sounds like ill just do a new backplash and leave as is.

figured i would paint myself since i would like to tear out the cabinets out in a few years anyways.....

And that gut redo would be in the 60K ballpark for a redo instead of a 20K refresher.

I swear some of the pros on houzz are incredibly rude.

tim, I don't blame you for being excited about your new home, but I agree that you should live with it for a time before you gut a kitchen. Try out different layouts in your head or by moving tables around before you go to that much trouble.

Your kitchen is in very good condition, it can wait until your house tells you what it wants.

(I had every intention of a white and blue kitchen when I moved into my new house close to the ocean. The house disagreed and I ended up with stained maple and copper and charcoal accents. I love it.)

so for a backsplash and possibly painting or changing door style to shaker on cabinets myself. figured i could spend 4-5k and freshen it up.

zazzles, I find most of the pros direct and honest - not rude.

More like 7-10K if you plan on using something professional grade rather than house paint. You need professional grade tools to go along with the materials, which usually translates into just being cheaper to hire the pro in the first place. . Doors and drawer fronts are the most expensive part of any cabinets. You can probably do MDF replacements for 1-2K though.

Every bit that you spend now takes away from the coming gut redo down the road. Choose wisely. I'd suggest just DIY painting what is there with something like Cabinet Coat. It ain't cheap, but it won't chip like plain old house paint will.

i just appreciate the input from all. great to take it all into consideration. :)

I would change out the granite to white Quartz and leave the cabinets alone...gray walls white Tim white counters and oak look beautiful together. Change out your stools to a more modern style and this kitchen will be timeless.

they are not expensive cabinets just builder grade stuff. so maybe a new shaker door style in mdf the same stain would be the best bet. Re-use all the pulls which are modern tube pulls that are long 20" + or so I would reused reface. and then a new backsplash.

tim I think you have the right idea. Start with a new back splash maybe paint the kitchen itself. Then live with it for a bit to see what really bugs you.

I would get rid of the popcorn ceiling, install some pulls/knobs on the cabinets and install new backsplash and undercabinet lighting.

hmmm home interiors with ease. thats also a good idea.....

its not popcorn....just looks like it. its textured i think its called "knockdown" like a lot of the 2000's florida homes where. Mediterranean knock off was (is) all the rage.

Sophie Wheeler is direct, but ALWAYS gives good advice. You kitchen is functional right now, so live with it a bit. You will then be able to identify what works and what doesn't. If you spend your budget on cosmetic changes, only to find the layout doesn't work, you'll be stuck, either starting over, or having to live with the bad layout. So wait a bit after moving in, use the kitchen, and then decide what changes to make. Sophie rocks!

I really think it is the granite that is dating the space...if it has been there since early 2000...it has done its job time to go....I think it will really give it a nice bright feeling without touching the cabinets....you could also add modern Handles to the cabinets...no knobs all handles...various sizes if needed...keeps it looking clean and modern. Good Luck very nice space!

its hard to see but its got brushed nickel long tube pulls that run the length of the cabinet.

if i change the granite then i will have new granite with cabinets we are not crazy about. then i will want to change the doors at least......its a slippery slope.

maybe a glass backsplash like this to lighten it up. and might actually go with the baltic brown.

Live in it a year before you change anything more than paint!! You will figure out over time what works or doesn't that isn't immediately apparent when you buy a house and/or move in. I really goofed on this one and am in for a $40k renovation instead of the $5k countertop fix I thought I had when I bought it.

G L I never said, most, did I? I said some. And I have had experiences with SOME that were rude. I also didn't mention anyone specifically. I'm glad you haven't experienced it. have a good day, all.

Then why say it if you don't mean anyone here?

Because I can. Good day.

I agree with Home Interiors with ease. Keep the cabinets, update the hardware, and the counter tops instead. Also think about updating the plumbing fixtures. The Baltic brown would be hard to transition cool or warm grey tones. You can pick a new counter top out that is more neutral, live with it for a while and if you want to do the cabinets later you can paint them any color you want with a neutral counter top. Good Luck!

Excuse me while I play preschool teacher. We aren't talking about your angst . We're talking about her kitchen. If you want to fight do it in private. Thank you.

Fine.

You wanna call someone out, then have the guts to do it. You just can't handle direct and clear communication without BS. Take your issues to your own post.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming of "HGTV lies about numbers''.

You should live in the house first. Keep writing down the issues you have with your kitchen. I think the lights are out place. They should be place over your main work area in the kitchen. I like the idea of the pendant lights. Maximizing your space with the cabinets is essential. By measuring your kitchen and mark where the stove, sink , refridgerator is located. Stop in lowes or Home Depot they can help you with layout to suit your needs.

White cabinets, a range hood, pops of color in some decorations and white or color popping barstools

Timglidden...even if you change out your granite now...you can still paint out the cabinets if you tire of the oak....but I think the white counters will really change the feeling and you will love it. just be sure to make a few changes with the stools to keep it looking fresh and modern.

Sure, if you change out the counters now (for thousands of dollars), you can still do cosmetic tweaks later, But that thousands of dollars sunk into those counters effectively stifles any renovations that involve tweaking the layout for functionality. Which, as anyone experienced in kitchen design can tell you, this kitchen badly needs. The layout is far less than optimum. Locking it in now with expensive changes is a foolish waste of funding.

pphelps makes sense. I knew I would have to redo my entire kitchen to make it ADA but we lived with it until we knew how it would work with the flow of the house. We've been here since November , I think or October. Anyway we start the kitchen in two weeks and I'm confident we'll have it done the way it should be. Congrats on your new home.

