My kitchen cabinets are old and outdated light oak. I would like to update them. What are some of the best ways to do that? Should I just paint them------perhaps black or white? Add new drawer pulls, etc. Please let me know what you have done or what you would suggest. What colors work best for resale? We plan to move within the next 18 months.
I personally do not care for painted cabinets.
IF you are looking to sprice things up before selling the house....I would thoroughly clean them and add drawer pulls. That would probably be the least expensive way to get a new updated look.
If not, I would have the PROFESSIONALLY stained.
Ideally you want to use lacquers for the best results, which would give you clarity. However you do have a few options still open.
The most essential step in anything you choose to do is ensuring the cabinets are clean and free of grease and oil, to do this you can wash them thorougly with murphy's oil or TSP. These are degreasers that will remove all of the waxs and oils that may have built up on your cabinets over time. If you don't do this, nothing you put on will adhere properly and you will have a nightmare.
You can replace sanding the cabinets down, with using what is known as liquid sander. It goes under the names of Wil-Bond, End sander or sometimes liquid sander. This is a fast drying chemical that will "etch" the surface of the cabinets which is essential for the next techniques. This will eliminate the dust from sanding, BUT you must get good ventilation when you are doing this.
Next you have two options:
If you can remove the doors and take them someplace else with ventilation your're in luck. At this point you can go to a good paint store and pick up what is known as "Lacquer Spray Toner". This is essentially colored lacquer in an aerosol used for toning/ shading or changing the color of a wood stain. If they have a good selection you have multiple colors to choose; some good names for toners are Behlen, Mohawk, Star and Lenmar. Avoid department store brands like Minwax, McLoskey, Valspar. The toner will allow you to alter your bleached color without mutting the wood grain. You MUST put a clear coat over this when you are done however to protect it from scratches. Practice on the back of a door to find out if you like your new color before you go to the main project.
The second technique you can use will work for the "carcus" or main body of the cabinets, as well as the doors if you can't find lacquer toner or have no place to remove the cabinet doors too.
Look for Old Masters or Bartley Gel Stain, DO NOT USE MINWAX!! A gel Stain is a thick gooey product used predominately for staining fiberglass doors and woodgraining techniques. I am going to get technical now...Gel Stain is thixotropic...this is a fancy way of saying its like ketchup, the more you shake it the thinner and more liquidy it gets. When you get your gel stain shake or stir the hell out of it. Then with a cheap natural bristle brush, apply it to the back of one of your doors. Then with a softer brush "soften" the stain down. You will apply this like you apply your blush, its essentially the same technique. The gel stain will add color, but not eliminate the grain, it is also very sticky and will adhere to the wood with minimal effort. Again, practice makes perfect and use the back of the door. If you are really feeling creative, you can "cake" the gel stain into the cracks and crevices of the door frames with a rag, this gives and antique or "tuscanny" look.
The last and final step is to coat them with a clear coat. I would recommend a waterbased polyurethane, as it will remain clear and not yellow. The sheen (matte, satin, semi-gloss, high gloss) is up to you. Some good brands are Muralo/Graham, Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, Mckenzie Stewart and Coronado....again do NOT use Minwax.
Good Luck and remember to read all the instruction and most of all have patience and practice your technique.
E.
Staining is a very good idea, if they already have paint before staining they have paint remover products you may want to use. I put new drawer pulls on my kichen drawers and it made a big difference. I plan to put on door pulls also because my kids hands leave dirty prints on the door.
I would either stain them darker or paint them a cream color. I personally love creamy white kitchen cabinets and like a painted look. Another option, if your doors have an outdated pattern or style, is to replace just the doors and have everything painted or stained to match (the painter would do the attached cabinets to match your new doors, or would paint them all at the same time).
You might get some decorating magazines to see what you like first. Good luck!
http://www.chattingatthesky.com/2009/03/26/painting-cabin...
Above is an excellent post about painting cabinets.
The best color to paint them depends on the color of your walls/backsplash...
Replacing the hardware is one of the simplest and most effective ways to go as well as repainting the room.
Here is another excellent article series on staging your home for resale (has 4 series posts, linked at the end of the article)
http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/2009/03/staging-your-h...
By the way, I have repainted cabinets and the paint remover product was not a wise choice... I ended up having to sand them all anyways, worked much better. I used a creamy, antique white color, loved it.
Good luck!
If you are planning on moving I think I would start with new drawer pulls, etc. Sometimes that can transform them. I doubt I would paint, but I did see another persons that painted theirs ceam nd it looked nice. The good part about wood, even if they aren't (in) right now, is they don't show finger prints etc. like painted ones do.
If they're real wood, I would have them (yes - pay for someone else to) stained a bright, glossy cherry. That is so pretty and very popular right now. You might want to update your countertop with one of the new granite looking laminates - again, so incredibly pretty, very resilient and easy to take care of. Lighter (and shinier) generally makes it look bigger, darker makes it look more expensive. Hence - dark shiny stain with moderate counter tops (depending on your flooring).
If they're not real wood - IDK, I've never been fond of painted cabinets.
S.
If you decide to paint them, be sure to do everything properly - i.e. sand them and use the right kind of paint. The previous owners of our house painted the cabinets, but didn't do it right, so now I have white paint that peels off or gets stuck to any dishes that rest against the painted surface. Also... white cabinets will show ANY spots or stains, so I'd avoid true white paint. I can scrub my cabinets until my arms fall off and I still have food splatters or drips on them or even just built up grime/dust.
