Old cabinet refinish / repainting advice?

Houston, TX · Member since 2018 · 19 posts · 4 votes

Hello all,

I am looking into an older kitchen cabinet remodel and was wondering if there were any creative people out there that had any ideas. The cabinets are in very good condition for their age and I am looking at updating them by possibly repainting or staining.

They definitely do have an aged look which will be hard to overcome and I've looked up some ideas online but haven't found cabinets with the same shape. I would replace the countertops as well as the appliances/flooring.

Does anyone have any personal ideas of theirs for this kitchen set up? Thinking about removing the cabinets overhead the cook top to open up the space even more.

Thanks in advance, see photos below!

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Justin Tahilramani

Rental Property Investor · Fayetteville, NC · Member since 2014 · 884 posts · 670 votes

What is the price point on this rental? Is it an A, B or C class property? If the cabinets are in good shape - I WOULD NOT RIP THEM OUT. Those cabinets are probably built 10x better than anything that you can get in the retail market today (outside of custom). Remove the hardware, fill in the holes, de-grease, light sand, oil based primer, spray cabinets with a quality cabinet paint. Less than $200 in materials if you do it yourself. Under $1k if you pay someone else.

I would recommend replacing the counter tops with new formica counters. Look up "Meet Kevins" youtube video on kitchen cabinet updates. Follow his advice - he knows what he is talking about.

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Josh Adams
Rental Property Investor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2017 · 23 posts · 19 votes
6y
@Frank Szymanski If you go the painting route don’t mess with oil based paints if you’re not an expert. I am no painting expert but I have painted cabinets twice: at our previous home and at our current home. The former with oil based the latter with high quality semi-gloss. I understand the traditional guidance on using oil based for high traffic areas like kitchens for durability and cleaning but oil based painting experience was just not worth it. It’s extremely hard to work with, clean up, and it stinks. The quality of water based primers and paints today will stand up as long as your prep work is thoroughly done. You’re probably looking at sanding, priming, and three coats of a high quality semi gloss or gloss paint.
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Dawn P.
Rental Property Investor · Sumter, SC · Member since 2015 · 334 posts · 531 votes
6y
Originally posted by @Frank Szymanski:
@Dawn P.
Wow Dawn that looks great!
Question, how did you get rid of the raised surfaces on your older cabinet faces? Also, how much grain do you see through your cabinets, what product did you use?

Thanks! I used a five-in-one tool and a hammer to pop the raised trim off, it's only held on with a bit of glue and pin nails. The wood grain didn't show through when I was done - used one coat of oil based Zinsser and three coats of Sherwin Williams ProClassic paint. The cabinets I did in this combo about five years ago have held up really well.
But if you want to go dark, the General Finishes gel stain others have mentioned does a really good job, too!
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Alissa Engel
Great Falls, MT · Member since 2017 · 97 posts · 172 votes
6y
@Frank Szymanski
I’ve done three sets of 70-90’s oak cabinets in rentals. I’ve always used the Rustoleum Cabinet Refinish kit from Home Depot. I’ve done dark brown, white, and Grey. White was my favorite, but they all turned out well, and have held up with tenants. The issues is TIME. It is very time consuming to do it right. There are many UTube videos that show how to do it, but many claim that it’s a weekend job. I don’t think this is possible. It’s been a week of full days for me.
We currently have another set that needs done, and my husband is pushing for paint instead. He thinks it will be less time consuming.
Curious if anyone has done both of these options: what’s the difference in time required? And how has paint held up compared to the Rustoleum product??
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