As a realtor, I often advise budget-minded clients to reuse their current kitchen cabinets instead of replacing them. I decided to take my own advise when I was ready to remodel my kitchen.

I fell in love with my South Charlotte home due to its open rooms, hardwoods floors, huge main floor master suite, and 1/2 acre lot. However, the home was built in 1988 and suffered from a severe case of "the 80s". When it came time to tackle my dated kitchen. I wanted to change the backsplash, remove the awful florescent lightbox and undercabinet lighting, and install a new stainless dishwasher and oven. But it was the dark oak cabinets that bothered me the most. With a $7,500 budget, replacing the old cabinets wasn't an option.

Luckily, the existing cabinets were solid oak and in good overall condition. First, I had my handyman completely remove the overhead soffits and moldings to make the cabinets appear as sleek as possible. I removed the doors and took them to a local woodworking shop to have spaces drilled out on the inside for European hinges. Next, I cleaned, sanded, and primed the cabinet boxes and doors before painting them using Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations in Federal Gray. The cabinet kit included

a can of dark glaze, which I used in the recesses and on the edges of the doors for an antiqued look. Finally, I added new brushed nickel hardware. With the money I saved on the cabinets, I was able to complete the entire project for $7,300.

I welcome your questions or comments!