What to update in kitchen?

Question

Hi guys!  Looking to do a soft remodel on outdated kitchen.  First off, yes, wallpaper is going (still debating between painting over OR taking off, redoing drywall & painting fresh)

What do I do with the cabinets (besides maybe adding hardware?)  Do I leave them? repaint w/fresh coat? take out & add new ones?

Countertops-Should I leave as is or install new ones?

Again, all is functional but outdated. Also this is for a rental and there are 12 other units that look similar so a budget is in place of course.

Ray Thorsen · Answer

These are before and after I replaced doors in one of my units. It was a night and day transformation i thought. Cost $1200 plus hardware. duration 3 weeks to order I think and 1 day to install.

Wanda Wilkinson · Answer

That’s actually a pretty good kitchen for a rental. Since it does not have a window, I might add some some under-cabinet lighting. It can really brighten things up. If you don’t want to hire an electrician, there are many stick-on lighting options available on Amazon or IKEA. They operate by a small remote like Christmas lights. Just try to get “warm” lighting spectrum if you can. The peel and stick backsplash is available at Lowe’s or Home Depot and they look very nice. I would pick a light green. Since there is no dishwasher and it is a compact kitchen I would have a drying rack for dishes added over the sink. It affixes to the wall and is very useful. The dish-drying rack is common in Europe but for some reason has not really caught on in the US. If at all possible, I would install an outside ventilating fan over the stove. It is worth its weight in gold, as any odors and grease really have nowhere to go in a small apartment. As a final touch, install some hanging utensil racks from Ikea between those two outlets on the wall. They are very reasonable in price and keep things off the counter, and look very modern.

Mike McCarthy · Answer

@Ashton Levarek  I’d paint the cabinets and add new hardware. Either paint the backsplash or use those peel and stick tiles - real tiles, not fake ones. (they aren’t cheap, but they are easy!)

As long as the interiors of the cabinets are decent, they look like they are in good condition. Replacing is expensive. Some nice gloss white or gray paint would make them look great.

Ashton Levarek · Answer

@Matt R. yes- I finally decided to go with the "do it right the first time" method and taking off the wallpaper THEN painting over it (hiring someone though to get the job done for sure!)

@Rob B. yeah, was thinking of maybe simply adding some hardware to cabinets, adding backsplash & some under cabinet lighting-seems changing out the current cabinets would be a little out of our budget-thanks!

Parker Eberhard · Answer

@Ray Thorsen I would look a doing a white or light grey shaker style door on the uppers to make the kitchen brighter

Ashton Levarek · Answer

forgot 2nd pic--here it is

Brent Paul · Answer

@Ray Thorsen  Wow that looks like a totally different kitchen.  It just goes to show you don't need to spend big bucks to make a space functional provided it has good bones.

Rob B. · Answer

Sometimes the minor aesthetics can make all the difference. Refacing cabinets or even installing new ones isn't necessarily cheap, but things like lighting and even the backsplash/wall-tiling (space underneath cabinets, between the cabinet and the countertop) can give it a completely different feel. Stainless steel updates (faucet, cabinet handles, etc) can make all of the difference. I'm also of the notion that a lot of kitchens need to update the flooring to something more durable and water-resistant (also more resistant to other things like oils and spills). @Ashton Levarek

Matt R. · Answer

A couple of the walls in the bathroom in my residence have wallpaper that had been painted over once, which I didn't realize until right before I repainted it.  I went ahead and painted over the paper again, and I sort of wish I hadn't.  Most of it is OK, but the vanity is in the corner, and doesn't have a "side splash", so that part of the wallpaper is exposed to water splashing from the sink.  The paint and wallpaper is starting to wrinkle up in that area.  If any part of the wallpaper in yours is close to the countertops, you might think about removing it.

On the other hand, I've helped pull wallpaper off of drywall before.  Expect a lot of sanding, and some spackling, to get everything reasonably flat again so you can paint it.

Ben Simpson · Answer

lighting underneath the cabinets would look great. If there is somebody with a bit of electrical experience doing the work, you can save a lot of money getting simple LED strips off of Amazon, versus buying lights with plastic covers.

Just make sure to stick them strongly onto an inside edge, where they LED lights won't be directly visible, and it will look great.

What to update in kitchen?

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