ideas needed please

**RuthNY** · 12-01-2005, 08:28 AM

I did a google on refurbishing 1950's kitchen cupboards and didn't come up with much. Anybody have any other ideas on getting ideas on what to do with these old but very sturdy cupboards? We'd like to not have to replace them just maybe update the look a bit.

**MandiDawn** · 12-01-2005, 08:41 AM

Do you have a picture you could post?

**Englishlady** · 12-01-2005, 08:42 AM

Ruth, if you post some pics ( either here or to my home e mail) I can advise you.

I LOVE refurbs on a shoe string

and I have painted  MANY kitchen cabinets in my time to great effect

What sort of look are you aiming for and what sort of colours? ( although I would advise against strong colours for re-sale)

Karen

**RuthNY** · 12-01-2005, 09:02 AM

I'll work on getting pics.
BF is thinking of using trim pieces to outline the edge and painting.
I'm not sure what effect I'd like but we are going shopping for countertops this weekend and he keeps asking me what color and what look I'd like so I need to decide pretty fast.
I'm just maybe looking for online pics of remodel jobs.

**Englishlady** · 12-01-2005, 09:12 AM

Most people can happily live with white or cream, countertops are a potential problem in as much as, if you buy too strong a colour you then have to work around THAT colour to achieve a cohesive look.

My cabinets are white and my counter tops are a white based with a sort of speckled/grey/black granite "look".

The woman who bought my last house, told me she bought it on the basis of the decoration I had done in the little bedroom

It was a white background with blue Roses done with stencils I cut myself

well, I was doing an Interior design course at the time and so I was using my own house as my portfolio

**Michele Annette** · 12-01-2005, 10:17 AM

Ruth can you sand and paint them? Do they have the crome handles that you can polish? I would think about color, design, the light you have in your kitchen or can bring in with lamps. I bet you can make them look really great! Pictures would be good.

**Darlene** · 12-01-2005, 11:50 AM

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/rm_kitchen_...377983,00.html
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/pac_ctnt_no..._24682,FF.html
http://forum.doityourself.com/archiv....php/f-74.html

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/html...ac_080405.html

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/pac_ct..._33146,00.html

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf69699937.tip.html

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf370385.tip.html

**YankeeMom** · 12-01-2005, 12:31 PM

I use this website to ask questions. There are categories for the age house you are renovating and you can ask questions from home owners who have BTDT and they have WONDERFUL resources & homepages to share for ideas

http://www.oldhouseweb.com/phpBB/index.php

**RuthNY** · 12-01-2005, 01:15 PM

Thanks for all the sites!
I'm bummed cuz I went to tak pics this afternoon and the batteries in the camera are all dead. I'll try again after work...

**amysh** · 12-01-2005, 10:28 PM

I read about someone who updated their cabinets by putting tin ceiling tiles (or something approximating them) on the doors, then framing with moulding. If the cupboards are flat, you would definitely need to frame around the tin tiles. My cabinet doors have flat panels (similar to these: http://www.tme.com.mx/pages/english/flatpanel.html, but without the curves), so I was thinking I could just cut tiles to fit in side the panel, then paint the cabinet & the tile.

Here is a description of what someone did.
http://groups.google.com/group/misc....e=UTF-8&rnum=3

This was as close as I could come to a picture, but it's not how I imagined it...http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/rm_kitchen_...397602,00.html

Good luck!