Ugly kitchen!!

13 years ago

The previous owners of my home painted the kitchen cabinets teal with white crackle paint and also painted over the counter top tiles. What would be the easiest ways to change these without replacing. Especially the tiles. We have used paint stripper and attempted to sand the cabinets. This paint seems stuck! Help!

Featured Answer

momsy

13 years ago

Doors: find cost of sending these out to be redone...it will be $$$, but cheaper than therapy. Tiles: longish stout blade...well placed hammer...try to skin the tile and attached drywall off in smoothest manner possible. The drywall is a goner.

Now, you will need to plan your new backsplash! Mirrors, tile, metal fabrication are obviously all possible.

Oh, those counter tops. You are right...these new products are durable. Just maybe not attractive. I would read up on the process that is used to get the paint to stick. If the tiles were etched, then there is no longer a pretty glazed finish on the tile. If the paint does come off, you are left with the porous material the tile was made from (think of what the back of the tile looks like). That would be a disaster to try to keep clean.

Alcohol! That's the solution! Drink a lot of alcohol when you are in the kitchen. Before you spend any money on this, price out what you really want, top to bottom. Then do the same for the work needed to alter what is there. I'm guessing saving for a redo will end up being cheaper.

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Comments (10)

victorianbungalowranch
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
I would start with painting the inset panels and the frames cream to match the crackle paint and see how that looks. At least that would blend in the different finishes a bit. Then I sould sand the edges and perhaps antique to make it look more professionally done. Just doing that alone would help.

I don't think there is much you can do about the countertop except replace..You might be able to recoat with a dark grey or black (mottled?) finish, but that might be a mess, and I would worry about peeling unless you know what was used the first time.

Once you do this the periwinkle squares should look better--or you could remove the tile (probably not stuck on that well) and repaint or retile as you choose. The tile is pretty nice actually but not well installed and might make some nice trivets or accent tile behind the stove or something.
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PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
13 years ago
Serious paint stripper would be needed - and you would need to take precautions when using. I would replace the tile.
Natalie
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
Paint the cabinets any color---a light shade-buy a gallon of the color. Buy a quart of paint, 2-3 shades deeper of the SAME color and a quart of glaze. Paint the cabinets the light color---mix equal amounts of glaze with darker color-apply color and immediately wipe off. The darker color will give the doors an antique look. As for the backsplash, remove it! Add beadboard paneling and paint it the light color. Counter-lots of paint products out there, check your local home improvement stores... Hope this is helpful...[houzz=
miriam manzo · More Info
][houzz=
Plantation Inspired Kitchen · More Info
]
victorianbungalowranch
13 years ago
I'm afraid that the paint is really thick and the crackle is going to show through any layer you put pn there, but that could be a plus with some creativity to do the artfully aged look, maybe even coating it with thin drybrush of various colors, then cream or white distressed to show the color underneath and glazed. Add some rustic bronze hardware, and it might look pretty cool.

People pay good money for that look with reclaimed wood:
charleee
13 years ago
Why not just remove all the doors on the upper cabinets, then paint everything white, inside and out: [houzz=
Open Shelving in Kitchen · More Info
]
For the tile countertops, I had the worlds ugliest countertops and I painted them with Rustoleum Hammered Copper Paint followed by 2 coat of Rustoleum Clear: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/new-old-countertop-dsvw-vd~191372
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
13 years ago
You can replace the doors only and then have everything painted.
alwaysdesigning
13 years ago
I would also suggest replacing the doors and repaint the cabinets which may require stripping first. You could try repainting the tiles first to buy some time to decide how you want to handle those. A quality paint store should help you with a product to paint and seal them. If you get a new countertop then you can remove them at the same time; bring your countertop up under the cabinets as backsplash. As much use as a countertop gets, I would seriously consider investing in replacing it. Get something you will like forever. Don't skimp on it but it doesn't need to be granite (I can't stand that stuff) but could be a nice Silestone or even Formica has some nice products now. Good luck.
PRO
User
13 years ago
Whatever you do, DON'T put something permanent like a stone counter on top of those cabinets. You can take the doors off and paint everything as suggested above, but those are temporary solutions until you can budget for a more complete redo. Painting on top of crackle, or tile, or laminate, is never going to be durable enough for a long term permanent kitchen solution. The kitchen is a hard wearing WORKROOM, and just won't hold up long term to those quick fixes.
PRO
Granite Transformations
13 years ago
Hi Trisha,

I'd agree with ProSource Memphis above, I wouldn't try doing any drastic until you can afford to remodel this kitchen entirely. You'll be wasting time and money painting the cabinetry once it's sanded down correctly. Trying to remove the finish from the tile could risk damage to the tile itself.

I think you just need to ride it out and save up until you're ready to get the look you really want. However, if you like the layout of the cabinetry and it's in good condition, having it refaced by a professional is a great way to save $. In that case, going over the existing counters with natural stone like granite would also be an option. Some paint to the kitchen and new flooring would complete the space.

If you need help with either cabinet refacing or natural stone counters, check us out- http://www.granitetransformations.com/southjersey/services/kitchen-remodeling/

Good luck with what you choose!