{{gwi:1592269}}

I copied your photo to photobucket, where it's easy to copy/paste here.

(1) Under cabinet lighting: If there's room in the backsplash height, I'd put in light rail to hide the lights. Light rail can vary in height. Ours is 1-1/2" high and would easily hide pucks or low-profile fluorescent lights. Some people have shorter light rail...what you need will depend on what lighting you pick...probably the lower profile the better.

(2) OTR MW...I'm not a fan of those and it would definitely be a turn-off if I were looking at your house...probably a deal-breaker unless I could see an inexpensive way to put in a dedicated range hood and move the MW elsewhere that's not on the counter but still easily accessible. Of course, if you gave me an allowance for renovating the kitchen, it would be a non-issue!

Which brings up a point...from comments I've read here from realtors, one of the most common changes made to a "new" home is a remodel of the kitchen...are you sure you want to put all this time & $$$ into a kitchen remodel when you might be able to include a kitchen remodel allowance and get the same monetary results?

I agree that your floor looks pretty good as-is, so I would leave that, or at least leave it til last.

But, for a home that you are looking to sell soon, I would not recommend light gold/beige with a dark green glaze for your cabinet finish. I think that it is too colorful for the average home buyer and many may be turned off by it. Consider possibly a nice cream with an umber glaze or tobacco colored glaze if you are going to paint.

The beadboard could be very nice but it is a 'cottagy' touch. What is the rest of your house like? How about the homes that yours will be competing against: same general style, pricepoint, area?

Do you have access to the ceiling from above for lighting changes? Is there other lighting in the space besides the flourescent?

What does the refrigerator side of the kitchen look like? Maybe you could post a picture of that, as well.

Looks like I wasn't much help! Sorry! Hopefully others will jump in.

Sandy

I don't know what the norm is for your neighborhood, but frankly I'd rather see a clean kitchen that I could use until I renovated over one redone in a way that I didn't like (such as beige painted cabinets, sorry). Besides, painting cabinets is time-consuming to do well. Swap out the counters and sink as planned, replace hardware, faucet, light fixture. Done!

Beige painted cabinets with green glazing would turn off 99% of your potential buyers and actually end up costing you money in the long run. Save your money. Leave the kitchen alone. I'd rather have it like it is and remodel it to my taste than have someone else's DIY painted cabinets. Your best bet in this market is to just drop the price and have a clean home. Maybe give a "remodeling allowance" for the kitchen if it is a significant liability when compared with others in your area.

I appreciate all the advice. My concern with the cabinets is that they would clash with the granite (they are a 'pickled' look, more yellowish and grungy than they appear). The green glaze is very dark (nearly black), which I thought would go well with the granite. I could go with a brown glaze, or a black glaze instead? I also have a cream color I could use (pot o' cream -- more of a creamy white) -- if you look at the link, it's the second color of cabinets. I'm probably not describing the other color well -- maybe a warm sand color?

The market here is glutted with houses, especially foreclosures and short sales. Lots of '50K in equity' sales. The houses in my neighborhood have updated kitchens, granite, new roofs, new HVAC, etc. Even with the granite, new floors, etc., I should be able to sell for $155K and come out even (I'm not looking to make a profit, just to sell quickly). That would be $15K less than comparable houses. I need something to grab the buyer's attention and bring them to MY house!

I was thinking of glazing because I love the look of it and it is so popular right now (in the upscale houses in my area). The pickled is really dated (plus, the finish is yellowed).

The style of the house is traditional. The under part of the breakfast area is wood-look pickled laminated sheeting. I was thinking bead board would give it an upgraded but comfortable look (and it is easy).

Thanks for the idea about the light rail -- I had not even thought of that! That might work!

Over the stove microwave is VERY common in this area (standard, even). I do have another space (next to the fridge) where I could mount the microwave -- maybe I should do that?

Regarding kitchen allowances -- it seems in this market, buyers want 'move in ready' homes. There is so much great stuff available, to be competitive I need to upgrade, too.

Unfortunately, I don't have access to the kitchen ceiling for the lighting (we put in two rooms upstairs).

I've already sanded most of the cabinets, so I have to do something with them. I don't mind putting in the time to paint them, although I may feel differently half-way through! LOL

Thanks for the input!

Kimberly

Here is a link that might be useful: Photobucket pics of kitchen

I would go with the cream color for the cabinets. It will look brighter and fresher. I would skip the glaze if only because it is an extra step and I think the look is a little over done right now. Also, you might think about putting in a backsplash that incorporates the cream and a green tone from the uba tuba.