Not enough info. We need pictures of the space and a rough diagram. Also need to know location, and have a rough idea of the rental market and percentile position within the rental market. Renters just above Section 8 have different priorities and care routines than those at the 95% of top market rent. There are different financials and depreciation plus a replacement schedule that come into effect for rental property rather than a single family home. The two approaches to renovations rarely coincide to give you the best of both worlds.

The older well made cabinets will out last Ikea cabinets, especially if it will be a rental. Can they be stripped and re-stained a darker or different color? Maybe a different backsplash or countertop? Maybe different flooring.

I think it depends on your renters. Are you in an upscale spot where renters will be young couples ? IMO old wood cabinets are gross inside and hard to clean and unless the kitchen has a particular style like MCM they really don’t function as well as new cabinets. Ikea is not modular unless you go the European idea of taking your kitchen with you when you move. I need to see pictures of your kitchen as it is now for sure . Maybe all you need is a new backsplash to make it work. IMO an Ikea kitchen done well is never a poor selling point in fact my clients find they often sell the house because the kitchen is awesome. The only thing to consider is Ikea tends to the more contemporary style for sure. There is no proof an old kitchen will outlast Ikea I have clients that have 20+ yr old Ikea kitchens and they still look new and the kitchen in this pic is 17 yrs old and still looks like new. Post the pics and see what can be done , also some idea of the style of the rest of the house.

I think that a lot of renters and buyers are uneducated and swayed by appearances over quality. Not all, but a lot. BUT, quality cabinets will outlast cheap cabinets by a mile. So if you will have to replace cabinets after 10 years of renter wear-and-tear. It's not at all clear that higher rents/shorter vacancy times will offset the cost of shorter remodel cycles. Some of that will depend on your rental market. In some markets with lots of updated available rentals, "dated" might put you at a serious disadvantage; in others it won't matter at all. Same with putting it up for sale.

Are you trying to justify cosmetic improvements based on rent/resale because YOU want a kitchen with an updated look? I get that. I didn't like the combination of travertine and orange oak when it was in fashion, and the look hasn't aged well. You could consider replacing the backsplash, or the backsplash and counter. Some people have successfully used gel stain to change the color of the cabinets. Other people have painted, but DIY won't give you a very durable finish, and professional painting is expensive.

No surprise, but I disagree with some of what has been said...

First, the market defines the renter pool and the house moves you up and down in that renter pool. The decision when to make improvements and what improvements should be made is best done using the marginal cap rate of the change. If your existing house has a 1% monthly cap rate (just making up numbers here) then for an improvement to be advisable it should exceed a 1% cap rate. If not you are better off leaving well enough alone.

Next, all of my rentals use Ikea cabinets. I don't buy into the idea that better cabinets last a lot longer in a rental. If you have renters that are tough on cabinets they are going to be tough on any cabinet. If you look at the dozens of things that a renter can do to a cabinet to trigger replacement, durability issues are small percentage. It is far more likely that neglected spills or maintenance will trigger a replacement than durability.

That is where modular is king. When I design Ikea kitchens for rentals I try to keep the doors and drawers a common size even if it is not the perfect layout. In my garage right now are a few cabinet boxes that are not assembled and an extra door or two. I can walk in, remove one cabinet box and have a replacement box set and ready in two hours tops. Something that would require a lot more money to fix in a non-modular system.

Good luck

The OP is living in the house now. It is their primary residence. She has a custom kitchen. The rental is a possibility someday in the distant future. The rental aspect is a red herring.

The real question: she wants to update the kitchen now. She doesn't like the current color combo.

Current kitchen pictures are needed. Most of us are visual.

I would like to see pictures, but, if the custom cabs are in great shape, they would be my preference.

When we moved into our present home the kitchen was in poor shape so we put in new cabinets. At the time I thought we had up upped the value of the home since it was now "in style". However, style changes so quickly that my "new" kitchen is not of any more value now then an older one. I did do a refresh a few years ago which made it more attractive - at least to me but did not increase my home value. If I did sell, it might sell faster since it is more attractive. My neighbor did a total kitchen reno last year, but it only minimally affected her home value.

Without pictures it is hard to make recommendations. Your custom kitchen may have a poor layout and would better be replaced, or they may be more timeless then you think and a refresh would do the trick.

