Painting Kitchen Cabinets! Need advice, opinions, etc.

[simpsongal]

I've never painted that material but I think they would look much better painted. Have you considered a modern approach since the styling is so streamined? Like a high gloss apple green with prominent stainless steel pulls?

[TBM]

Have you considered replacing the doors?

We were considering getting RTF doors,since we were planning to paint anyway, but I noticed a link on one of the RTF sites to a site for finished doors and refacing materials. For under $1700, and not a lot of work, we are getting a new kitchen.

I can't give a review yet, since the order is just being shipped at the beginning of next week, but we ordered from kitchenreface.com.

[Susie]

It's not exactly the same, but my oak kitchen & bathroom cabinets have laminate end panels. I'm not sure if you can tell:

But the end is plastic-y faux wood grain, unlike the oak front.

I have painted both that vanity and my kitchen cabinets successfully.  Neither has chipped, even though I was worried about the kitchen, especially where the garbage can is right next to a painted laminate end panel.  No dings yet, and it's been a couple years.

These were my products of choice:


I used satin in the bathroom, gloss in the kitchen.  I think I'd prefer semi-gloss in both, but I don't think semi-gloss was available in the tint + product that I wanted.

Here are my afters:

[midwest07]

With the right primer, you should be able to paint laminate just fine. You may also consider some sanding to rough them up slightly and get the primer to stick better. Google some blog tutorials, especially those who come back a year or two later to tell you how they are holding up.

I think white would look great with those countertops and black appliances. You could do so many different wall colors with that combo.

[kitty]

I would consider getting paint-ready doors from a place like this: www.scherrs.com/. No personal experience but they have great online reviews among people that put them on ikea boxes. Then I would paint the new doors and the old cabinets a creamy white to match one another.

[TBM]

You could always add some trim detail to the cabinets before you paint, to make them less modern looking.


We ordered the veneer stuff to match the new cabinet doors so that we could reface the face frame, and the matching paint for areas that we wanted to match colorwise but didn't care it it was exact, like under the cabinet.

[sierramist03]

I'd almost do a light gray for your cabinets.

[sierramist03]

Mar 22, 2013 15:49:40 GMT -5 @abbycobb said:

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the tips and suggestions. You gals are always so helpful.

sierramist - I think if I was going to do anything besides white it would probably be light gray. I love all things gray right now, but I was thinking white might be a little more classic. We'll see though.

Yeah that's true I didn't think about that gray is most trendy I'm sure

[tarheels]

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/21/AR2005092100593.html

simplychictreasures.blogspot.com/2012/01/kitchen-cabinet-makeover-part-2.html

Btw, that style is called melamine cabinets - you'll have good look googling with that term.