Natwerk Designs

Kitchen cabinets - does painting them hurt resale value?

I'm a young professional and bought my first place - a condo - in january. The kitchen cabinets are the cheap sort the builders put in - oak-ish, too lightweight to be solid, and kind of plain. In my personal opinion, they're really ugly. However, I only plan on living here 2 or 3 years, so I don't want to (and can't afford to) sink too much money into a kitchen remodel. I've been thinking of painting the cabinets to make them look better (to me) and installing some knobs or handles. My mom thinks buyers want wood cabinets, though, and says I shouldn't do it. But, I'm seeing lots of painted cabinets on HGTV, decorating magazines, and in upscale homes. Does anyone have any opinions on this? Is it possible to just buy new doors for the cabinets, inexpensively? Thanks for the input!

Public Comments

1. Paint the cabinets! Take the doors off......lightly sand by hand.......wipe down with TSP......apply a couple of coats of water-based Kilz-It using a foam brush and small foam roller(you can place the brush and roller in a ziplock bag and keep in fridge until the next coat of primer or paint. I like using spray paint and paint the inside of the doors first with several light coats using a satin finish......let dry and paint the outside. If using paint in a can use an enamel paint. If you are having to drill holes for knobs or handles do this before painting the doors.
2. I'm a fan of HGTV & I'm always a little scared when they say they're going to paint something that's wood - be it cabinets or paneling. But you know what? After they're done it looks so nice & FRESH that I'm always amazed at the result. New hardware works wonders - don't underestimate that. Also, fresh paint or nice new floor tiles (even the peel & stick) just makes everything come together.
3. I think painted cabinets are better than oak, buyers don't want wood if its outdated and cheap looking. I'd keep it simple though and paint them white, no crazy colors. The best way, which is a little time consuming, take off doors and remove all hardware( it never looks good to paint around hinges/handles) sand everything lightly, do 1-2 coats of primer, and use an enamel Benjamin Moore Satin Impervo is the best, it dries with little or no brush strokes and it a scrubbable satin finish updating the hardware is a great idea too
4. Ok, it depends on whether you're going to do a professional job or not. Kitchen cabinets are a serious business to buyers - don't skimp on researching how to do it correctly. They have paints available that show very little brush stroke, and make sure you sand between coats. You can also put a clear spray polyurethane over your doors, which will make them appear smoother yet. Do not use anything that will yellow with age! You can also leave the frames stained & just paint the doors - it looks wonderful like that - saw it in a home depot display. Or you could go with just sanding & restaining- you've got to sand anyways if you want a good paint job. What does your kitchen need - is it dark? Then definitely paint them light. To choose your color - go to the cabinet department and look at their colors & finishes - always copy the experts!!! If you age them, it will cover more flaws, too. And yes, NEW HARDWARE is a must - try Ebay, I always buy my hardware there - too expensive in the stores.