Kitchen cabinet painting?

[lessel]

We’re under contract on a house (closing in mid June) and I’m hoping to get a bit of painting done before we move our stuff in, if the timing works out. I’m debating whether or not I want to paint the kitchen cabinets (if they’re paintable, which I think they are).

We had our current kitchen cabinets (solid wood) painted white from very dark brown (almost black) and I love it. I’d kind of like to go white again (SW Alabaster so a slightly warm white) but I’m not sure if it would work in the new space. Would love input and ideas. (Like maybe the island gets a different color?)

We’re probably going to paint the walls something like SW Agreeable Gray.

Here’s a couple pics of the new kitchen:




(The walls and cabinets are a way more scuffed and scratched then appear in these photos. The magic of real estate listing photography!)

And here’s our current kitchen color scheme for reference:

[Susie]

Are you thinking of redoing the tile backsplash?  Without being pro or con on painting the cabinets, I think that if you paint the cabinets white, the backsplash is going to really stand out, and for me personally it would not be in a good way.  So if I was planning to redo the backsplash anyway, this would be a neutral, but if I was trying to live with the backsplash, I don't think white cabinets would serve that goal.

[mrsukyankee]

I agree with Susie. I'd really look at the backsplash and perhaps hold a big white piece of paper up against it to see how it look. The backsplash and counter both look very yellow/tan based so I'd figure out what works with them better.

[lessel]

Susie - I don't think I want to redo the backsplash right away. Really trying not to spend too much money at the moment. But yeah, agree it might not be the best pairing. There is just a lot of that dark wood in the kitchen with the floors and cabinets being almost identical.

[mpm]

If you’re not going to redo the backsplash (which from the photos, looks like it would be a higher priority to me than the cabinets), I’d just live with it for a bit until you can do what you want with the space.

[bittybomb]

May 11, 2023 9:13:57 GMT -5 Susie said:

Are you thinking of redoing the tile backsplash?  Without being pro or con on painting the cabinets, I think that if you paint the cabinets white, the backsplash is going to really stand out, and for me personally it would not be in a good way.  So if I was planning to redo the backsplash anyway, this would be a neutral, but if I was trying to live with the backsplash, I don't think white cabinets would serve that goal.

Same exact thoughts

[Susie]

May 11, 2023 9:23:59 GMT -5 lessel said:

Susie - I don't think I want to redo the backsplash right away. Really trying not to spend too much money at the moment. But yeah, agree it might not be the best pairing. There is just a lot of that dark wood in the kitchen with the floors and cabinets being almost identical.

I get it, for sure.  The kitchen in our current house has some elements in common with what you PIPed.  For a whole bunch of reasons we are going to live with the major elements for the foreseeable future (cost of a kitchen reno, indecision about what layout changes we want to make, etc.), but I needed to make some changes to live with it for the mid-term.

We painted the walls SW Worldly Gray, which I think is not too far off Agreeable Gray, painted the trim Alabaster, replaced the backsplash, and left the cabinets as they are.  I painted the cabinets in our last house gray, and I just wasn't up for the task a 2nd time.  After painting all the kitchen trim including 8 door frames I was over it!  

FWIW, we had an installer demo the backsplash + powder room floor and re-tile both for about $3k, plus the cost of materials.  Since I am short, the backsplash makes a huge difference for me.  It's right at eye level.  It feels like $ well spent on my happiness.  The cabinets are still realllllly warm for the wall color, and it isn't perfect, but it's a lot better and now I feel like I can live with it indefinitely.

This is our “before”:


And after:

[lucybrown]

Ditto living with it for a bit before making a decision. I don't think white cabinets will look good with the countertops and backsplash.

[sassystace]

Could you paint the cabinets white and the island tan or black.

A beige or tan wall color might be better with the backsplash than a grey wall color.

[dr.girlfriend]

I'll be honest, I think the cabinets are not that bad but I really hate that backsplash and counter color, and I worry that painting cabinets alone would make them really stand out. I would probably hold out and think about redoing the whole thing in the future. If you're worried about too much dark wood I think if a rug is feasible in that space on the other side of the island it would really lighten things up.

When we first moved in I thought that repainting our pink kitchen would be my top priority. I was surprised how little it mattered to me once we moved in, and eventually we redid the whole thing to optimize layout, etc.

[lessel]

May 11, 2023 11:05:46 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

I'll be honest, I think the cabinets are not that bad but I really hate that backsplash and counter color, and I worry that painting cabinets alone would make them really stand out. I would probably hold out and think about redoing the whole thing in the future. If you're worried about too much dark wood I think if a rug is feasible in that space on the other side of the island it would really lighten things up.

When we first moved in I thought that repainting our pink kitchen would be my top priority. I was surprised how little it mattered to me once we moved in, and eventually we redid the whole thing to optimize layout, etc.

I think this might be where I am and where I land ultimately. I'm more focusing on function at the moment... I just know what a PITA it was to live in a house while we had the kitchen painted, so I was kind of hoping to cross it off the list before suffering through that... but I think you're right.

I do not love the backsplash and counter color either and I think I was hoping the cabinet painting would give it new life and make those things less of an eyesore. 😅

[dr.girlfriend]

May 11, 2023 11:31:52 GMT -5 lessel said:

May 11, 2023 11:05:46 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

I'll be honest, I think the cabinets are not that bad but I really hate that backsplash and counter color, and I worry that painting cabinets alone would make them really stand out. I would probably hold out and think about redoing the whole thing in the future. If you're worried about too much dark wood I think if a rug is feasible in that space on the other side of the island it would really lighten things up.

When we first moved in I thought that repainting our pink kitchen would be my top priority. I was surprised how little it mattered to me once we moved in, and eventually we redid the whole thing to optimize layout, etc.

I think this might be where I am and where I land ultimately. I'm more focusing on function at the moment... I just know what a PITA it was to live in a house while we had the kitchen painted, so I was kind of hoping to cross it off the list before suffering through that... but I think you're right.

I do not love the backsplash and counter color either and I think I was hoping the cabinet painting would give it new life and make those things less of an eyesore. 😅

I would google a little to find pics (I googled "white cabinets" "tan granite" and found a white kitchen with what seems like pretty much exactly your granite).  And maybe photoshop the backsplash in to get a sense?

[mommin]

May 11, 2023 9:23:59 GMT -5 lessel said:

Susie - I don't think I want to redo the backsplash right away. Really trying not to spend too much money at the moment. But yeah, agree it might not be the best pairing. There is just a lot of that dark wood in the kitchen with the floors and cabinets being almost identical.

You could also look into a tile paint for the backsplash. Since it isn’t a high traffic area a paint would hold up well and would be much easier than painting the cabinets.

[jennistarr1]

For what it's worth, I actually like it as is (and I don't always like wood cabinets). I even like the goldish backsplash. I'm not sure greyish right color but agreeable gray does pull neutral. I think I would stay in the grey zone but a tad towards aqua