Updating My Kitchen Cabinets

I need other ways to update my kitchen cabinets. I made the mistake of painting them brown. I will welcome any ideas.

Iliana from Chicago, IL

Answers:

Updating My Kitchen Cabinets

I'd think twice about trying to cut designs into them. Have you thought about how hard they'll be to keep clean? My cabinets in the house we have now have an inset finish with a lip all the way around. I have to brush/scrub with a tooth brush to clean the little ledges.

We bought a house with very old cabinets that were also cracking and bubbling (had been for a long time!) so I removed all the doors, stripped and refinished them. You have to do the facings also. I used the same pulls and knobs but you could get others to match your decor. You could paint rather than refinish. I prefer the wood look to ANY paint but that's just me. (03/16/2009)

By Judi

Updating My Kitchen Cabinets

You don't say what color of brown and whether you are able to repaint. If it is a dark brown, you could do a light coat of white over it and sand edges lightly for a distressed look. Or if you want to redo, remove doors, strip completely, sand and stain lightly with a washed oak stain (my personal favorite) that will lighten up the cupboards, seal with a good clear coat after though to repel dirt and stains or just repaint with a lighter color.

Test in an insignificant area first before committing. What kind of wood are they? That will determine how stains or glazes will show up. Also if they have a center panel, you could just strip that area, paint it a light color and add a stencil or rub on decal to each one. (03/17/2009)

By Mary Lou