You are looking at removing these and reconfiguring the layout. Most likely the worktop won’t fit and will need replacing. You should also speak to your contractor about the labour involved as you might well conclude the labour cost of adapting and updating this kitchen might well pay for brand new.

Painting will be a good cheap option if you do it yourself. Most paints won’t be that hardwearing, but worth a try if you want a facelift. I painted some pine furniture, it has chipped in places but still looks pretty good. I lightly sanded it for the paint to adhere better, then I did 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of topcoat (I used water based eggshell). It is important to make sure each coat is thoroughly dry before adding the next otherwise it will be tacky. I did used cupboard paint once (I think it was Dulux) and it was very similar to eggshell. For the worktop, you could try having it wrapped. My sister had it done and she is very pleased with it and it is surprisingly hardwearing. I think you can have cupboard doors wrapped too? There are also companies who cover your worktop with quartz, but I think it’s quite pricey. This is one of my painted pieces of furniture. The paint was Little Greene Slaked Lime eggshell.

Hi, we did a revamp in our last one.

Colour wise is personal preference ie do you prefer darker dramatic colours or want to keep a lighter one? Pastels or simple colours?

We gave all the doors a light hand sand and clean with sugar soap to get any grease off and provide a key for the new paint as they were a vinyl wrap door. Then I used Rustoleum kitchen cupboard paint on them (no undercoat needed!) Used it with a short pile roller (not the foam ones) but I got a pack off amazon that had good reviews) and I did 3 coats in thin layers.

Was so easy. Trick is to put it on thinly and consistently to avoid any streaks.

It dries quickly and you can get it done in one day.

We found it easier to take batches of doors off and do each set at a time.

Things to watch out for:

1. the matt looks nice but was hard to clean in the darker colour. It showed water stains more so I would go with a satin next time if you go dark.

2. colours look different in different lights so the grey we did looked blue toned sometimes which we liked anyway but you can get samples online from them first.

3. they take a few weeks to full cure so careful not to knock them during this time, although going over them was v easy!

Have attached some photos.

We actually kept the existing worktop as we chose a colour that complimented it so we didn't have to replace it all! Perhaps thats an idea for you?

Otherwise you can get a vinyl wrap for worktops which is the cheapest option. Diy. Have done it myself in a utility and it was fine but not amazing.

Companies can come and out do it properly and it's still cheaper than replacing.

Alternative is a worktop that sits over your existing one ie its like a thinner top with an edge which slides over your own one. More expensive but is a permanent option.

Tani that looks amazing! Funny my sister has a dark grey kitchen but I can definitely see blue in it………

Wow, Tani, what an amazing transformation and thanks for sharing all that practical advice! Tiles look great too - did you paint those, and what did you use?

Thanks, Jen!

Yes i painted the tiles as well - used the rustoleum kitchen tile paint. That was brilliant! Just went for the chalky white and it's been v durable and I did 2 coats on the lighter colours and 3 on the darker red tiles as I preferred to do thinner ones so they dry better. Was quick as well.

Thanks, that’s very useful info!

Thank you! Wow, nice to see the before and after