After a while, even the best cabinets start looking a little rough around the edges. Food stains, steam, and the changing of decor trends can make your cabinets look old and outdated.
Your kitchen should be a place that makes you happy with its convenience and stylish decor—and you don’t need to replace everything to have that look back. Here are a few ways that you can upgrade your cabinets without going to too much effort or spending all of your money.
Repaint the Cabinets
Repainting your cabinets is one of the easiest ways to freshen up your whole kitchen. Since cabinets don’t have a lot of surface area, this project should not take a lot of time and you won’t need to buy too much paint. You can repaint the whole exterior of the cabinets or just focus on the doors for a pop of color.
You can play around with the color scheme of your whole kitchen just by changing the color of your cabinets. For a natural, rustic look, repaint them in a natural color and weather the cabinets for an antiquated look. For a sleek, modern kitchen design, paint your cabinets a neutral color such as white or gray. Or, express your creativity to the wildest extent with bold colors on your kitchen cabinets.
To repaint your cabinets, prep your painting area and remove the doors from the cabinets to make your job easier. Then, clean and prep the surface by scrubbing off grime, filling any holes, and priming the doors. Finally, you can paint. For an extra flourish, you can add a textured finish.
Readjust Your Storage
Sometimes, your problem with old cabinets is more internal than external. If you’re constantly scrambling to find things in your kitchen or fear an avalanche of pots and pans every time you open your cabinet doors, it may be time to rearrange your storage capabilities.
You can add storage to unexpected areas by installing more shelving in your cabinets. Add a pull-out shelf to the bottom of base cabinets so that you can easily access items at the very back of the shelf.
To make your space even more practical, install lighting underneath your cabinet elements. There is nothing worse than trying to chop something on your counter without being able to see properly.
Reface Your Cabinets
Instead of repainting your cabinets, you can upgrade the look by refacing them. Refacing your cabinets means replacing the existing doors. You may need to do this if there is too much grease buildup, if the texture of the doors is off, or if you are completely unhappy with the cabinets.
While refacing is more expensive than repainting because you are buying new doors, it is still less expensive than replacing the cabinets entirely. You can order doors from many cabinetmakers, then take care of the installation and any painting yourself to save money.
Updating your kitchen and your outdated cabinets does not have to require spending thousands of dollars and ripping out all of your installations. With these tips, you can have a new look in no time.
Marc Poulos began his real estate and financial services career, but he soon realized that his true passion was beautifying homes. He started working with various small craftsman shops before serving an apprenticeship with the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago. His commitment to excellence won him Top Apprentice from Washburne trade school in Chicago – the country’s premier school of its kind.
