Cabinet Renovation Tips, upcycle kitchen cabinets, cabinet painting

AFTER their renovation: Upper cabinets 

AFTER:  Sea creature drawer pull 

As I wrote the last posting I realized that more than painting went into renovation of the kitchen cabinets. Really I did a renovation of the cabinets, not just the finish. The paint alone made a huge difference. In truth the other little tricks I used really transformed the cabinets to look like new. These addtitional steps did cost money, they did not cost anywhere near what  replacement cabinets would have cost. As I think back I believe the cost of rehab was about 5% the cost of new cabinets. I thought about what made new cabinets look new...pristine hardware, neat unmarred surfaces, flat and clean shelves, timely or classic design. I then set out to decide how I could accomplish those qualities on a small budget. The initial costs of basic changes were as such: paint about $50, hardware under $100, shelving about $50.  These were the supplies needed to make the biggest change. I will outline how those changes were crafted below. 

BEFORE: Upper cabinets 

AFTER: sea creature drawer pull

Cabinet color was a big issue. I thought I wanted beige cabinets, but when I went to purchase paint, none of the beige tones spoke to me. I also felt that going beige would limit me in future design.   I realized I don't wear beige. did I really want to look at it everyday in my kitchen?  What atmosphere would it create? Was that the feeling I was going for? These thoughts directed me towards white because I always chose white clothes or white slipcovers. I think the blank page of white speaks to me, since I really love color. White lets me change supporting and accent color at will, everything goes with white. It can be modern or classic. 

AFTER: sea shell hardware

AFTER: cabinet pull

 The existing cabinets had antique brass handles. I could have spray painted those pulls to be silvery or bronze or white. That would have been acceptable.  Spray paint is a great option to refinish existing hardware if you must keep your budget to a minimum. You can get a can of spray paint for as little as $1.50 or so, and that will do your pulls, and or hinges.  After spray painting the hinges, I decided I wanted new pulls.   A year or two ago I had seen drawer pulls that were shaped like sea shells and sea creatures. Living on the shore, they really attracted me. When I returned to the store, they no longer sold those models. I went to the internet and found some similar pulls that fit my vision. Each pull was somewhere from $2 to $4 each. It was my splurge. They were definitely worth it because they set a tone of high style in the kitchen.  They gave the look of custom cabinets, and in fact I eventually did come across the pulls I first admired...they were in a custom cabinet shop and they cost far more than I paid for those I found on the Internet.  The pulls were easy to install, because I chose to leave all hardware in the same place on the redone cabinets. This saved a lot of work and cost. I will say that if I were to do it again, I would replace the hinges if I could find hinges to fit the existing hinge holes. For this project I could not find matching hinges and that is why I spray painted mine instead of purchasing new. 

AFTER:  new prefinished shelves
inside cabinets

Shelving inside the cabinets can be an issue. Existing shelves may be warped or damaged from time and use. It is impossible to flatten those shelves back to original shape. We solved that issue by purchasing new white melamine covered shelving that did not have to be painted and wipes clean. These shelves were level and flat with nice rounded edge on the front.  Our existing shelves were warped from age due to the fact that they were not good quality wood stock to begin with. The new shelving had curved edges that are soft to touch, look at , and should not chip the china going in and out of the cabinets.  Buying new shelves was a very good decision, and worth the extra investment. The shelving can be found in the closet section or  lumber section of the home store. Ask for help to find the options available. Pre-finished shelving is wonderful!

Another form of customizing I came up with was to add bead board to some of the cabinets to add in some texture, interest and contemporary/classic touches to the room. On the exposed ends of the cabinets we installed bead board. The bead board was also  installed around the perimeter of the cabinet I turned into an island. This really freshened up the cabinets and made them look new. You can see it in the photos. 

If you have trepidation about taking on any of this work you might consider this quotation collected from Native American lore  by the great teacher Joseph Campbell...."As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It is not as far as you think." 

Next posting....cabinet layout

After: side of cabinet bead board

After: bead board applied around the island cabinet