I didn't realize you may be planning a big Reno and change the layout...not sure what changes you could make.....Sohie you sound irritated.......sounds like Mr. Zazzles has your feathers ruffled. We are all just throughing out good ideas for an update..up to them to decide what works best......yes of Course if they think a entire Reno is in the near future...best to wait on any changes.....but I still think white counters would look great! :)

I don't know that they are doing a total reno it was an example. To wait and see what you need before jumping ahead.

Ben Moore has really good paint and nice colors in all hues. Spa green being a good change and mix with floor and island. This would be something you can place your stamp. Urban nature is another green, bolder statement. One could be used on the walls and one to give your backsplash some fresh zip. If the cabinet lay out ends up not bother you. To add a less expensive redo would be to buy 36" cabinets up top. This will close the gap above the top cabinets. You will gain a shelf in all the cabinets. Another tip would be to add a cabinet over the fridge that is as large as the top of the fridge. Large Tupperware and Rubbermaid pieces fit up there just right.
Good luck!

Mr Zazzles - hopefully u didn't mean what u just said... Sorry you're having a rough time.

I'm with the wait and learn brigade. There may be other things in your house that take priority for you six months down the line. And you don't want to blow $5000 or so doing cosmetic changes if the kitchen needs to be gutted in a couple of years. Doesn't make any sense.

I see two big surfaces here that sort of contradict going with so-called "fresh"(white/gray) palette (except for the cabinets themselves that can be stained/painted/refaced). First, granite. Second, floors. You can't just go white or gray without changing these. You CAN go off-white or linen or cream or greige; otherwise, you might as well be redoing the whole kitchen.

I have this Baltic brown in my current place..you can't fight it:) Either you're friends with it, or it has to go.

I'd give it a try, as others suggest..live with a kitchen for couple months and see what irritates you the most so to say.

Let's see a close-up of your granite. Instead of ☹️gray☹️ for the cabinets, consider something in a more silver tone. I have semi gloss silvery gray walls with a brown/gray/pink (yes, pink quartz inclusions) and white cabinets in my kitchen, and is different and very nice. The light gray looks silvery because of the semigloss finish. Shaker style is beautiful in white or color, and is both classic and modern.

Baltic Brown looks like bacteria under a microscope. Until you have the funding to completely change this kitchen, just cover the counters with appliances and happy memories of rolling out cookie dough. It's not with wasting money on in its current state. It CAN be great. But only after something more extensive than paint happens b

felizlady makes a good point. You could always use an actual real color on the cabinets. That would be fun and ageless. I say you don't have to follow trends. They only change again . If you want a kitchen you can live with for years to come do it to suit your tastes not the pages in a magazine. Have fun with it, enjoy it and make it your own. It's my fervent hope and I know I'm not alone that people will soon get over this gray stage and move on. Signed , The Anti Gray Fairy.

Mr Zazzles has a page not found. If you are reading under another name Mr Zazzles, please see a counsellor, or Doctor. I'm sorry things are not going well in your life. Ask for help until you get some. I wish you sincerely all the best.

I have a completely different thought on the... wait and see...after years of design I have realized people buy houses never change what they hate, then when they want to sell they change it all to sell the house. So they never enjoy it all updated.....doesn't make sense to me..I have moved 7 times in 34 years and have always made changes immediately...if you don't like it now you won't like it in 6 months..... So if the layout works for you and you don't think you will ever consider a tear out and change the layout...do what you want so you love it now! and can enjoy the update and look of the kitchen. Good Luck you have a great kitchen....and with a few tweaks a fabulous kitchen!

it always puzzles me, also, when people who have lived with a grotty bathroom for x years suddenly find the money and time to re do it so they can sell. the only rationale is not wanting to do it twice, i suppose, but thats sorta sad.

i'm a believer on wait and see for at last a half year; its hard to know what natural light is like over the course of a year. its not that you wont redo it, but there is a better chance of an informed decision on what you do.

This is an older question about kitchen updates. But I would keep most of it and think about the flooring. I would take the three inch spalsh out and add a beige/light brown subway tile. To save money you could fill with a soffit and add crown molding on top of the cabinets. Or fill them with more cabinets which will cost a lot of money. Get it all professionally painted all white and redo the flooring with tile that looks like hardwood. 2 dollars to 9 dollars a foot. If you did redo the whole kitchen the floor would need to be ripped out as well because of the gabs. No escaping redoing the floor no matter what if you did do a complete make over, well over 20k more like 35 to 40k sadly, unless you were able to match the same lay out exactly you could keep the floor. It is a lot of money to demo a kitchen and remake the whole thing. The granite isn't bad and a good work space. I think light brown beige tone for the backsplash. Subway tiles are beautiful with a darker hardwood look. And paint them all white with soffits. So my vision is paint it all white add soffits with crown molding, beige/brownish subway tile, med dark hardwood look tiles. But it's a nice kitchen as is, I wouldn't mind it. It's actually pretty nice place you have. I just remade my kitchen and mine for a 12 by 12 was around 30k. The colors are bainco ramano resin counters, crema marfil subway tile, long maple cabinets in nutmeg, Med. dark hardwood look floors tiles. Open space with out all the hanging lights everyone has. It's a lot of work not worth it in your case because your place is so fresh and nice looking.

The cabinets design is fine. There are so many door styles. Floors matter more. I thought I wanted shaker. Didn't like them. They are sorta meh.... The style you have now is pretty. I thought I was going to get that shake style white kitchen but I actually love the golden oaks and nutmeg colored cabinets with beige components.

First thing i would do is have all cabinets painted white which will make the kitchen looks a lot bigger. Then i would pick a backsplash tile in a color that runs thru to the next room or your color scheme and then buy new or paint your bar stools that color.

Old post! Maybe the OP would like to update??

Ha we ended up backing out of the house and buying another place....

The space has good bones. Some hardwood floors would go a long way to update that space. Potentially paint the cabinets as well could really set it apart.