Kitchen Cabinets on your low / mid flips; white? brown?

Question

Hey what do you guys think sells better when it comes to kitchen cabinets for your low / mid end flips? White? Brown/Red or Dark Brown?

I've just been using in stock brown home depot cabinets, seem to be ok, people seem to like them but I'm wondering if white would be better..

---Mike

Michael S. · Answer

When I buy a mid to low end home the cabinets are replaced only as a last resort.  The usual course is to paint the cabinets a glossy white and add brushed nickel knobs and replace a few small pieces of hardware so that they close properly and look alright.  The reason for this is the older cabinets tend to be made out of real wood while the newer low priced cabinets tend to hold up poorly.

In the rare event that I have to replace cabinets I go with the best deal on Craigslist or at a local ReStore.

The above was a $300 Craigslist deal for the cabinets and counter top.

Below is a more recent budget renovation on another "gross" house.

There are a few more kitchen remodels that turned out better, but gloss white and brushed nickel knobs tends to be the most cost effective.

I hope this helps.

CHRIS MITCHELL · Answer

I think color needs to come down to lighting and space, the darker the cabinet in a smaller, not so well lit kitchen is going to make the kitchen appear smaller while white or light color cabinets will reflect more light and hopefully have the opposite effect. Just my 2 cents.

Account Closed · Answer

We sometimes buy bare cabinets and paint them gray (actually School House slate is the Behr paint name). They really make the kitchen stand out from the other home, but you're not going off the wall. You can check out the pictures @ www.smcchomes.com.

Andrew Wilson · Answer

I think the choice of cabinets depends on several factors such as lighting, overall type of rehab you're doing (contemporary or historic) and most of all the budget. Its funny that this post is written because a friend is updating several rentals and for his cabinets he did a mixture of everything new, used, white and brown. I found the most cost effective method was to purchase the unfinished cabinets at Lowes or Home Depot and put several coats of stain on them. Doing it this way you will spend half as much.

Moe Hirsch · Answer

White is always more airy, and brightens up the room. that being said, most of my landlord customers stay away from light colored cabinet on their rentals. The darker colors hide dirt better.

George P. · Answer

HD stock cabs suck.  terrible quality and painting them is a pain in...  see if u can get kitchen kompact cabinets in your HD store.  they are about 100 per cab average 10x10 kitchen.

Craigslist is a good idea,  but I've never done it

Sofiya Kiely · Answer

Hello,

For Kitchen cabinets, Red color is perfect, I also installed Red Cabinets in my kitchen, which I really love. I do not recommend white color for kitchen cabinets it so headache, need to clean time to time also we have lots of work in the kitchen so I will go with Red color.

Rod F. · Answer

Gloss White , Oil bases enamel, and a HVLP spray gun.  Enamel has a hard finish, cleans easily,  Hvlp gun virtually no over spray, no brush strokes, and quick.  I'm leaning toward brushed nickel hardware.

Lisa Kohl · Answer

Finishes will vary depending on where you are at. In my neck of the woods, the real dark espresso cabinets were in for awhile and now we are seeing painted whites and greys in all different price points. Lowes carries an in stock white shaker cabinet here that looks nice. It also depends on the type of kitchen space you have to work with as well. You could also check out what other rehabs are producing in your area and use that as a guide.

Jassem A. · Answer

I usually get the unfinished cabinets because they cost less and seems like they would hold up better than the white ones that are made from particle board but I could be wrong.  The MDF cabinets are also less easy to paint with a roller than the unfinished ones after some tenant abuse although I've done it before using appliance paint.

For bathroom sinks, I've been leaning toward the $54 pedestal sinks because it seems like they would hold up better and look better in the long run than the particle board vanity sinks.

Kitchen Cabinets on your low / mid flips; white? brown?

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