Ideas for kitchen soffit in older home

Question

The kitchen soffit is plywood above cupboards. The cupboards are ash, but darkened through the years, tall ceiling, little wall space, small kitchen. Would you paint it the same as the ceiling or the paper? The walls have old wallpaper with blues and grays. I do not plan on removing the wallpaper. I just need inexpensive ideas to bring some cohesiveness in the project. I am getting ready to sell the house. This is an older home built in the 1920's. The kitchen was updated in the 1960's. Carolyn

Letmework · Answer

Paint the soffit white AND the kitchen cabinets. All the same color, that will definitely bring cohesion to the project. If you don't want to take the time to paint them flawlessly, then coat them all once with the white paint and distress. The key is to keep the soffit and cabinets the same. Crown molding at the ceiling and a small molding where the soffit meets the cabinet will make it look so much more high end. Just make sure the moldings are the same paint finish as the cabinets and soffit. Good Luck!

Carolyn · Answer

I have not gone ahead with the project am still considering my options

LD · Answer

A realtor will tell you to remove the wallpaper, for a potential buyers may not consider your home because of it or they will come in with a very low offer.  Most buyers want to be able to just move and unpack.  I recommend that you remove the wallpaper, and pull your colors for the kitchen from colors in your flooring. Paint your lower cabinets a darker shade and then paint the upper cabinets a medium light shade of the lower cabinets, update the hardware, paint ceiling and trim decorator white, which is classic, and update your outlets and covers. If you have a window in your kitchen go with a swag style curtain to not only bring in natural light, but also gives you view of the outdoors.

Patty S · Answer

I agree with removing the wall paper and then just paint a nice clean neutral color and then paint the soffit the same as the walls.

Carolyn · Answer

Thanks for your help. I am leery of what I might find under the wallpaper, as always one thing leads to another.

Christine Simonson · Answer

My husband steamed wallpaper off several rooms' entire walls in the course of a week; enough of the old adhesive came off that there was very little sanding needed before the walls were repainted. Just a suggestion, as it's true most buyers today want NOTHING to do with wallpaper.

Pat · Answer

Mother lived in an old farm house with plastered walls. She wallpapered because of all the cracks in the plaster (was a rented house) which the paper hid. If you are afraid to pull off the wallpaper, could you paint over it? Would depend on the seams and etc. My friend painted over her bathroom wallpaper and it looked beautiful. Some say wallpaper is hard to get off when it has been painted, but I would paint it in a heartbeat.

Kathy Bitzan · Answer

I agree there is nothing worse than buying a home and find out the previous owner just did hap hazard work to sell the place. I only mention this because of my daughters house. The wall above the w/d was damaged from to much moisture, they had sponge painted the whole area to conceal it. Not nice.

Moxie · Answer

I would remove the soffit all together and add crown mold at the top of the cabinets; then paint the wall beyond where the soffits were to 'open' up the space, take advantage of the high ceilings but without a pic I'm just assuming the conditions

Ideas for kitchen soffit in older home

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Ideas for kitchen soffit in older home

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