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I don't even know where to start with my kitchen...
Edited: I don't think the photo is working.
To begin with, our style (well, my style, since DH could care less) is kind of Zen, which to me means modern/urban with strong Asian influence. I inherited a very large collection of antique Japanese art and d?cor from my grandfather which I love and that is displayed throughout the house. Since there is so much of it, I have designed everything else around it. I should also mention: I'm a bit more obsessed with Ikea than I think is normal. My dream kitchen is an Ikea kitchen. Obviously, my existing kitchen is not even close to that. Our house is almost completely open, so obviously we would like the kitchen to blend in with everything else we have done.
The cabinets overall are in good shape and functional. The wood grain is gorgeous. I would be happy with the wood itself if stained an espresso color. The problem with that idea is that the cabinets aren't all wood...only the doors and face frame are solid wood, the rest is that particle board stuff with a paper coating. The crown molding on top is covered in the same paper and the paper is beginning to shred. But it's the style of the doors I'm having more trouble with. They just look "country" to me, especially paired with the wood-trimmed countertops, brass hardware, and everything else.
I've done some research and found out I can replace the exposed hinges with Euro hinges for around $6/door and replace the pulls with new stainless ones for around $5/door. We will definitely be purchasing a new stove and range hood to match the other stainless appliances. Oh, and we are for sure going to paint over that hideous wallpaper - the same color we plan to paint the rest of the house, a very soft muted green, almost a beige color but definitely in the green family.
We've toyed with the idea of painting the countertops with that new Rust-O-Leum countertop paint but I'm not sure what to do about the wood trim, and there is existing water damage that might warrant replacing them anyway. But if I replace the countertops, the goofy shape of the island poses an issue since all we can afford is laminate, and not even the custom order stuff.
But at the end of the day, I'm not sure doing any or all of the above will be enough to make this kitchen feel sleek and modern. I'm terrified of investing any money because I think I'll still hate it. Does anyone have any ideas, or advice, or words of encouragement? I could sure use them.
Re: I don't even know where to start with my kitchen...
I'm obsessed with Ikea too, LOL.
Rather than provide answers to each of your questions, I'll state how I'd tackle that problem if I wanted the kitchen you want, with what is already there.
1) NEVER paint over wallpaper. I've stripped wallpaper or wallpaper borders from several rooms in my home. Yes, it sucks, it's messy, and time consuming. However, wallpaper peels, and the last thing you want is peeling painted-over wallpaper. The wallpaper strippers they make do the job, but it will be several hours of work to get to, and strip, the wallpaper above your cabinets. You'll then have to do a painting of primer before the actual paint color. But, do it, because in the end you'll have a much better effect & outcome. (FYI: when I stripped the wallpaper in my kitchen several years ago, what was underneath it was the plaster on my walls with pencil marks.......no one had ever painted the walls before. Primer gives you smoother application of paint)
2) If I were you, I'd attack the kitchen in stages rather than worrying about doing it all at once with your finalized "look". In other words, do above with the wallpaper and paint. Decide on the cabinet look you want. I understand the door style is not ideal for the look you want, however, kitchen cabinets are very expensive, and if you are happy with the layout of your kitchen, there's no need to re-do everything including cabinet boxes and doors. It is possible to order simply the replacement doors online for a much lower cost. If you know anyone with any carpentry skills, you could have new doors made that are flat and give you the "non-country" look you want. Another option, which is something I've done, is to eliminate doors in areas where you leave the upper or lower cabinets door-free and paint the inside the same color as the rest of the cabinets. Then, you can have stylish baskets or oriental looking containers in the open, or your glasses and dishes on display much like open hutch shelves. This eliminates re-doing a couple of doors and saves time, and puts your lovely things on display. If you are going to restain the existing doors, you will have to sand them first to eliminate the shiny finish so your stain will take.
Cabinet manufacturers make "facing strips", which are thin strips of (I think) pressed plywood that is sticky on one side and can be used on the cabinet box facings, which it sounds like is what is tearing in your post. You can probably get it in the color you want to stain or paint the wood.
On some of the DIY shows I've watched, I've seen a shiny metal type of contact paper that is similar to what a stainless steel appliance has. I've seen it affixed over wood and smoothed and it looked good. Not sure if that's something you'd want to consider using as either door inserts or as your backsplash above the cabinet countertops. You may want to have something above the sink (which I don't see in your pictures) where it can get wet.
3) I'd sand and stain, or paint the stand of the island to match the cabinets. From the picture you posted, it appears the stand of the island may be paneling of some type. If so, you can put a different type of paneling over it, sand and restain, or paint it a color you want to introduce into the kitchen.
4) As for the countertops, the island doesn't have to match the cabinet countertops. I've seen islands in totally different colors from the cabinets, both the entire island or the top. I've looked at the Rust O Leum product you mention online, but have not researched it enough to know if it's worth it. I also obsess about my countertops, but in the end I'm not sure what I'd do that is cost effective. I've considered simple butcher block which is fairly inexpensive compared to granite & other counter top materials.
5) You don't mention the floors at all, but I'm assuming at some point you intend to re-do them. It appears to be linoleum, not sure. If it is, if you take it up and find wood floors underneath, you can sand and stain them to match your cabinets, or paint them. Or, you can use tile. I'm biased toward hardwood floors because I love them and they have an excellent resale value, but understand they are not for everyone.
FWIW, I plan and save for all my remodeling projects over time. I planned my living room make-over for about 3-4 years before I actually did it. My home is a quad with 4 floors, open layout, and the living room and upper and lower hallway were all papered in peach vinyl wallpaper when I bought the house. It was an absolutely major job to tackle, one I needed a lot of help with. I knew what I wanted the finished product to look like and researched online all the furnishings, bookcases on either side of the fireplace, fireplace mantel, EVERYTHING, so I had it in my head what I wanted to accomplish once I'd saved enough money.
