Redoing Kitchen - Need Serious Help! (flooring, how much, roof shingles, vinyl)

[ashjhoward]

I must have absolutely no design sense, because I can't seem to make a single decision about my kitchen! We have oak cabinets which I don't really like, as well as wood trim throughout the house. We just redid the floors in the whole house, and painted the living room a light grey. We're basically starting fresh with no idea what to do.
Please give your suggestions for cabinets (should we paint?), wall color, trim color (should we paint it white?), border, paint where the wallpaper is (we're tearing it down), anything you can think of! please, any and all suggestions welcome!
-getting rid of wallpaper / curio cabinet / light fixture will change - that's all we know now! help!

[kadylady]

Seems pretty dark. Are you keeping the cabinets? I would probably paint them. I'm not that crazy about oak cabinets.

[mrpeatie]

The cabinets look to be in good shape- I would not repaint them since it will not offer much improvement in comparison to the effort it will require. And there is no guarantee the paint will hold over tiem. I would however change out the countertops to something that is more of an actual color or pattern- formica countertops are a cheap fix. I think a lighter version of that light green color sample- or a greenver version of the gray in the next room- might work best. I'd also be tempthed to paint the chair rail to match the wainscot.

The large opening, vaulted ceiling and bay seem to make it look larger than the floor tile count would suggest.

[kadylady]

I agree....painting them would be a pain. I would not do it myself! LOL. OP said she didn't really like the oak, and it might be an alternative to replacing them. However, as mrpeatie said, replacing the counter tops would help a lot! As well as changing the paint color.

[desertsun41]

I love posts like yours. It's my passion to help. I want you to say what I say when I'm done building a kitchen: "HAPPINESS IS STANDING IN A ROOM THAT WAS ONCE JUST A DREAM". I could write books upon books to get you started but my experience here is that 98% of those who are first time posters never even come back to read the answers to their question. Yes we can tell that from your profile as well as the fact that few if any ever fill out their profile.

I will start by saying most who make a post like yours, the kitchen looks like Hurricane Sandy blew threw it. The cabinets are 40 years old and the poster always says things like they are structurally sound and they don't want to replace them. What they are really saying is they been to the big orange who only wants your little green and find out their kitchens start at $20 grand so they realize they are not buying a new kitchen.

The truth is, if your cabinets are 40 years old, they are functionally obsolete relics that smell like an old antique store. But yours are not. I'd say they are less then 10 years old and look pretty good, except for the wood species. Oak is out of style now and people just basically hate it. The grain is what most people beef about. Fact is more oak cabinets are sold then any other wood species in North America. How can that be? Because Builders still stick oak in their homes cause it's cheap standard and many home buyers will not upgrade to maple or cherry cause the builder charges rape fees.

If I look at the breakdown, for remodels, oak is dead last while maple has taken over cherry for the first time. Your cabinets don't look so bad but your laminate tops look dated and plain. The fridge and DW are outdated. The micro belongs over the range, not sitting on the counter top. You have 30" high uppers which could be increased to 42" despite the vaulted ceilings. You can add larger classic crown molding to the tops. You can do a side panel next to the fridge and make a double deep cabinet over the fridge to give the built-in look. You can raise the heights 6" on the height over the fridge cab.....the over the range cab you should raise the height 6" and deepen the cabinet to 15" which creates a nice up-down-in-out look.


I'd stay away from new granite tops as they are fading in popularity. The man made granite products are a nice alternative. If you're on a budget then don't be afraid of quality laminate. Today's generation of laminates are very high quality and some even look and feel like the real product it's made to imitate.

You also may want to consider extending the cabinet runs to the right of the DW. Lose that stupid DW panel and add some precious storage space as well as food prep area. Why not add 4 to 5' since your losing that hutch anyway? Your pics don't show if you have a closet pantry but if not then I love to end a run with a cabinet pantry full of pull out shelves.

You can not paint cabinets, especially oak. Well you can but you can also paint the grass in your yard, your roof shingles, your windows and your shower curtain but that don't make it right. And with the deep grain in oak, you'd have to do 33 coats to hide it and make it smooth. Everyone will point and laugh. You don't want that.

DO NOT go to the big box stores for help, their grand total home improvement experience totals up to putting a curtain rod up for Grandma. They are just kids. These stores do not employ Certified Kitchen Designers. That pretty sticker you see at the front door simply means they are members of NKBA. That does not mean they employ CKDs. Besides, they charge full list price which is MSRP which is rape by most definitions.

Instead seek out your small kitchen showroom, they should give free estimates and some good ideas. Do not go to the guy who has an ad in Craigslist who makes them in his garage. He don't sell cabinets, he sells painted wooden boxes and incorrectly calls them custom cabinets.You must go to a reputable showroom that has product to look at, touch, and play with......and get a warranty on. I won't go into brands or quality with you except to say NEVER EVER EVER fall for that Chinese made trash. Yes I know you can buy a whole all cherry wood kitchen for $895 but your family's health will be at serious risk due to the formaldehyde, lead and sulfur content which is high enough to kill a small child. And that baby chair in your picture tells me this means you. There are several documented deaths due to Chinese cabinet exposure. If you're lucky you will just get a bad case of Asthma.

