Kitchen Cabinet Restoration Ideas

Exterior Face

• A good way to restore your kitchen cabinets is to strip the old finish off of the doors and front cabinet face. Remove everything that you can to make sanding and removing the old finish easier, but use a hand sander to take the finish off the frame. When your cabinets are stripped to the wood, the fun begins. You can paint them with an interior water-resistant paint in a color scheme that complements your kitchen walls or your decor, or you can choose to stain them for a rustic look. If you like the look of the natural wood color, just coat the cabinets with a clear, protective coating. Once the paint, stain or coating is dry, rehang the doors.

Interior

• Restore the look of your cabinets by painting the interior the same color as the exterior. You can also paint the inside walls of the cabinets in the same color as the exterior, but paint your shelves a different color. Or, line the bottoms of your cabinets and your shelves in cloth to help protect your dishes and give the cabinets a homey feeling. In warm weather, the paint may begin to stick to your dishes if they are not protected.

Trim

• If your cabinets do not have any kind of decorative trim or molding around them, add some to give them an updated look. Any decorative molding or trim designed for use around a ceiling would be appropriate for finishing your kitchen cabinets and would give them a completely new look. Paint the trim in the same color as you paint the cabinet, or use a complementary color. Go with a contrasting color if you want to highlight the new trim.

Hardware

• New hardware can add to the new appearance of your cabinets. Use inexpensive replacement hardware, or spring for more decorative options. If you choose hardware that requires a different mounting than the old hardware, fill in the holes on your cabinets before painting or staining them. For example, if your old hardware used handles that had two mounting screws and you are moving to hardware that has just one screw, then you will need to fill in the old holes on your doors.