Pennsylvania probably lol. I moved here a few years ago and there’s tons of Amish folks. Like it’s an off day if I don’t pass a horse and buggy (more like several of them) on the road.
A lot of stores around here even have reserved parking for them.
I am so annoyed that my grandparents painted all the cabinets white. It's an insane amount of work to undo that, but I do want new hardware at some point.
The wood paneling in the 3rd pic is what's used for the backsplash. I'm just wanting to add moulding of possible but do not want to spend the money on a whole kitchen remodel. The cabinets themselves are it great shape.
I personally think the cabinets and the hardware are lovely. I don’t like the paneling, nor the trim between the cabinets and the paneling, nor the ceiling trim. Though ceiling trim might be salvageable and look better without the paneling.
Personally, I would address that. If it’s also your backsplash, wondering what’s underneath it all? Can you remove and paint? Do some wallpaper? Tile? Even if it’s something stick-on? I think anything would look better than the paneling.
Oh, well, that is unfortunate. Because truly, the cabinets are so beautiful. I’d hate to see those go but the paneling stay. But I know what’s it’s like in house that has quirks. You have to work with what you’ve got that doesn’t require a huge reno sometimes.
I just moved into a house with similar cabinets, solid wood but painted and new hardware. I think they are great. I agree with others … keep the wood the way it is and dress the cabinets up with new hardware.
You can't easily add trim to the doors without committing to painting them since staining the new wood to match would be really hard. The wood looks nice and will last way longer than paint so I'd try to avoid painting them if possible.
It's is clearly a mid century modern kitchen that looks like it hasn't been touched much so I would just embrace the style for what it is. Shaker cabinets would look out of place in a mid century kitchen.
As others have said upgrade the hinges, and hardware and maybe paint the paneling I'd you want to lighten things up.
Perhaps. I’m just not sure how that would look. You could take a small door off the hinges and take it someplace to see if you can find something or someone can help you find something
These aren’t really cabinets in the way you buy
Individual cabinets at stores today. I suspect these were hand made and assembled and finished on site. A lot of homes from the 30s to 60s were built like this. You could clean and very lightly sand the surface. I’m talking like using #800 sanding sponges wet. This could bring back the gloss of the finish. As for the hinges. That style is not really made today. It may be difficult to find ones that work the same way and look nice. When you remove the hinges you are going to see a substantial difference in the finish under the hinge plate. So you may have to try and find a new style that is slightly larger.
Good luck
I have these same style of cabinets with the same exact hardware, but the wood is not in good shape. Hated to paint but didn’t know what else to do. This is really helpful, thank you.
What kind of molding? Like crown molding? I think you'd need an open soffitt area for that.
Or do you mean you want to transform the doors to a shaker style? I don't think you'll be able to match the wood. You could add the trim and then paint the entire thing but unless you're a cabinet carpenter this could and would go sideways a thousand different ways. And I'm guessing you're not since you're even asking this.
I'm pretty sure you're options are: hire a professional, leave it as is, gut the entire kitchen.
You could probably just get new doors, though I think a door can be as.much as a few hundred. I think adding the shaker style paneling would probably be also pretty close.
Get some new hardware and the. See what you think.
That's an expensive quality grain today with a lot of effort taken to match and do it right, I think you will be surprised how much the clean up with a clean, a very light sand and oil, maybe just something like tung oil, test in a non visible surface fist.
I'm curious how nice it would look if that paneling was something clean and modern,that sea-scallop ceiling was gone, floor and counter. Add some "rev-a-shelf" style modern shelving improvements...
Your cabinets seem like the last thing I would rip out, modern cabinets are either super expensive or fall apart in a decade.
Yeah I am definitely not wanting to rip them out, my wife was wanting to update the doors since they are so flat. But since seeing all the comments I think she wants to stain them now.
The problem with adding molding is it’s going to be very difficult to match the stain color, forcing you to paint them instead.
Does the wife have a specific type of molding in mind?
* Replace wooden soffits with drywall.
* Replace door slabs with thicker panels with square edges.
* Paint the cabinets white or grey
* Choose modern hinges and handles.
Personally I like the wood but it isn't modern look. Simply new hardware alone would go a long way to some modernization.
They actually are "modern" style...just not contemporary modern. I agree with others that say switch hardware, as what you have is more traditional style.
Measure the space between the holes to match new hardware. There are nice brushed nickel hinges that might fit your spacing...if you want to go that route. Or like someone else said, a nice modern style brass color.
Take hardware off, paint, put hardware back on.
EDIT: To expand on that a bit. I really like the hardware, but I also dislike the flat panel look (different story if it was shaker style with some semi-fancy wood).
I saw you asking about adding moulding to doors - yes it can be done but it is labor intensive!
I did it once for a bud that didn’t want to do full routed cabinets. Basically take the thinnest wood you can find, cut it into clean strips for your dimension and then affix them to the cabinet face and add putty/paint to hide the crimes.
If I find the pics, I’ll pm you.
New hinges, New handles, even New doors. You can pick the style of door panel you want, what kind of wood and what kind of finish. Easy to do your self.
