I could remove the trim to make it less noticable.
Asked on Jun 02, 2019
Should I clean or paint yellowing IKEA cabinets?
+12
We have white Ikea kitchen cabinets that are about 6 years old. I love them, however they're yellowing. It's not grease or dirt. IKEA does have a warranty for this, however, they were installed prior to us moving in and we don't have the receipt. I took one to the store but they had no suggestions. Has this happened to anyone?
Here is a tutorial on painting Ikea kitchen cabinets if you decide to go that route: https://cabindiy.com/how-to/painting-kitchen-cabinet-doors/
Have you tried Mr. Clean Magic Erasers on them? I have used these erasers on so many things with good results. Test first in a spot that isn't too obvious. ( I have a plastic tray I use to mix acrylics when I am painting. It was badly stained. Magic Erasers took most of it off! )
Hello Phyllis!
Here are some videos for you regarding your question. Good luck.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Should+I+clean+or+paint+yellowing+IKEA+cabinets%3f&qpvt=Should+I+clean+or+paint+yellowing+IKEA+cabinets%3f&FORM=VDRE
I'd be leery of using a Magic eraser as the cabinets may be thermofoil, rather than painted wood.
Does the kitchen receive much sun or heat? It may be a chemical reaction that's caused the yellowing, or the previous owner's use of a cleaning agent.
Here is forum regarding yellowing Ikea cabinets. It appears they knew about the problem with no solution or regards to customers. They call it wear and tear. I assume it's the polyester paint used that degrades over time.
Only solution I have is to paint them.
https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2608502/white-cabinets-turning-yellow
If you choose to paint.
https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=paint%20cabinets
you could have them re-wrapped with new thermofoil....might be a bit expensive. If you paint you would definitely have to use a shellac based primer in order for the paint to stick...it's the only thing to stick to ikea other than oil paint.
Although this answer does not address the possible deficiency with the Ikea cabinet finish, to help the cabinets appear 'whiter' I would suggest that you replace the kitchen light fixtures with integrated LED fixtures, or replace the bulbs in the present fixtures with LED bulbs.
We experienced the same issue with what appear to be the same model cabinets. Our cabinets are nine years old and began to yellow a few years ago. We inquired about having them painted but were told they cannot be painted. It could be that this person simply did not want to paint them. Instead, he offered to install new doors for about $9,000. We have an appointment at IKEA soon to aak about a warranty and what replacement doors would cost. Attaching photos of a few of our affected cabinets.
Try using something like Barkeeper Friend to clean them, or maybe Whitening Toothpaste. Try inside door before!
Are the cabinets sealed? The shine on the faces makes it looked sealed. If that is the case were they sealed with water or oil based sealer? Oil based yellows over time while water based doesn't.