Does painting kitchen cabinets hurt resale? (countertop, price, properties, value)
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Your expert opinions please.I have medium stained oak cabinets.I am interested in painting them off white.I think it would add to the look of the updated kitchen.We have already put in new tile floor,new countertops,new appliances,new lighting, and new backslash.We do not plan to sell for 8-9 years,but my husband fears painting the cabinets will devalue them.Thoughts?
As a matter of personal preference it's up to you. But your husband may have a point. A potential buyer may wish for stained cabinets. And after you paint them it's going to be very painful to go back.
Have you considered having the cabinets re-stained a different color. Cherry? It's a great look and would be a little more current than the medium you have now. Of course you have to deal with sanding the cabinets down first and all that. But at least in the end you wouldn't offend a buyer who seeks the wood look. Who knows what a buyer will want anyway....they may prefer the painted look.
if the cabinets are in very good condition and their style is up to date i would not paint them for the same reason drjones mentioned. if the the style is OUT of date then i would go ahead and paint them. my cabinets are orginal to my 1950s home so I painted them. Oh and I would buy a home with painted cabinets but that's because I love to paint and love to change up the look of my home all the time (different wall colors, cabinet colors, etc.) paint is the easiest thing to change.
Last edited by surfingatwork; 05-01-2008 at 08:36 AM..
Reason: added last 2 sentences
What price point are you talking about? Higher end market, that would be a very bad call. Lower end market, I don't see why it would hurt. Personally I cannot stand oak so anything which made it look like not oak would be a plus to me...but again only in a lower-end sale.
It depends on when you are selling and the trend at that time and of course the quality of the paint job. Generally when showing properties most buyers are looking for wood finishes.
"Expert" opinion from someone who painted stained cabinets
IMO you and your husband should do whatever you like to enjoy the house.
Don't worry about 8-9 years from now. A lot can happen between now and then, and frankly, buyers find so many reasons to like or not like a house, I doubt that painted cabinets are going to kill the deal for an interested buyer, any more than unpainted cabinets are going to persuade an ambivalent buyer to make an offer.
That being said, I'd spend at least a few weeks thinking about whether to paint good-quality stained cabinets or not. Painting is relatively easy. Removing paint and restoring the wood finish is not. The only reason I painted my cabinets was because there really was no other choice. God knows what the previous owners did to the finish, but it required either a complete removal, strip and re-do, or a top-quality sand, prime & paint job. The paint came out so beautifully that everyone assumed we had brand-new cabinets and the kitchen sparkled.
You might consider "resurfacing" them as opposed to painting them--like resurfacing tubs, counters--they do cabinets too, and the material can be an epoxy, or a special semi-gloss that really hardens into a shiny or eggshell finish--there's a couple of different options, and it can be done in any color you want. Check your area for someone who does resurfacing and get references--you'd be surprised at how some applicators glob the stuff on and/or don't prepare the surface properly, resulting in peeling or just a bad outcome, instead of taking their time to do it right. Price is around $300 including materials. Applicators use an HVLP machine. If you're unsure, contact a Sherwin Williams in your area for a reference. If done correctly, they can be cleaned and will last a long time.
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and the kitchen sparkled.
