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I had my laminate, dingy yellow 1962 cupboard doors painted and it worked fine. now if I can replace the 1969 wall oven and ancient dishwasher ( not to mention the lovely "wood grain" something from outer-space counter tops/backsplash, I'd be much happier. I love my retro kitchen!

@ineedhelp, I love how your cabinets came out!

Here are how my cabinets came out gluing and nailing lattace molding around around the edges on a flat door like yours. We took the doors off and laid them flat for painting. Cabinets were 30yrs old. 2 years since the paint job. Trim was easily done with miter saw.

Jill Petempich- I love how they came out, i can do that to mine (mine are the blue ones above you). They are in great shape, blemish free, too bad I just had them painted. Ill save it for the next re-model craze i get!

Actually I was looking at yours and thinking how great they look. It is too bad how many cabinets are in the land fills just because they get a little dated. I think the main thing is for him to get paint and primer that sticks. So far mine is doing well

I finally got around again to working on one of the vanities in my outdated bath described previously here a few weeks back. The brown laminate wood-grain was installed in 1980 and looks dated, cheap and does not look good at our beach house. I simply used a nice wood molding and beaded board applied over the existing doors to obtain a more nautical look. The new knobs mimic the rope design and cost $3 each and I used 3 pieces of a nice rope molding at $11 each. I had some beaded board from a previous project but a 4x8 foot sheet is just under $20 at Lowes or Home Depot. I still need to do the larger vanity (pictured) and I intend to either paint or replace the tops. My wife had originally wanted me to replace the vanities but let me try a less expensive solution first. She is pleased with the result and I am happy to be saving some money!

This blog post shows a similar cabinet repaint/remodel with laminate cabinets. Might be helpful to everyone with this same dilemma (I have the same cabinets in my kitchen too): http://danielleoakeyinteriors.blogspot.ca/2013/10/80000-diy-kitchen-renovation.html

oldgoldtop you did a fabulous job on that vanity. I am very impressed!

Jill Petempich You cabinet redo looks great too!

ineedhelp - I have the same yellow ones that HAVE to go. I wish they were white so I could just cover up the wood trim and move on, the problem I have is that our kitchen is between the dining room and living room so the entire back of the cabinets that show in our living room through a breakfeast nook type area are also ALL yellow. Has anyone had any issues with peeling or scratching after you have had them done for years?

as for the bulkheads, what makes them dated? I have one on one side of my kitchen and I know for a fact there are ac/vents inside since I was around frequently when the house was being built. No everyone can rip out bulkheads.

Charlee Lane- mine have been painted for 2.5 years and i had them done professionally so I'm not sure what they used,but so far no peeling, no nicks, they are great ( and I live in my kitchen basically) .What you can't see in my pic above ( the blue cabinets) it's a U shape and I too have the back facing the entire dining room. I wanted to knock out that entire part of the "U" but didn't have the money.The base behind the doors is a cream color and only the doors are blue. the part facing the dining room is cream and I hung a big huge painting on it, will have to do for now =)

I just noticed chicagopa's nice job on your kitchen!

Thanks. I painted my cabinets 13 years ago. They have held up beautifully!

Its good to hear. I have laminate cabinets and I would like to do the same!

@chicagopa & @saverio, I am about to do a similar update with my kitchen. When you repainted just the wood trim, did you take the cabinet door off the wall or paint it attached?

Thanks!

To add to the comments/questions:

I also have 80's laminate cabinets that I want to paint.

Although I want to DIY, I haven't the time, and I would rather hire a pro. I have gotten an estimate for $1000 to paint all of the doors/outside of boxes.
Is that a fair price?

We will paint the cabinets a golden/umber color and keep the metal (aluminum) pulls.

We may paint the countertop white (if we can trust the hardness of the paint and imperviousness to scratches; but if not, we will replace the countertop to white corian.

We will replace the appliances with stainless.

We will redo the floor, probably with a gray slate porcelain tile.

MY QUESTIONS:
In what order should the tasks be done?
-Paint cabinets
-Redo floors
-Paint/replace countertops
-Replace appliances

Thanks much!

