Pam: The easiest way to ID the cabinets is if there is a label. But if there is not – yes, send me a few photos, and we may be able to make a good guess based on the design, handles, etc. Many thanks!

Dana: Ok – you are amazing! And your husband clearly finds your obsession adorable! Well, I’m off to do more research as well. I have to salvage / spruce them up, but can’t afford the powder coating or that crazy car-enthusiast technique! I’m hoping some steel wool and car wax will do the trick.

I truly have a “blank slate of possibilities” with this home. It is *so* 1953 it makes me giggle. And the more I’m in it the more I love its mid-century / homey feel.

I’m glad to know you are out there as a beacon for us. In fact, my two closest gal-pals staged a bit of an “intervention” over coffee this morning where they “had to tell me the truth” about the kitchen cabinets: “NOBODY would want to keep them or use them or re-condition them; rip them out and move on. You just have to face it that they are ugly and gross.”

Well, I’m not going to do anything except fix the cabinets and revel it their glory. So there!

They are a bit rusted and beat-up. My handyman said paint them with a gloss paint. That doesn’t feel right to me. Can’t I just wax / buff them like you did yours? Mine are off white and the pulls are shiny chrome. Any idea who made them?

The kitchen sink is placed on a different kind of cabinet – you can see the pulls are different. I was thinking a black and while 12 x 12 laminate tile on the floor, a la “diner” look. I see your appliances are white. Should I go all-white appliances or stainless? What about backsplash?And take a look at these bathrooms…. now that is going to be fun making them authentic!

Any help is appreciated.

How to clean up your cabinets with auto body compound and turtle wax:

Pam: Thank you, Dana! I am so impressed and happy that your resisted the intervention! Oh….yes, regarding your question about sprucing — I just basically treat the cabinets like an old car:

1. Please know that any vintage paint may contain lead. It is advisable to test the paint to know what you are working with, to consult with pro’s, and to inform yourself and be sure to use the appropriate environmental and safety precautions. That said, here is the process I used to brighten up my cabinets:
2. DON’T use steel wool — it will take off the paint!!!
3. If you can, take off the cabinet pulls.
4. Then, start the clean up process by rubbing FINE white auto body compound into the cabinet… using a soft rag… working in a small area (like, 15″ x 15″)… in a circular motion.
5. Be careful how much pressure you use. You can and will take off the paint right down to the steel if you use heavier duty auto body compound – or if you apply too much pressure. The key is to just take off a very very thin top layer of paint along with the dirt. But not too much! You should test in an obscure area and even then – go slow, as you don’t know what previous owners did. Once paint is scraped off down to the metal — well, it’s off!
6. Keep changing rags as needed – you will actually see the paint (if it’s not white) coming off on the rag kind of mushing in with the compound. You might have go over the cabinet several times.
7. When you feel like the color is ”clean”…”true”, rub down the cabinet until you’re sure there is no auto body compound residue. There is no specific way to know when the color is clean and true: One thing you can do is ‘eyeball’ the door or drawer you’re working on versus a dirty cabinet to see the degree of change. You really will be able to see the difference. Having good lighting will also help.
8. Once the cabinet door is smooth, apply liquid Turtle Wax (you could try other products) and buff with a very soft cloth, or even better, buy an electric hand-buffer, it saves hours of time. Use the very soft polishing pad or something like a chamois. Work in small areas, go in a circular motion. My buffer cost about $30, and it was worth it.
9. After the Turtle Wax is applied, put the handles back on. (No post yet on how to clean chrome.) I’ve been going two years strong with just one clean-up like this and have not needed more. To clean on an ongoing basis, I use a soft damp sponge or even a soft damp dishtowel to remove fingerprints. Then I dry with a clean soft towel.
10. This is the technique that we used with our cabinets, and it worked just great! Considering that Turtle Wax is meant to protect cars from environmental pollutants – the cabinets should be able to run on their coat for quite some time.

Dana: It is official: I think I love you!
THANK YOU SO MUCH. Can’t wait to get started!

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Dana, I love you too! It’s a big retro reno love-fest every day! Never so many smiley faces in one post! And here, as promised is a beautiful advertisement featuring Crosley steel kitchen cabinets in 1953 – YOUR YEAR …YOUR KITCHEN, no question! The design, the hardware – and look at the wall cabinets above the stoves – dead ringers, dead giveaways! Apparently a big push on Crosleys’ this year, what with the expensive double-truck (two-page) ad! You have a beauty, to be sure.

Since this is a long post already, I’ll give you some other ideas on retro-renovating your kitchen tomorrow!