Here is my wood kitchens idea book with both new and older, refreshed kitchens.

https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/75202366/list/wood-kitchens

If your home is large and renters may have children, I would consider wood lower cabinets no matter you keep or get new. Wood is much more forgiving under lots of wear.

here are some pictures! the cabinet doors are in relatively good shape considering their age and the appliances, backsplash, and countertops are in great condition. Maybe paint is the answer?

@denita had a good point. I would like to update the kitchen, but not if it lowers the value or attraction of the home overall. That's why I'm trying to ask about the update in terms of value.

If you are satisfied with the layout of the cabinets, and they are indeed in good condition, and your primary concern is the overall look:

First, the gray paint doesn't help the appearance of the wood finish (or any of the other elements) at all. Think about repainting the walls and ceiling in a warm, neutral color. I am fond of creamy whites with wood, but there are other colors that will work well. Not a tan or beige, though.

I would like about changing the counter to something more neutral also. It is only my personal taste, but I would rather live with the cabinets than the counter (which I think is much more dating), and the travertine would be more attractive with a different counter.

I think merely getting a good pro paint job in a white paint, would look great. (or if you like, paint and spring for refacing of the doors. the drawers are slab fronts and will look fine either way). Bring in hew handles instead of those knobs, and new granite and tile splash. done.

you could always remove a few of the center panels and replace with glass. it will help to lighten the look a bit.

I don't mind the darker ceiling, but all of the crown would also need to be white.

if you like the granite after painting, then keep it. But if you don't, get it in before the cabs are back on. demo of the countertop after the fact may damage newly painted cabinets.

You may be able to do pre-fab granite or quartz countertops. they cost about $450 for on 9'X24" pre-finished piece. fabricator measures and cuts for your sink/stove. you can usually save 1-2K by doing pre-fabs.

here are similar cabinets to yours. (they actually kept the same Baltic Brown granite.)

Similar dark, heavy oak cabs. Look at the difference . so much brighter and happier.

Paint color is Shoji White. granite looks like Bordeaux

BTW, if you're worried about the grain, you can embrace it, or a grain filler can be used. either way, it looks nice.

Is it for a rental or for selling. When I was a renter, I hated gross old cabinets and would largely have preferred a good Ikea layout with organizers. Now, I do not know how your cabinets are, they may be very clean and well equiped, in which case, I would not do anything, but please do not paint them, particularly in grey.

Now, for selling, as somebody who bought a condo where the seller had made a new granite countertop on old cabinets, DO NOT UPDATE. I would have largely preferred if my seller had left the kitchen as it was and priced it appropriately. Now, I keep wondering if it is reasonable to update a kichen which kind of work, with new countertops, when I hate the cabinets - cant say I like the countertops either, but they are kind of new).

EDIT: Now that I see your picture, and reading more carefully your post (thanks Denita), I think you should do what you want and not wonder about a rental or sale which may never come. If you want new cabinets and can afford it, do it. If you like what you have (they look just fine to me), keep them. Change the countertops if you want - I actually like the backsplash every if it is not my style), but from your photo, it is far from being the horrible thing you' re describing. I am not a specialist, but I do not think upgrading your kitchen now is going to improve the value in a few years, Who knows what people will like in a few years.

Are the cabinets in good condition? Do you know when the kitchen was rehabbed last? It looks like it was done sometime in the last 15 to 20 years. I am only guessing because that is when that particular granite and tumbled stone backsplash was popular in my area (very early 2000's).

Wood cabinets are coming back in style now, but mixed with painted bases too (or painted uppers). I don't know what style you like but if I were in your shoes I would at least check out the possibility of keeping the wood cabinetry in the base cabinets and maybe painting the uppers only if the current layout works for you. Or paint selected areas. I definitely would change out the backsplash and countertops to something lighter. I would also paint the ceiling something lighter. Two insp pics below with different styles to show possibilities but there are many different ways to make this work well without changing the entire kitchen. JMO

Foothills Fantastic · More Info

Craftsman Kitchen in Farmington, MI · More Info

I am usually on the quality custom cabinets side but without seeing the actual quality and condition of your cabinets, I can't be certain. Some owners just aren't realistic about the condition of their cabinets. Try taking all the items from your cutlery or utensil drawer, cleaning thoroughly and then evaluating it. If these are solid wood drawer boxes with quality slides and everything works well, great. Otherwise, plan on changing drawer slides and installing hidden hinges when you update hardware.