Here's something like the mustard color for the cabinets...

I painted the whole door, not just the wood trim. So yes, I took everything apart.

bbkieffer, I love your redone cabinets! What brand/color of paint did you use and where did you find the awesome hardware?

hxthomson if I remember correctly, I started with Zinnser BIN primer. The paint is Sherwin Williams Antique White. I then used a glaze (not sure brand or color) and then finished with polycrylic. The hardware is from Menard's.

Thank you so much!

I have the same cabinets in a condo I want to sell. I am going to paint them.

Here is what I would do: Have the counters wood that matches the trim. Instead of white, paint your cabinets cream color to add some warmth to the look. Change your tile floor out to something with color that adds interest too. Get a great backsplash that is the focal point of the entire kitchen. Let that be your statement in this room.

And, work with the retro look. Don't try to re-do the entire kitchen.

Some pictures for you to think about:

I appreciate all the comments, interests and pictures on this topic! I am getting ready to take the plunge and paint the laminate. I feel well equipped after reading all these great ideas!

We had the same 80's kitchen update problem. There ate so many things needed to update our house that we wanted to save by not updating now. Our updateis to last a few years. Some of our updates will carry forward to a new kitchen like clearing the popcorn ceiling and installing high hat lighting. We putting in stone backsplash to give a built in look and tone down the cabinetry. We modernized the look with a newer blue paint color and furniture. We have ordered a new stainless range and dishwasher to cimplete the look.

Wow..so many typos in my last post. Auto correct destroyed it.

Hi Bruce -- did you add the metal trim also?

No the metal trim was there. We tried to incorporate more metal into the kitchen to update the look and match the trim. So, when we removed the lighting above th cabinets we left thge metal teim at the top near the ceiling as well.
We are bringing in more stainless appliances and swapping the light switches and power outlets to brushed aluminium versions.

Does anyone know where to buy the metal trim? I'd have oak trim and would like to replace it with the metal.

Does anyone know if raised panel kitchen cabinet doors can be re laminated? Mine are white with raised panels and in good condition. The problem is the laminate is peeling on several of the cabinet doors. Any other ideas? Thank you. Lynn McCarthy

It sounds like you have a PVC thermafoil coating on your doors. Once they start peeling, they can't be repaired. The membrane is vacuum sealed onto the substrate. That being the case, unless you have a fresh membrane & the monster machine that facilitates the vacuum it can't be done. Some go back to the supplier & order a new door or others tear off the membrane & paint what is left. Unfortunately its not an easy fix & once you start the process you'll pretty much need to continue so it doesn't look patchy. The PVC peels off when exposed to heat from kettles, toasters, self clean ovens, boiling water. Try to move such appliances onto an island or to front of counters to minimize exposure to the vapor.

Thank you Urbana. Unfortunately the supplier no longer has my style of door. To make matters even worse, I have 46 cabinet doors of which all but 4 are in great condition. The 4 doors that are peeling are next to a built in double wall oven, which is why they are peeling. I really do not want to replace all of the cabinet doors due to the expense. Ugh

these kind of doors can be custom made & made in a number of places all over N. America. Alternately you could make an accent area of these 4 doors. As example see my post with the lakeside acreage on my page. there is an oven & pantry with walnut, surrounded by cream coloured cabinets. There are many examples of this on Houzz.

Follow-up: Before-After Painted Laminate Kitchen Cabinets...

We hired someone to paint the cabinets and counter white.
Subway tile for backsplash
Gray porcelain tile on floor
New appliances
voila!

Thanks for your suggestions!

Bruce Cohen, have you fixed your kitchen ceiling yet?

Removing popcorn is not just very messy, but in older homes there is also a danger of exposing yourself to asbestos.. Anything oil based also carries the danger of exposure to VOCs, and oil-based finishes also harm the environment more than water based ones.

