1970s kitchen cabinets ... what to do?

Question

You've all seen them. I have them in some rental units and they stand up well to tenants. But they are so darned ugly.Besides replacing them, what can be done to make them more pretty?

Wes Brand · Answer

I remember those cabinets.

If you have the time to DIY it, it's pretty cheap to get new cabinets from Ikea (A quick guestimate puts it at ~$1100 based on two 15" base cabs, one 30" base, and 4 30" wall cabs), and their butcher block countertop is dirt cheap(~$200for 74" sheet of solid oak)

You can also just replace all the doors; there are companies that will do that for you; If it's a standard size (and I imagine those are), you should be able to get replacement doors from home depot / lowes.

Unfortunately, because of the style of those doors you can't just put new pulls on them or repaint them. You're stuck replacing if you can't live with the style.

John Mathewson · Answer

Quick fix would be paint cabinets and then replace the cheap countertop with a butcher block or updated laminate. Add some new hardware as well and it will look a thousand times better.

Brian Pulaski · Answer

what I might do to make these a little nicer.

Add a light rail moulding along the bottom. Add a shadow box style molding to the face of the doors. Add crown to the soffit only. Then paint the soffit, cabinets and trim a nice white. They won't be brand new, but would look a lot better.

Account Closed · Answer

Has anybody tried Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations? I know a rehabber who swears by it. Haven't used it myself ,,, yet.

Ruth Bayang · Answer

Good stuff @Benjamin M.@Andrew K., I think I may end up doing this:  http://littlelessy.com/tag/white-melamine-cabinets...

Ryanne Hodson · Answer

Pinterest is also a great resource for DIY re-dos like this--

https://goo.gl/t8k2DV

David Goossens · Answer

you could paint them and add new pulls and hinges. It's a lot of work but if done right, can change the entire look of the kitchen.

Benjamin M. · Answer

@Andrew K., @Ruth Bayang ya no problem. Let me know how it goes. I'm trying this same approach with a duplex I just purchased and moved into!

1970s kitchen cabinets ... what to do?

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