by Shayla Johnson

Created on: May 10, 2010   Last Updated: May 11, 2010

Old kitchen cabinets may have more life left in them than one may initially think. With the housing market in a state of inconsistency, fixer-uppers are becoming very attractive to many new home buyers. Kitchens are an area of a house that can cost the most to remodel and upgrade to a more aesthetically appeasing state. When dealing with older cabinets there are several options to making them look updated without all the hassle of tearing them down and purchasing new replacements.

Paint can go a long way. If the kitchen cabinets are still in good condition, meaning there aren’t any holes, huge dents, or other damage to the appearance, try painting the cabinets. Many custom kitchens have painted cabinets. Almost any color can add to the overall updated look of a kitchen. Some of the more popular colors are blacks, greys, greens, and browns. Try to stay away from painting cabinets a bright white. This tends to make the cabinets look cheap and accentuate the dated age. If you like the clean linen look of white, choose a color a few shades deeper, such as cream or beige.

Switch out the hardware. It is surprising how big a change a simple door pull can make. Hardware has a bold statement in the kitchen. Choosing hardware for the cabinets should not stop at the door pulls. Make sure you change the hinges as well. If the hinges are old and dated, your project will appear half-done if they are left next to beautiful new handles. Hardware for cabinetry comes in a wide variety of styles and colors. One is bound to fit the space perfectly. If the cabinets just look to old, or are not in your taste at all, you may want to consider changing the face of the cabinets. This can be considerably cheaper than replacing the entire cabinet and come with much less labor requirements. Many times the cabinet itself is a good solid cabinet; however the door style leaves the owner less than thrilled.

A great way to change that is by simply shopping around for different doors. Make sure you measure carefully to ensure the new doors fit properly. Get rid of the doors all together. If you hate the cabinet feel one could simply remove all the doors to the cabinets. This would give a new open look to the kitchen. One must make sure they are prepared to be organized at all times when taking this route. Open cabinetry means messy stacked dishes are not an option. When choosing this idea, make sure you fill in the holes left behind from the removed hardware. This keeps the project from looking like an afterthought. By painting the cabinets inside and out drama is instantly added to the room.

Giving new life to old cabinets is a great way to save some money while still achieving a new look. Being creative and experimenting with a few different styles may prove to be the perfect alternative to replacing existing kitchen cabinets.

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