• i agree with a soft gray but keep the same color grey on both uppers and lowers. although i just saw elle4's suggestion. like that idea too. just not two shades of gray.

Agree with white uppers, white or gray lowers. It's going to be a great upgrade! be sure you strip with TPS, sand, and prime...

Rustoleum cabinet transformations...you might look into it. I redid my kids bathroom cabinet and a small make up cabinet. No sanding or stripping. The cabinets used to be honey oak. They have different kits...lights and darks. Good luck!

I need to research it more. I thought that maybe I could just sand them down (?).

And I was thinking of leaving the doors off of the small cabinets by the brick to look more balanced with the shelves below.

That's a nice idea...just remember if they are being used to actually hold things she may want the doors on. Also, open shelving will be a dust and grease collector (We just remodeled our kitchen and the grease was in places I would've never thought!). I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just something to think about. Keep us posted !

I would go all white due to the lack of natural light. My second choice would be light grey lower and white uppers. Paint out the ceiling, add some great crystal knobs, do the open shelves and paint the countertop dark grey. Now about tiling the backsplash......

The Rustoleum kit has worked well for many. If your cabinets are not very glossy, little to no sanding is necessary with todays bonding primers. I like Zinsser 123 - which is made by Rustoleum and may be part of the kit. Remove doors and hardware. Clean cabinets well. degloss by light sanding or using a de-glosser. I used 2 coats of the Zinsser followed by 2 coats of an acrylic enamel latex paint recommended by my local reputable paint store. I painted old kitchen cabinets which I put up in my laundry room.

I think with all the other white surfaces in the room a color like the grey you are thinking of will be pretty. If it was me I would use blue green or blue - my favorite colors:)

That light color is pretty. :-)

A white kitchen would look wonderful very fresh and clean- works with the white appliances and the brick whitewashed will look fab. (See the before and after pics below)

The white uppers and light grey lowers is another great idea both options will look good with the existing flooring

You will need to prime before you paint and the primer is white. Prime a few doors and see what you think. It may be nice and bright or too monotone for your taste. You can also get little tester jars (about $3) and try out a few different colors. Observe the color in the different lighting conditions of the day. What looks pretty during the day could look drab at night. The nice thing about paint is you can always change your mind on the color.

Also ask your mom. Different generations have different ideas about design. My daughter thinks the grey trend is "seriously gloomy".

What are the floors? That might influence the decision.

If you use chalk paint or milk paint no sanding and no primer !

Chalk paint sounds good, but these cupboards are so old and corroded with oil, and God knows what else, that I think I need to sand then. The floor is linoleum, gray, blue, and creamy white colored. Mom really loves the gray that we have been looking at on some of the photos on this sight, especially the examples of light on top, and darker on bottom.

Are you changing the floor or counters? If not, do a medium Gray or white. Do not do the tops in one hue and the bottom in another. I would hire a painter unless you know what you're really in for...sanding, prepping, proper painting etc. if you're not afraid of hard work and have a talent go for it.

The floor and counters are staying the same. I'm not afraid of hard work, I'm a steel worker, lol. I'm ready to do this, and I know I can do a good job, I'm also a perfectionist. :-)

I think red would look really good on the cabinets. Plus, a coat of white paint on the walls couldn't hurt.

I used Raspberry truffle by Ben Moore on my cabinets, beautiful

Do something a little different instead , something like this

Part of that oily grease is the old finish deteriorating. I recently refinished my cabinets. I used the orange Citristrip - a gentle environmentally safe stripper. It will take the finish off those cabinets easier than sanding. Sanding makes such a huge mess and I think it may be more toxic than using this stripper. Also, the grease and deteriorating finish gunk up the sand paper quickly. The stripper is a little messy, but since your cabinets are flat it will be a breeze. Remove the doors and set up on saw horses preferably in a garage or other work area. Apply the stripper - it is like a gel. Leave it for a couple of hours. Then slide it off with a putty knife - the finish will come off right with it. Go over the surface with a 3M final stripping pad dipped in the stripper. Wash the stripper off with mineral spirits - this is the only stinky step as the stripper is low odor. Let dry and be sure all stripper is removed before you paint. Lightly sand the door with 220 grit to remove any raised grain caused by the stripper, but that is all the sanding you will need to do. I would not usually strip before painting, but if the finish is deteriorating, stripping it will go a long way in making the cabinets look really nice when you are done.

As your Mum likes the two tone kitchen I found a before and after you both might like :)

http://www.thekitchn.com/kitchen-before-after-from-blah-brown-to-gray-and-white-for-700-kitchen-remodel-204514

Paint it the colour your Mom likes. It's her kitchen so she should be happy. A perfectionist and a great daughter. Post some after photos. :-)

Home Depot Rustoleum Chalk paint then their topcoat sealer to go with it. Works like a charm, minimal prep (clean/degrease). They have a couple different whites/greys to choose from in that product.

Someone please help me with my bedroom update!

ayeshasohail101 - I've seen your comment on a couple of posts now, have you started your own discussion?