Hope that gives you a start. I'll steer clear of suggesting colors at this time. Good luck. I think I remember saying I was going to keep this short. Oh well!

[Dollydo]

I replaced my white kitchen cabinets with real cherry wood, it wasn't cheap, but I love the look, I didn't get any fancy foo, foo on them, sleek modern look. I bought high grade laminate countertops with beveled edges, it defenitely looks like granite, at half the cost. New stainless appliances, which I hate, too hard to keep clean and they scratch easliy. Oh yeah, my floor is ceramic tile,smilar color as yours.

All in all, I am happy with the remodel.

I have repainted kitchen cabinets before, lots of work, and they did not hold up well, if you want to just put a bandaid on the cabinets, this can be done, but I imagine that you would eventually replace them anyway. Your appliances seems to be all mix n match, beige vent a hood, stainless sink, black stove, that is an area I would address, as, it gives the room a choppy appearance. I am not a big wallpaper and chair rail fan, I think it give the room a dated feel. Your kitchen is a nice size, has potential, it all boils down to how much you can afford to spend.

[TrapperL]

Deseretsun41, with all respects, I have no clue where you get yer info from but it's wrong. The house doesn't exactly appear to be in Grand Lakes or even Kingwood (Houston locations for yer benefit). The current cabinets are still made and being offered by most cabinet makers. I doubt these are 40 years old and if they are, most likely are better built than some of the newer ones, depending on the maker. Low line cabinets would be the laminate covered cabinets. Moving into real wood, the hickory would be next followed by maple. Oak is hardly considered cheap or low line. Cherry is a near bank breaker but they are a fabulous looking cabinet if dark is what the H/O wants.
OP, I would not suggest painting any factory finish cabinets. Paint adhesion to the factory finish never works and it will wear lousy. Even as a temporary, it just doesn't work. But you can change the appearance of the cabinets by choosing a far different wall color. I would avoid grey in any room as it is considered the most depressing color on the wheel. Go for something more happy. Of the samples you have on the wall, I'd avoid the green as it gets old quick and the yellow. Yellow gets dirty quick and comes with issues called photographing. That means regardless of the coats, it does not cover and it's due to the color, not the paint. The others are warm colors and may be just the right color for you. You'll need to prime the walls first as the color red is hard to cover. I'd suggest 2 coats of primer. You'll want to use at least a satin sheen or a semi-gloss. Expect to apply 2 coats.
Unfortunately, you're doing your project backwards. If you decide to change flooring in another part of the house, paint first or any work first, the flooring is the last thing to go down. Now you'll have issues with getting paint on the new floor. Canvas covers only work so good and even they fail. Forget paper or plastic covers on the floor as they'll rip quick. Make sure to keep a bucket of water and a towel within reach should you drop any paint on the flooring. Getting it cleaned up ASAP is critical to an easy removal or a mess.

[accufitgolf]

Taking from others advice and trying to control costs somewhat and not in order.

Painting the walls a light, neutral like a sand color and with that I could live with the vinyl flooring.
Microwave mounted over the stove even at the expense of cabinet space loss.
Possible cabinet fillin along side the dishwasher if you can match the cabinets.
Matching appliances. Myself I prefer white, to lighten and brighten the small space up.
New countertops, but less expensive curved edge laminate type.

Hope this helps.

[Ohiogirl81]

I'm of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" school. If that were my kitchen, I'd paint above the chair rail a medium linen color, and a shade or two darker below; or, you could choose a different color to go below. If the countertop is dinged up, I'd replace it, maybe with a patterned surface. If your appliances ain't broke, don't fix 'em.

I like the china closet, even though it's of a late-80s vintage (someday that stuff will be retro -- you just wait!) and it goes well with your cabinets.

Oh, yeah ... Do not under any circumstances paint the woodwork. You'll hate yourself four or five years down the road, if not sooner.

[ashjhoward]

You've all been very helpful, but some of those suggestions are definitely out of the question right now. We were originally just going to paint, but the wall paper & chair rail needed something done with them. We just painted (I'll post a picture when I'm closer to done), and now we're painting the trim white, as well as added white beadboard where the wallpaper is.
After reading your comments I'm definitely not painting the cabinets. They're about 15 years old and I'd rather not ruin them. I'm thinking about painting the fridge with chalkboard paint too I know people either love it or hate it, but I think it will look alot better black & it's pretty old anyway so I'm not afraid to paint it.
Putting the microwave above the stove is a great idea that I can't believe I didn't think of myself, that will definitely be happening!
Also I'd like to extend the cabinet space past the dishwasher, but I doubt I could find cabinets to match. My DH wants to buy a kitchen cart but I think they look so out of place and tacky..

Overall you've all helped me alot & I'll post pictures as we move along. the paint color will be a surprise because I think if I tell you, most of you won't like the idea until you see it haha!