Redo Old Kitchen Cabinets to Look Like New
Kitchens begin, as they say, with cabinetry. The cabinets lining your kitchen walls set the style and tone for your kitchen and home. Old or tired looking cabinets make the kitchen look dated—no matter how updated the appliances and countertops. With little investment and some ingenuity, you can redo old kitchen cabinets yourself to look like new.
Accessorize with Decorative Hardware
The decorative hardware you choose accessorizes and redefines the style of your cabinetry. The colors, sizes and shapes of available cabinet pulls are limitless. Whether you choose bronze or brushed nickel, contemporary or colonial, the trend in handles and hinges is toward quality and functional design.
There is every alternative for dressing up old kitchen cabinets—salvaged antique cabinet hardware; recycled cabinet hardware made from wood or metals; or sustainable cabinet hardware made from cork or bamboo.
Give Old Kitchen Cabinets a Whole New Face
If your old kitchen cabinets are solidly built, you could reface them with new quality wood or other material. Whether you special order replacement doors and drawer fronts or have them custom built—your old cabinets will look like new with better quality than any stock cabinets.
If storage is an issue, a contractor can help you reconfigure part of your old cabinetry or add a new section of cabinetry to part of your kitchen in the process of refacing.
Switch Outdoor Panels in Old Cabinets with New Insets
You can efficiently redesign old kitchen cabinets, or generic looking stock builder’s cabinets, with just a router and imagination. Cut out center panels from cabinets and replace them with slabs of clear or stained glass, patterned tin or copper, or a mosaic. With new paint, your old kitchen cabinets are brand new designs.
Also Read: Dynamic Custom Kitchen Island Design at Your Fingertips
Resurface Old Kitchen Cabinet Doors and Drawers
Instead of replacing the whole cabinet face or switching out a door panel, cover over doors and drawers with decorative molding, trim, cork or even fabric. Try stenciling. Cabinets can be as artistic as you want.
Remove the Whole Kitchen Cabinet Door
The simplest remedy for old kitchen cabinets is sometimes removing some or all of the doors. With fresh paint, the effect is a more open atmosphere with dishes accessible and on display. For added ambience, add brackets under cabinetry for a hutch-like appearance.
Paint or Stain Old Cabinets to Look Like New
Sometimes all old kitchen cabinets need to look new is some coats of the right color paint or stain. Taking bland brown cabinets to bright white can be stunning in the right light. Semi gloss or high gloss paints enhance bland surfaces and add durability. Average surfaces take on rich textures with oil based paints and glazes. Beat up cabinet surfaces are a natural for light distressing or staining.
The right paint or stain will smooth over the flaws of almost any cabinetry.
Invest in Your Old Kitchen Cabinets
Whether you reface, switch out, resurface, paint or stain old kitchen cabinets—you can make them look like new for a small investment. While new kitchen cabinets add to home value, they can cost a lot. With so many ways to redo your old cabinets to look like new, they can be your best investment.
QUICK TIPS
• The cabinets lining your kitchen walls set the style and tone for your whole kitchen and home.
• With little investment and some ingenuity, you can redo old kitchen cabinets yourself to look like new.
• The decorative hardware you choose accessorizes and redefines the style of your cabinetry—choose trends, which favor quality and functional design.
• If your old kitchen cabinets are solidly built, you could reface them with new quality doors and drawers.
• You can efficiently redesign stock or old kitchen cabinets by cutting out center panels from cabinets and replacing them with glass, patterned tin, mosaics and more.
• Cover over existing cabinet doors and drawers with decorative molding, trim, cork or even fabric.
• Remove entire cabinet doors for a more open and accessible kitchen design.
• Sometimes all old kitchen cabinets need to look new is some coats of the right color paint or stain.
• With so many ways to redo cabinets to look like new—your old kitchen cabinets might be your best investment.
Also Read: Untangle the Maze of Planning Outdoor Christmas Lights