There is a better solution. We're talking no mess, no dust, no toxic vapours (in fact, no vapours at all), with a finish as smooth as a mirror and unlimited design options. It's called stretch ceiling. A fully recyclable membrane is stretched across the ceiling, either over an existing ceiling, or in a new build, instead of installing drywall and covering it with popcorn. Tracks, or profiles, screwed into the walls or existing ceiling around the edges hold the membrane in place. These profiles and the membrane take up less than one inch of room height.

If you later desire a change, a new membrane can be inserted into the same tracks, or the tracks can be unscrewed and the screw holes easily filled with a little bit of filler. You will not need to do this as maintenance, however. The system lasts a lifetime.

We take care of installation for you, and installation is included in the price that we quote.

We carry over 280 colours, in high gloss, matte, satin, and fine canvas-textured finishes.

Here are a few examples, please feel free to visit our profile for more, and add them to your ideabooks!

Call us for a quote, we do not charge for a site measure/quote in areas that are near our offices. If you are further away, you can still get a free quote by supplying us with your measurement information. We have a network of authorized dealers across North America and beyond.

I am research this exact problem. Any new updates or pictures?

Hi - I have the same doors and the same problems as many of you. I like the simple idea of painting the wood trim. However, 4 out of the 30+ doors/drawers we have are damaged/swelling/peeling. Does anyone have suggestions for how to replace those damaged items? I'm assuming these are no longer made. Thanks!

Hi. Just wanted to share my latest update to those same cabinets. We added crown moulding to the soffit and repainted everything the same shade of white. Hard to remember how ugly and dated they once were.

metal lifts on kitchen cabinets

So glad I found this page. I just bought a house and I have those same cabinets. Same as you, still in good shape, just need updating. What color paint is that?

Hi Goughbar,
I used "ivory palace" . The color is from Behr's (Home Depot) pallet. I got the paint from Sherwin Williams. I bought a rather expensive gallon of acrylic. About $50. I've used oil base in the past, but I guess they don't sell it anymore in Pennsylvania. I only needed one gallon and my kitchen is pretty large. I'll attach a picture of all of the cabinets. I used Krud Kutter and a light sanding pad to prep them. It's so important to get any grease off of them!! I primed with two coats of Zinzer and then painted. I removed all of the doors. Kind of a miserable job, but so worth it to take the time to do it right.

Just found this old picture of my kitchen from when we first bought the house.

Thanks for the tips of the kind of paint. What....you didn't keep that wallpaper??? :D

Hi chicagopa,

Love the updates you've done. My wife and I are currently in contract on a house that has these exact same cabinets in the kitchen. I was just wondering if there is a style name for the moulding you used on the cabinets and how did you attach the moulding to the cabinets. Also, where did you purchase the moulding from?

Hi pjromano80,
We used the polystyrene stuff from Lowes. It was much cheaper than real wood and it's paintable.
I believe the lower piece is base board that is flipped upside down. It's about 4" wide. We used nails to attach it to the soffit. We put that piece on first. The top piece is actual crown moulding. We nailed that to the lower piece. We used caulk and spackle to fill the few seems and many nail holes, and then painted and primed the same color as the soffit and cabinets to make it all blend.
We are so happy with the results. We thought this would make the cabinets bearable. Instead, we actually really like them now and feel like they look new!
Here are a few close up pictures. Good luck!

I read through this entire blog because I'm looking to do something with my kitchen. I too have the almond laminate cabinets from the 80's with the wood trim. I actually don't have a problem with them. What I'm looking to do is tear down the wallpaper in the kitchen and paint my walls. There's where my problem lies. What color to paint. I have a bluish grayish blocked laminate floor, thus I painted the door to the deck blue. I can't seem to settle on a color that works. I need to brighten my kitchen. It faces north and gets no sun.

WHITE WHITE is always good. Especially with blue

White doesn't work. That is what I looked at for nine years before papering.

I had the same dilemma and decided to talk my husband into painting ours. We sanded down the laminate to take on the primer and then chose a glossy black paint for the main color. We painted over the wood trim with a stainless silver color to match the appliances. After falling in love with the cabinets we chose to replace the countertops.