I hate my kitchen from the 1950 and want yo know what I can do with it

Hi if I didn't have the extra money I would paint all white . then add new handle to cabinets. .I have seen a lot of white cabinets on home talk and bright up kitchen a lot. .Good luck on your new project .

You can do a lot with paint. I would start with painting all the cabinets a fresh coat of white and put new pulls on them. Then install a new backsplash. There are lots of peel and stick options available if you can't do real tile. Then I would use rustoleum counter paint to cover the red counters.

There are products out there that you can use to transform your cabinets and counters. I think one brand is Rustoleum. Just google how to transform counter tops. I had a friend that re-did her cabinets and her counter tops. When she was done her counters looked like granite. Then add cabinet handles and drawer pulls. The whole job only cost her a couple hundred dollars.

I'd personally start with the cabinets. Replacement costs vary but wherever you purchase them can give you an estimate before they do the work. For a small kitchen, I'd expect to pay at least 10K. Or of course you can refinish them yourself for far less. The cost would simply be for the paint or stain you use. Having to sand them down is a lot of work & takes a lot of time but it will save you thousands of dollars.

I'll change the door cabinets color to gray or white, (you'll find a lot of ideas right here), and the hardwares. New countertop and backsplash. Remove the wood valance, and declutter, declutter, declutter, declutter...

Think about new, larger cabinets, with more deep drawers, if it's in your budget. Cabinets over 42" tall tend to warp. Wood cabinets will last longer than MDF or foil style. Avoid particle board cabinetry as it does poorly if exposed to water. Look at lazy susans with 2" high edges (keeps items on shelves) for corners.

Some glass fronted upper cabinets provide a more ooen look. Shaker style or flat panel cabinets are easier to keep clean than those with excessive ornamentation.

Costs vary wildly across the country. Call at least 6 companies with excellent references and at least a 5 yeat warranty on workmanship.

Research what you want in advance so you get what you want rather than what contractors could be pushing. You're the one who'll be using it. Insure you'll have adequate "landing" space for foods/beverages, baking/serving, etc.

If you want to get rid of the 50's look, first remove the dated wood valances and those curved shelves. To enhance the windows, get a piece of decorative moulding that is at least a third wider than the rest of your window frame (Home Depot will cut to length) and nail or glue to the top part of your frame. Paint top cabinets white, bottom cabinets gray. Replace handles. Recoat existing countertops--I love epoxy but if you want something easier to use visit Daich Coatings website. Look up Spreadstone. You can buy it local maybe but generally it is cheaper direct ($100-$125 for a kit). Seriously consider adding some cabinets to some areas where you have shelving or at least use multiple rows of long shelves painted to match upper cabinets and only put stuff on them that matches your decor--or use matching tubs to conceal the stuff (you can paint those tubs). Put unmatching stuff inside tubs, cabinets or pantry. Get all that stuff off the fridge. Make sure any carts match the bottom cabinets. Backsplashes are pricey regardless whether you use peel & stick or real tile. Assume at least $10/sq foot unless you use subway tile. If that is not in your budget consider paintable wallpaper or simply paint for now.

Hi Nancy,

Call in Kitchen Magic for some ideas and costs, or add Trims and re-paint or Sell you Kitchen to some one wanting a 1950's kitchen. You could earn enough to re-fit your space.

There are people looking for a 50's kitchen and they are hard to find these days!