I can't think that updating the kitchen would be a good financial decision for a rental unless you are in a high dollar location. If you do a rental upgrade, you will likely make all decisions with pricetag as the priority feature. The quantity of cabinets you have means that even a basic remodel will add up quickly. If you really want a refresh, I would consider a professional paint job.

As far as ROI, the more you spend on the reno the less your ROI. Small dollar reno's yield a much better return as a general rule. It especially doesn't pay to put a high end kitchen into the rental market unless the property is a high end property and it has to compete with others in order to get a tenant. Those HGTV shows that show 100% return on their renovations are fictional numbers and returns. IRL you don't get 100% back unless it is a low dollar spend.

The backsplash, floors, and lighting are the offenders in the kitchen. The cabinets are quite nice. I wouldn’t spend the 10K to have those professionally painted. And professional conversion varnish is the only thing worth doing if you’re making it a rental down the road.

I agree with Beth and would paint the cabinets a warm white to go with the floor. You doors are traditional raised panel, and I don't think you need to replace them. I would also replace the countertop and backsplash. I would switch out the wooden knobs for a regular type knob. Keeping a potential renter in mind would dictate (to some extent) the choice of counter and backsplash. I'd use an inexpensive subway tile backsplash and then probably a quartz countertop (if you like it). Make sure you choose things that you like while still being mindful of durability for a potential renter down the road. Be aware that there are many on this forum who are totally against painting wood of any kind, be it doors, trim, kitchens, etc. I am in the opposite camp. I think most things look better when they are light and bright. Look at the transformations in the before/after photos above. It's unbelievable how much better the white kitchens look IMO. White kitchens have been around for a hundred years, and will continue to be around for another 100.

The counters, backsplash, ceramic knobs and stormy sky ceiling paint are what I would change. And paint the crown molding. (I could live with the floor; add some colorful runners, maybe.)

The cabinets look like they are in good shape. As a general rule, I prefer raised panel doors like yours to be in stained or natural wood. Just don't care for how they look when they are painted. Shaker/ flat panel paint up much nicer, IMO. Beyond that, I wouldn't paint decent cabinets--save the paint for when they turn shabby & you need to rescue them.

The wood will wear better than paint. For now, and for a future rental. There are several things to change about the space, but the cabinets aren’t one of them. Not everything is a nail that needs only a hammer as a solution. There are other tools in the toolbox. Every home and client requires an individual response. It’s not the same solution every time. Which is why wood is surging strongly as a decorative choice. People inevitably became bored with the one note One True Kitchen, that thou shall have no other kitchens before it.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2698630/what-is-the-one-true-kitchen-i-want-photo-examples-please

Quoting Marcolo from that thread, who is solely missed. The whole thread deserves to be enshrined, but this should be embroidered as the forum banner.

And the One True Kitchen spoke to her, making her heart sing:

I. I am the One True Kitchen, who brought thee out of the land of cheap builder's grade oak and shiny brass. Thou shalt not install any strange kitchens before Me; nor paint thy walls a non-neutral color; nor make for thyself any likeness of the Sopranos' kitchen, or early '90s Tuscan. Nor shalt thou apply any graven appliques upon thy Shaker cabinets. Thou shalt not prefer other kitchen styles, for I, the One True Kitchen, am a jealous Kitchen, visiting iniquity on them that hate Me.

II. Thou shalt not take any countertop unless it came with veins.

III. Remember the annual Crown Point holiday sale; eleven months shalt thou pay full retail; but on the twelfth month thou shalt negotiate, when it shall be surprisingly affordable.

IV. Honor thy subway tile and thy farmhouse sink, that thou shall not tire of thy kitchen for many days.

V. Thou shalt not spill, especially wine or lemon juice unless thou buyest soapstone.

VI. Thou shalt not commit to any slab unless thou hast tested it first with ketchup.

VII. Thou shalt steal everything from Christopher Peacock's website that isn't tied down and copy it exactly.

VIII. Thou shalt not bear to go without a false door unless it is up against a neighboring cabinet.

IX. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's colorful countertop; or her colorful backsplash; or her colorful paint; or her stained cabinets; or her dreadful four-inch strip of granite before the tile starts, what was she thinking.

X. Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy neighbor's, for it is not timeless and classic and she has no taste.