I'm going to tackle the kitchen this year, and re-doing the cabinets as you are planning to do. But this is the second re-do, the first was over 13 years ago when I painted all the "country blue" 1960's cabinets white, and painted the dark paneling white, which now looks like wainscoting. This time I'm tearing down a portion of a wall between the living room & kitchen and building a bar/island between the rooms.
I guess the message is this: plan for your redecorating projects, research as much as you can online, go to specialty stores or home improvement stores and view materials available, plan and measure. Also, there are TONS of videos on youtube with instructions for just about anything. I found some yesterday for part of my kitchen project.
If you intend to stay in your home for 10 years or more, then it's worth it to do it right and get what you want. It might be done in stages, but in the end you have what you want.
Good luck.
Thanks, Sue.
Just to make all of the following make sense - our house is a trailer. Granted it's very nice as trailers go and less than 10 years old, but it's still a trailer. I've never lived in one, or even really knew anyone who did (I'm a city girl at heart) so I don't know what kind of lifespan they have. Which is part of the reason we are doing everything on such a tight budget. I am not putting granite countertops and slate flooring in a trailer that I can't guarantee will still be standing in 50 years. Plus, all the existing materials are super low-end and putting in something high-end I feel would draw more attention to that fact. I'd like the house to look as expensive as possible though.
So...the wallpaper is integrated into the sheetrock. Which means there is no way to remove it without replacing the sheetrock. We've painted over it in other rooms with no problem as long as we use a primer. The wallpaper itself will never come off so as long as the paint adheres well to the semi-glossy surface of the wallpaper I think it will be fine.
We want to do some kind of backsplash but the sheetrock is only 1/4 inch so I don't know if it can support the weight of tile. We may have to go with your suggestion and do some kind of contact paper.
The sink is toward the right of the photo, it's cut off. If you "save picture as" you should be able to view the entire image. There is a window above the sink, and above that there is some ugly oak trim that is hiding a florescent light. Not sure what to do about that. I don't want to tear up the walls or ceiling since they are both textured and once repairs have been made the texture is difficult if not impossible to match.
The base of the island is particleboard with paper over it. I like the idea of just covering it with another kind of paneling or maybe just solid wood I can stain to match the rest of the cabinets. There is a very large overhang so I have plenty of room to build it up. Thanks so much for that suggestion
What is peeling on the cabinets is the crown molding along the top edge. I think they were attempting to make the kitchen look more expensive but now it looks terrible, and I think it's adding to the whole "country" look. I've often considered just taking it off but am worried it will look weird.
I might see about getting new doors made. I'd prefer something just flat, Ikea-style. My brother-in-law is a carpenter and something like that would be very easy for him I would think. I don't know why I never thought about making our own doors, but I have looked at pre-fabricated ones to purchase and our measurements are far from standard so it would cost a fortune. Maybe he can do something with the existing doors even so I can keep that gorgeous wood grain.
I've done a whole awful lot of research on the Rust-O-Leum countertop paint and it generally has very good reviews, but like I said, I don't know what I'd do with the wood trim. But DH is still pretty leery about painting such a high-traffic work surface despite my research so we may end up replacing them instead.
And, yes, the floors are linoleum. I have no issue with linoleum but I don't like the pattern. It will eventually be replaced (when we are able to do the kitchen and the bathroom together) probably with new linoleum that resembles natural stone. There is nothing underneath but the plywood subfloor.
Thanks for the clarification, I had no idea from the size of the kitchen that it was a manufactured home........that's as big as the one in my house, LOL.
Another product to look into for your countertops, which I had saved as a favorite is here (I'd forgotten that I saved it). I like it better than the Rustoleum example:
http://www.gianigranite.com/
I understand better what you mean about the wallpaper now. You may be right, the wallboard around the sink may not support a tile backsplash.
Yesterday I was searching for videos on youtube about putting molding on cabinet doors. I have the opposite problem of you, I have flat doors and want some detail. I searched for "adding molding to kitchen cabinet doors", but there are also videos on making cabinet doors. I think the plain doors, similar to Ikea's will be much better in the long run for the look you want.
Sounds like you have some good plans.
Hi! We are redoing our kitchen as well and have the EXACT same cabinets... with the same swoop inlay design in the top and the same color. We have just repainted all of them, first with a Rustoleum Cabinent Transformation kit in Pure White, and now (the bottom ones) I'm going to attempt to do with Valspar Paint + Primer b/c while the Rustoleum looks okay, it took several more than the promised 2 coats to get the white to cover the oak and not look streaky... like 3 or 4 plus the deglossing step plus the clear coating. So we ended up having to buy two kits to cover ours (and we probably have the same number of cabinets in our home. I'll let you know how the Valspar goes. I would push you to go lighter on the cabinets as it will brighten up the space (that was our thought process).
Also we are struggling with tile backsplash vs something easier... and have stumbled upon a beadboard backsplash... basically it's wood paneling painted white that you could nail or glue on instead of heavy tile... google it, I think it could look great for you. I'd also throw some colorful rugs on the floor to bring some color in while you are in process of doing all the different concepts as I'm sure you won't do them all at once. We did get granite countertops as our one splurge, but I've seen the Rustoleum countertop deal, and I think that in a dark finish could look good in your kitchen vs light flooring and possible light cabinets.
Just my thoughts! We aren't done with our reno yet, but it is already looking so much better!