Repainting Your Kitchen Cabinets

Sometimes a new coat of paint is just what the doctor ordered to brighten your spirits as well as a whole room. Assume for a minute that your kitchen looks tired and dated. Before you think about spending thousands of dollars for a makeover, consider repainting the cabinets. With some imagination and elbow grease, you can achieve a whole new look.

The kitchen is often the gathering place for friends and families. People tend to gravitate toward the food and coffee, and find the area a friendly place to chat. Since color plays a major role in how we feel, you may want to consider a warm, cheery hue in your kitchen cabinet repainting project, especially if the room doesn't receive a lot of outdoor light. Warm colors include red, orange, pink, and yellow, in all their various shades. If you prefer a cooler look and feel, check out greens, blues, and purples. These would work well in a warm climate where you want to give the illusion of coolness in the kitchen.

You certainly don't need to limit your kitchen decor to only one color. Possible ideas include using one color on the door and another on the cabinet; papering kitchen walls in a print and picking up one of the colors on the cabinets and doors, or painting the kitchen cabinets in one shade and the surrounding trim in another. In other words, let your imagination and creativity influence your decisions.

Shopping Tips

When you set out to look for paint, you may be amazed by how many colors you'll encounter. For example, if you decide to check out orange, you may find 50 to 100 shades. Obviously some of them vary only slightly and the differences are subtle. You may soon find yourself confused, so to make it easier there are a few things you can do to help:

  • If you aren't sure which color scheme you want, make a trip to a paint store or two and see what colors attract you.
  • As you collect paint chips or samples, write the name of the store it came from and the paint brand if it isn't printed on the sample.
  • Unless you plan a more extensive remodel, keep in mind the floor and countertop colors. You want to make sure the new cabinet color will still work with the other colors around it.
  • If you feel really confused, buy small quantities of the colors you like and paint color boards with them (these are cardboard squares available at paint and hardware stores). Tape them to the cabinets and see how they look in the light of your kitchen.

Be sure to talk with an experienced painter or sales person about supplies you.ll need and what type of paint works best in a kitchen.