years ago?? I'm sure the OP has already done this project.