The kitchen? A problem? But you just redid it?!?
I did. And I liked it. A lot. But it still has some issues that are starting to drive me crazy.
And no, I’m not talking about the open shelving. (Take that, haters!)
I’m talking mainly about the cabinets.
The cabinets in the kitchen are not original to the house. They were installed sometime around 1990 – because I found a receipt when I did the demo during my budget reno in December.
They were white. Then the realtor, before selling the house to us, had them painted Sherwin Williams’ “Anew Gray.” They were sprayed with lacquer, which is now chipping off in many places.
Two of the cabinets don’t close correctly, and I’ve tried adjusting the doors to no avail.
So, this is really the problem/downside to doing a mini-renovation on a room. I fixed some of the issues, but not all of them. And the more that we live in the kitchen, the more I’m thinking about how I can fix the problems. The upside to a mini-renovation is that it only costs a fraction of what a big ol’ renovation costs and, thus, you can live with it for a bit before committing to a major reno. The downside is that it’s not a complete fix.
When I did the mini-reno, the goals were to:
- Make the kitchen lighter and brighter. I removed the upper cabinets that also were painted “Anew Gray” and that let more light in.
- Add useable storage. The cabinets that were hung on the wall were too high for me and my short self.
- Make the kitchen pretty.
Did I accomplish those goals?
- Sort of – the kitchen is brighter than it was, but the remaining gray absorbs a lot of light. The “Anew Gray” color is not only on the cabinets, but also on the windows and trim, and I can’t help but think the room would be so much brighter if all that were white instead.
- Yes – I have useable storage. That said, I’m thinking that having at least one white cabinet with a glass front might still keep the room light but also provide more storage than the shelves.
- I did do this, I think (IMHO).
Why am I thinking of all of this now? Because I’m redoing the laundry room, which has the same “Anew Gray” trim. That same color is on the doors that the laundry room and kitchen share. I’m painting the laundry room – including the trim and doors. Hence the “If You Give a Moose a Muffin” problem mentioned in the laundry room post: one project begets another.
If I paint the trim in the laundry room white (Ultra White in semi-gloss finish by Behr), I should continue around to the trim in the kitchen. I don’t have to, I realize, but I think it would look better. If I paint the trim around the windows and doors in the kitchen, I have to paint the window frames in the kitchen (to match). If I paint the doors to the laundry room, that means painting both sides the same color.
And now I’m back to the cabinets. If I am already sanding, priming, and painting the trim, doors, and window frames, shouldn’t I also paint the cabinets?
But if the cabinets don’t work – literally – then shouldn’t I replace them and not bother with the paint? Then I could be officially finished with the kitchen.
I have been thinking about this for the better part of the last two days. I’m torn between painting the cabinets as a temporary fix or going whole hog and replacing them (which I would DIY with cabinets from IKEA, most likely).
What do you think? I’d love your thoughts because, frankly, I’m just not sure what to do.
A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.
When you paint the trim in the laundry room, you will wind up painting all the rest of the trim. This happened to me. I painted a small patch on my laundry room trim, then spent the next winter painting the entire first floor trim, bookshelves, and fireplace. It’s inevitable. Can’t be helped if you’re like us.
As for the cabinets, I say replace them if it’s in the budget. Painting cabinets sounds like a lot of work if you’re still going to be annoyed with them when you’re done.
And a question: Is the cabinet to the right of your stove a different color than those to the left of it, or is that a trick of the light? In the photo posted above, they don’t look remotely similar, but I find that hard to believe.
The cabinet to the right of the stove is the same color; it’s the lighting. And you nailed it – I won’t be able to paint the trim in the laundry room and NOT paint the trim in the kitchen. Because that’s what we do.
like Cynthia, paint the trim and live with that , the contrast with gray cabinets might work for a while…then go for it with the cabinets either Ikea or could get raw wood cabinets, have them painted by a pro ,…luckily its budget friendly that you have small kitchen with only 4-5 base cabinets that need replacing …the bigger budget item to think about is a solid surface counter… i’ve always been a sucker for white cabinets with marbly counter look -its classic & crisp…there is granite that looks like marble…for no maintenance issues -and love your wood floors as opposed to tile/linoleum in kitchen…hate the way it break line of site, where they do this!
Personally, i like your like your kitchen, am partial to open shelves ..just watch clutter on counters, people feel the need to cover every surface …i lighten up a friends kitchen by simply removing clutter -appliances rarely used put away, tons of spices…when only a small hand full were used also put away…and dark place- mats on table —she came in said it looked brighter, lighter-newer!
I agree. Replacing the cabinets means 4 or 5 cabinets, which is do-able. I love the open shelves, but am thinking that a white cabinet with a better configuration than the old cabinets might give me more storage. I would keep some of the shelves, though, because I like them, too. Thank you!!
Oh heck yes, replace the cabinets if they bother you now they will bother you after you repaint everything so you will pull them and replace them anyway. (maybe not in a week or even two) but everytime you close a door that doesnt close right you will kick your self for not doing it when you were painting everthing anyway. You derserve it so you dont have to live with that little twitch you will have everytime you close a door that doesnt close right. Just go for it girlfriend!!
The more I think about it, the more I totally agree with you. If I don’t replace the cabinets now, it’s just delaying the inevitable because the cabinets aren’t in great shape. Thank you for your help!