Remove the paper , paint the trims of the cabinets, change knobs and you are done.

If that is real wood, I might try to stain it a darker richer color so it's not so orange. And change the pulls as suggested above. I wasn't finding a pic of exactly what I am envisioning, but something along the lines of these photos and a reverse effect of the ideabook kitchen.

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/kitchen-of-the-week-practical-budget-friendly-beauty-in-dallas-stsetivw-vs~8192302

I moved into a ranch style home in 1996. We bought this to down size and loved the view on a hill top. My cabinets were ugly brown. So I purchased KILZ a primer. Gave 2 coats and than purchased a high epoxy paint and gave 2 coats. I used a very small roller and dk blue for counters and a high white for cabinets, They turned out beautiful. I got rave reviews. Than when I had the budget I put on current updates of just the doors and hardware. It was risky but a cheap fix. I don't have pictures because its a tif file.

I don't know if this works but I tried. These colors were used in 1996 so you have many choices now.

also add a new back splash

thank you all...I hadn't thought of redoing the trim, only the white parts, but hmmmmm. I plan to tile behind the stove area, so i like the backsplash idea. I was told that repainting the melamine would not hold up much more than maybe a year as the paint will start to peel. has anyone had any experience with painting melamine?

I think that by just painting the trim in the same colour would suffice but if you intend to paint the whole thing here is your answer

http://homerenovations.about.com/b/2009/04/18/painting-kitchen-cabinetsor-painting-melamine.htm

On the back of one of the cabinet doors clean lightly sand, then prime a small area with XIM pigmented primer. Paint over the primer then after 48 hours try scratch it off a key. If it does not scratch off you can paint the cabinets.

In researching the above answers, pretty sure the cabinets are "Thermafoil". Does that make any difference in your suggestions of painting?

of course, this would be my dream look

Thank you MSColours, I will try that.

Paint the face frames to match the doors. Replace pulls with satin nickel. Paint wall and backsplash a neutral color in a medium tone. I wouldn't do anything else if you eventually intend to replace the kitchen.

You are not gonna get Craftsman until you gut this kitchen, or buy a new house. What you can do is remove the paper, paint, put nice backsplash up, get a nice runner *rug, and make the very best of what you do have. Nothing is wrong with it... they look like Merrilat cabinets from about 20 years back, but they are probably functional... OR, you can get new Craftsman or Mission style doors for these cabinets.

I like groveraxel's idea up there. Or change out the doors.....

http://www.scherrs.com/cabinets/doors.htm

take it from me you can paint ANYTHING.....cupboards, tiles, benchtops... just need the correct primer.... another reasonably inexpensive makeover is to cover everything including cupboard fronts with pressed tin panels..... which you just glue over existing surface. we used on our splashbacks and they look great...

We would suggest painting the cabinets. We had to match existing cabinets with new ones, and the existing had faded in a short time. For a mission style a darker, cherry color would be most appropriate with satin nickel hardware and pulls. You can also add a simple trim crown detail to soften the soffit above the upper cabinets. Attached is a photo of the cabinets we had to paint.

This was a Photoshop accident, but I liked it. Not very close to Craftsman tho.

Amy Howard makes a paint the you can paint on formica so I imagine you can use it on these cabinets. It is the one step paint. It comes in soo many colors

People do paint these.......just make sure to use the right prep and paint.

I do hate the melamine and oak handle look, I once owned such a kitchen and I just %^$#* hated it. Didn't even look good back in 1983 and has been getting uglier by the year. But paint will make a world of difference.

Paint them, or change doors if you want a change, look around the rest of the house to make certain you are not letting the horse run away with the cart here... sometimes, when you improve one room, it makes the rest of the house intolerable to live in... good luck to you. In any case, your kitchen is still functional and clean.

Paint the cabs and the wood trim the same off-white, and change the pulls. I would remove the border at the ceiling level, as it looks dated.

Thank you all, GREAT comments. I can't afford door replacements at this point, paint is the way to go. I realize it won't be craftsman but I can definitely update it

Coda Design: could you give me more specifics on the type of paint and primer you used? thanks

Paint brown trim to match doors Or all if possible. Remove wallpaper above cabs-paint and add crown molding. Tile backsplash. Change all hardware and paint countertops... You can paint cabs and countertops with this product http://rustoleumtransformations.com/

The technique is as critical as the paint. We sanded, primed and sprayed the cabinet fronts with a Prather lacquer paint and primer. Glad to assist - best of luck.

Hi. If the cabinets interior are good and they're standard size you can change the doors and the pulls to better fit your taste. If there are sections among the lower cabinetry that are not standard size, you could use something different there. I used bricks as an accent in my own kitchen -on the island sides- and looks very nice. When you get rid of the wallpaper everything will inmediately change, you'll see. Could be that changing only the pulls and the trims will do. Good luck!

Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations paint kits will work on melamine. Go to their website and check the photo gallery from customers around May 21 of this year. There's a pic of these types of cabinets redone. Probably more pics if you scroll back through. I used it on old bath and laundry room cabinets and was very happy with results.

