Rental Property Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2017 · 293 posts · 383 votes
Hello BP Sorry for the errors in advance, accidentally pressed post before I was ready. I'm renovating a kitchen and the cabinets did not turn out as expected. I brought the top cabinets and tried to save/salvage the bottom cabinets. I had both cabinets sanded and stained and this was the results. This is a 2 bedroom rental that I expect to bring in $1000-$1100 a month on the south side of Chicago. I wondering how I should proceed.
Option A: Leave it as is (Cost $0)
Option B: Have the cabinets professionally painted gray, black or blue ($950-1200)
Option C: Buy new Expresso cabinets ($1800)
I'm a strong believer in "the style of your unit will attraction a certain type of tenant". I don't want to attract a bad tenant who likes mediocre or substandard quality but I don't want to waste money if this is an acceptable kitchen either. I have hardwood on the first floor and laminate on the second floor. What is your opinion?? Thanks in advance.
Prime, paint, and add some nice hardware. Paint white or gray, whatever works with the rest of the apt.
Not worth full replacement, but definitely worth fixing. I would also add some trim or more backsplash around the stove. That looks half-completed as well.
It's hard to tell from the photos exactly how far off the look is. I can see the difference, but understand it may be even more pronounced in person. That being said, I'd agree with the idea of going with it and advertise for rent. If all else fails and you really need to do something to match them up then definitely sand, prime, and paint yes white or light gray would suit well
I'm a little shocked by the responses... It sounds like this is a B/C area-- RENTAL, not a flip. Re-do the layout?! no-- this is a RENTAL. You need a microwave above the stove, and get the fancy knobs for the cabinets.
I'd absolutely list it as-is now, and get a feel of people's feedback-- for the right price, someone will pick it! If you get no bites-- you'll know to invest the $$ to stain/paint the cabinets, but I don't think it's that bad to eat the cost without testing the waters. If you think it's gonna be an issue, take $15-$25 off rent, and when someone picks it, tell them your intention is to increase rent and re-do the cabinets.
@Martin Neal I think it looks ok in the photos. Even if they were painted, I am not feeling like it would make the space look higher end. I just don't think the cabinets are great to begin with. Way too short over the sink and stove, so it looks kind of weird. You would have been better off replacing all the cabinets with something more contemporary. No reason to sink in more money now. List it and see what feedback you get.
@Kelly I. I will probably move the stove over more to the left to eliminate seeing the back wall. I can have the tile go all the way up too. I plan on putting a hood over the stove.
@Al Pat my original instructions to my GC was to stain the top to look like the bottom which he said he could do. After the top was much lighter than the bottom, he sanded the bottom and stained it the same. Hindsight being 20/20, I would have told him to stain them all dark or Cherry.
Some technical perspective:
As you now know, your GC told you a story. He eyeballed the lower cabinets and thought to himself, "Hmm...all I have to do is oil polyurethane the top cabinets right up and they'll look the same as the bottom cabinets."
Accordingly, he laid on three coats of product when sealing the top cabinets: the first was a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of mineral spirits and oil-based polyurethane, to seal the wood. Thinned polyurethane is the easiest and cheapest easily-available wood finishing sealer there is, and it does a great job performance-wise. Then he laid on two coats of full-strength polyurethane. He was honestly shocked that the top did not match the bottom. He was positive they'd be close enough.
What he did not understand was that the bottom cabinets were originally sealed back in the day with shellac before they were polyurethaned. Shellac soaks into wood better, goes deeper, and is easier to work with once you learn how. Ideally, the finisher back then would use de-waxed "super blonde" shellac, which doesn't produce quite the same pronounced amber tint. But most finishers used a thin coat of standard waxed shellac because the difference in quality was minimal and waxed shellac is significantly cheaper. It also has a more amber tint.
Then you came along, saw that the tint was off, and directed your contractor to resand and refinish the bottom cabinets. So he did. And I'm sure he did his bestest. But he couldn't quite sand ALL the deep-penetrating shellac out of those bottom cabinets, which left you with that persistent tint differential.
I'm sure the dude's baffled and rationalizing his failure all day long; "But I finished them both the same way! Must be a different kind of oak or...something...yeah. Whatever. Done my best...some people are never happy..."
It wouldn't have mattered all that much if you'd stained these cabinets darker (there is, in actuality, no stain on those cabinets at all, that's just oil-based polyurethane). There would still be a tint differential. You're never going to get all the shellac out.
Good day Martin! I'd say add a hood or microwave hood in black or stainless. I'd also consider adding another outlet to the right of the sink for added function. Maybe adding a shelf with a piece of wood for possibly decorative items or cookbooks. I'm not so bothered that the trim doesn't match up. New hardware and viola'!
@Martin Neal slap a couple coats of White paint and call it a day. Just takes a couple of afternoons/evenings and $50 and you’ll earn some sweat equity savings
@Martin Neal. I agree with Mike, prime and paint. Total replacement is not required. Are you planning on putting a hood above the stove (microwave/hood combo)?
Hi Martin. That’s a real shame they didn’t work out. I too think that they should just be painted. I personally would do a grey darker than your walls. Of course, we could spend hours talking about what’s wrong with the kitchen. Your lay out is wrong, your base boards don’t match, you hood is missing (I know you said you have one), your hardware is missing (those too) their are smudges on your fridge or any of the other picky comments you have gotten already. But I think you know that! You are, after all, posting about the slight difference in cabinet shades so instead of a total dressing down this is what I would probably do to spend less. Yes paint the cabinets. Yes install the hood and hardware.
As for the side of the stove, I would either put a stainless steal trash can there to break up the black and then put a table in the middle there to serve as an island. Maybe put stools on one side and kind of stage it like that. Just for photos, of course. If there is too much space in front of the sink I’d put command hooks and a small sign or something there to break that up. That’s IF you think these issues are that big a deal. I like staging kitchens b/c it doesn’t require a lot of big pieces to do it. A bowl of apples. Stack of cool books. Vase with wooden spoons and some tea towels and you’re good. But that’s just me.
If you can gecover the cost, I will suggest new Expresso cabinets. Home with a new kitchen is instantly rented. The way you have can take awhile. Some do not care just below market rent.
My suggestion would be to opt for a 2 tone kitchen and see how you like it. Add under cabinet lighting and a unifying nice hardware and it will look cool! And if you don't like it you can always paint all the cabinets.
First, either add a hood above the stove or add a decorative floating shelf (rustic wood or iron). That will help fill that space so it looks finished. Currently, it looks like a fridge should go where the stove is. Checkout some Joanna Gains kitchen designs for ideas on the shelves; she does it often in her kitchens.
Second, paint the cabinets and add hardware. Another option (if you are willing to put in sweat equity) is the cabinet restore by Rustolium. I’ve done it on three sets of cabinets. I did a chocolate brown, white, and grey. You can do that size kitchen with one box ( about $100). It holds up very well and looks nice. I am in the same price point: 2bed/1bath around 900sf for $1000 - $1100/month and I’ve had lots of compliments. The downside is that it is VERY time consuming. It will not look good if you rush or are not a detailed person. There are several U-Tube videos that you can checkout.
@Martin Neal
Hey Martin, i definitely agree that you gotta make a change in there. If it was me in your position, i would have them painted to your desired color(blue,grey not a bad idea), not worth pouring extra bucks into new cabs especially when those look too be in good condition. Also, i definitely agree with adding either a hood or microwave above the stove to give the kitchen a more complete look. All in all, don't see it setting you back too much. Just curious, what neighborhood south side?