Comments on: Should Nancy paint her vintage wood cabinets?

By: Glamorlux Nancy

Glamorlux Nancy — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:07:09 +0000

Hi Pam and All,
I was so inspired by the “1964 Split-Level Time Capsule” kitchen profiled here on retroren, that it has changed my kitchen remodeling plans completely! We are now keeping the original countertops, but ‘knocking’ off the backsplash and putting in aqua tile. We will also attempt to keep the wood finish of the cabinets. That being said, we no longer need our unused metal banding (from NY metal) and sheet of aqua boomerang Formica laminate. Any ideas on passing these items along at a cheap price? Anyone interested? We live in Northern, Va.
Well, I’m off to start painting the kitchen walls. Thanks everyone for your input on my project!!!
=) Nancy

By: pam kueber

pam kueber — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:12:40 +0000

Welcome, ktina. My husband taught me the aphorism: “Good…Fast…Cheap: Pick Any Two.” One of my favorites of all time. And remember DIY readers to use appropriate safety and environmental precautions such as testing paint for lead.

By: ktina

ktina — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:06:41 +0000

We had 1950’s cabinets in our home as well. Someone had painted over the varnished cabinets and the paint was chipping and some places had food on it. I used a heat gun to take off the varnish and then sanded them down. It took a few months, but It was well worth it. We were able to re-stain our cabinets for about $200 and now they look brand new. Just took a little elbow grease. I would encourage you to stain them rather than paint. If you do paint, make sure you sand the varnish off, otherwise you will chip the paint off. Also, use high gloss paint as this is easier to wash.

By: smartygirl

smartygirl — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:45:55 +0000

i have been wondering what to do with my wooden cabinets as well… they are just a veneer which is chipped in a few spots (near the floor, so not too noticeable, but in no way are they perfect) i am tempted to do a green stain with the walls pale yellow and floor a warm gold with a darker border… also i fell in love with this fabric: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3589/3363475759_525f574de9_o.jpg which i’m making curtains out of. i am dying to see “before” and “after” photos of everyone’s kitchens!

By: Terri

Terri — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:50:10 +0000

We painted our Quaker Made cabinets white, they are circa 1969…a bit too colonial for our 1948 house. I had a professional spray painter take the fronts of the drawers and all of the cabinet doors. They then spent the day spraying the actual cabinets and tile with an oil based paint. (It was the second layer of tile that had been painted cream, sadly, the first layer was black & white…so my kitchen returned to its roots!) The little wall space that we have is painted mint green – to match the FiestaWare. We had an odd wall with a mushroom shaped counter that was replaced by a black Formica rolling table and a narrow set of shelves/cabinets to match the cabinets with lights and plenty of space for cookbooks, telephone, etc.

By: Glamorlux Nancy

Glamorlux Nancy — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:43:07 +0000

Thanks everyone for your input! Pam – that kitchen looks so bright and sunny… I love it! I have yet to do anything… Here is a Formica ad I found, which shows what the aqua counters could look like with wood cabinets:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f13/starletstyle3/FormicaAd.jpg

By: PugFreek

PugFreek — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 07:33:26 +0000

Pat,
wood is inviting yes, but even cheap wood can look good.

By: Pam Kueber

Pam Kueber — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 21:18:18 +0000

Nancy, I found this photo for you on flickr – take a look: http://flickr.com/photos/amandawoodward/112214921/

By: Pat

Pat — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:55:32 +0000

Guess everyone has their own opinions and you need to go with your own. But, I hate painting quality wood, unless it’s a cheap, scuzzy wood, then I say go for it. It is not fun stripping paint! Besides, to me wood is warm and inviting. But, that’s me!

By: Carol

Carol — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:23:27 +0000

O my, those look like my cabinets and the exact same copper tile. I did take the tile off the wall…they sort of just fell off. I am considering painting the cabinets. They are not in that great of shape. I own a 1951 cape cod why on earth did they place the refrigerator right next to two doube wide windows….? the stove sits on a wall by itself. Very odd layout.