There is a special primer just for Melamine which we used years ago to repaint the built in furniture of my daughter's room when she outgrew the original pink color. The furniture painted included her bathroom vanity, desk surface , and bookshelves with beds on top where the shelves were also used to climb up to the beds.So it got pretty heavy use but still looked great 5 years later when we sold the house.

The primer XIM will stick to tile, glass, and just about anything

Thanks all, I've been investigating both XIM and the rustoleum product, and REALLY like the Coda design project with Prather paint (Coda: color name if you remember?) I think I will bite the bullet and sand, prime and paint all the doors and stiles...you guys are the BEST. Wait til you see the bathroom!!!!!

I also think that after you remove all the wall paper and paint the walls, you may be surprised at how clean your cabinets may look... throw some tile backsplash up, get a nice rug, a new light, and save your $$$ for your next/ dream house kitchen..

I had the same kitchen-trust me- I tried everything to make it look better-lived with it for 10 years and just did American Wood Reface. They installed the quartz countertops first-which showed me it only make old cabinets look worse. I would save my money and wait till you can do something with them.

i believe general finishes gel stains work on melamine. Check them out, they may have a shade that you like. Def would paint or gel stain them! and the wall paper/border...dear lord...

Also, if after you paint you want to update the countertops on the cheap, check out Little Green Notebook. Jenny did a recent post on a easy concrete countertop product that is slathered on rather than cast and it was really inexpensive. She also had a link to a couple that really knew the product and colored their so it looked like soapstone. Either with light cabinets, or a painted wood look, your kitchen could look great. Just head house2514's comment not to sink $$$$ into a temporary solution.

It's hard to get a craftsman look with light cabinets. I would just paint the oak, paint or switch out the hardware and live with it. Bring a door to the paint shop for an exact match. Get new laminate counters- don't spend $$ if you're going for a remodel later.
A wide arts & crafts border at the soffit might fulfill a little of that craftsman dream!
You might also try gluing some molding to the melamine to break it up.
At least you have a beautiful floor!

I have a 50's house small kitchen with 4 doors on bottom cabinets, they get dirty all the time from the dogs (cabinets are white) so I found some nice contact paper and reface with that and new hardware, looks amazing.

Paint the stained wood for sure and loose the wallpaper. You can sand the melamine prime and paint. If you add a simple flat trim to frame out the doors first they can look like the shaker style and updated hardware. Laminate countertops have come a long way many look like granite and are hard to tell unless you touch them. Please post after pics

Thank you all, I will post pictures as they come along, though it will be awhile. I've taken down all the wallpaper and it is better already. I'm going to paint the cabinets all one color, neutral, and change out the hardware...

So I've painted the walls and added hardware and new plate covers. What should I do for the countertop?

There's a company called panyl that sells vinyl overlay for cabinets. They specialize in Ikea remakes, but it can be cut to size. I still say laminate counters if you're on a budget- many style options. New hardware looks great!

I would do a zebra wood backsplash and upper wall, or a zebra wood countertop.

nmshea, like the idea of a wood countertop (altho not sure around the sink?) I plan to tile the backsplash...

brickn, I'll check out "Panyl"!

Tambra, I just saw your post and I know that I'm late to the party here, but you CAN actually get your mission look out of these cabinets! Just add batten strips of moulding (say 1/3" x 2-3" wide) to the face of your cabinets and the end pieces in your mission-style pattern with short brad nails or a glue product called "No More Nails". Caulk them in and paint. Voila. Mission style. My two cents; I would then paint them a dark espresso brown color (no sense in trying to mimic the varigated, amberish orange varigated wood), and use a backsplash tile that had lots of brown marble/ceramic and amberish orangey glass pieces in them to really get that mission feel. For countertops, I have wood (Numerar from Ikea--cheap and great) and I LOVE them! You can even stain them the orangey wood color to further pick up the amberish-orangey wood, and the amberish-orangey glass in the backsplash and it will give you what you want at a low pricepoint. Add a mission-style fixure, and you're done. If the cabinets are in good enough shape, you may even have a long-term winner here! Good luck.

Forgot to mention...the batten strips are flat, square-edged stips of moulding sold in the moulding aisle at Home Depot or Lowe's. :)

littlemy17...great ideas! this is a slow project for me as I can do things only every few months, but the aggregate of ideas here will make it super!

Tambra,
You may be interested in this link on how to update your cabinet doors-
http://www.thediygirl.com/shaker-kitchen-cabinet-update-before-after/

I am also wanting to do a kitchen update without spending a lot.
I'm considering changing the cabinet doors and refinishing the boxes. I want to change the counter tops & back splash. I may need to change the floor as well.
We haven't moved in yet, so the pictures are the previous owner's furniture etc.

Check out Breakthrough Paint. It's used by painting contractors, especially for kitchens.

Kitchen remodels of by any scale, other than simply painting the walls is always expensive, however, maybe instead of paying for all new cabinets, you can either, 1) just have the existing cupboards refaced, or 2) look for gently used cupboards like on Craigslist.

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