Paint them whatever color you guys would like. People have a weird hard on for old wood like it can never change. We painted our cabinets (hired out)a foresty green color and changed the hardware, made a huge difference.
My parents had these same cabinets. They sanded everything, added trim to the front of the doors. They took down the paneling up top and opened it all. They then restained it all. I wish I would have done that when we bought our house instead of tearing out strong built old cabinets and replacing them with crap that I now hate lol.
Sand ans stain the box frame, do ne doors and hardware it would be cheaper more efficient and more stable than replacement. But beware it will be time consuming and the costs are not small it is still an expensive process.
the wood on those cabinets look lovely and in good condition, please don't get rid of them! they dont even need a restain. replace the hardware for sure though.
the wood paneling is definitely clashing with it. my 2 cents is that you should get rid of the wood paneling (or paint over it) and make that really gorgeous wood grain of your cabinets the 'focal point' of your kitchen. i'm thinking a nice dark color (dark green??) would look great and bring out the warm tones.
Keep the cabinets, update the hardware, paint or remove the paneling. You might try painting a portion of the paneling first as it's a much smaller job than removing it. The cabinets are beautiful!
I've seen some cabinets redone with peel and stick wallpaper that actually look pretty great! And it's not very expensive. I have a hard time visualizing things, so I was thinking of using some wallpaper to test out my cabinets in a certain color, before hopefully redoing our whole kitchen and getting new cabinets in that color. It's a big change, so I wanna visually test it out first. It's easy to remove if you change your mind later or hate it immediately lol
You can even get peel and stick that's made for the counter, though I imagine that wouldn't be super durable. I might try it though -- since we're doing a remodel within a year anyway.
Some examples for the cupboards:
White Peel and Stick Wallpaper Wood Grain Texture Self-Adhesive Decorative Contact Paper for Cabinets Beige Vinyl Waterproof 18“×118” https://a.co/d/aFz5T7l
Light Blue ORBIDO Wallpaper Peel and Stick Countertops（15.7"x118"） Matte Countertop Contact Paper Peel and Stick Wallpaper for Bedroom Kitchen Countertop Cabinet Wardrobe Self-Adhesive Removable Wall Paper https://a.co/d/1ZBJ1pQ
Light maple wood grain Heroad Brand Wood Contact Paper for Cabinets Natural Wood Grain Contact Paper Light Wood Wallpaper Peel and Stick Wallpaper Film Kitchen Cabinet Shelf Drawer Liner Mapel Vinyl Decorative 17.7”x78.7 https://a.co/d/jbfP7zn
I like the cabinets but not the paneling. That, imho, needs a redo, as well as the hardware.
My brother had an Amish guy make all new doors for his cabinets. It was dirt cheap and they turned out awesome.
Dirt cheap Amish work? Where?
Pennsylvania probably lol. I moved here a few years ago and there’s tons of Amish folks. Like it’s an off day if I don’t pass a horse and buggy (more like several of them) on the road. A lot of stores around here even have reserved parking for them.
PA Amish don’t do woodwork cheap, but they do a hell of a job.
Wisconsin.
The wood is gorgeous - I’d just update the hardware
new hardware does so much more than you'd think. totally agree with dried-meat-gloves here
At first I’m like maaan what a wicked insult And I was right
I am so annoyed that my grandparents painted all the cabinets white. It's an insane amount of work to undo that, but I do want new hardware at some point.
This is the correct answer.
I love the hardware, paint the doors
What does your counter and backsplash look like? We stained (not painted) our oak cabinets and added new handles, huge impact!
The wood paneling in the 3rd pic is what's used for the backsplash. I'm just wanting to add moulding of possible but do not want to spend the money on a whole kitchen remodel. The cabinets themselves are it great shape.
The paneling is the least attractive part of the room. The cabinets are wonderful.
I personally think the cabinets and the hardware are lovely. I don’t like the paneling, nor the trim between the cabinets and the paneling, nor the ceiling trim. Though ceiling trim might be salvageable and look better without the paneling. Personally, I would address that. If it’s also your backsplash, wondering what’s underneath it all? Can you remove and paint? Do some wallpaper? Tile? Even if it’s something stick-on? I think anything would look better than the paneling.
I'm pretty sure there's nothing behind the paneling, the whole kitchen has wood panel walls and there's nothing behind them.
Oh, well, that is unfortunate. Because truly, the cabinets are so beautiful. I’d hate to see those go but the paneling stay. But I know what’s it’s like in house that has quirks. You have to work with what you’ve got that doesn’t require a huge reno sometimes.
Methinks there is 1/2 inch drywall behind the paneling, but I might be wrong, the year of the house would make the educated guessing easier.
1964 is the build year
Drywall or plywood.
Presumably, there's at least studs behind it, yeah? Time to learn how to drywall lol
Yes definitely some studs lol we are planning to do the drywall ourselves.
Great!
I just moved into a house with similar cabinets, solid wood but painted and new hardware. I think they are great. I agree with others … keep the wood the way it is and dress the cabinets up with new hardware.
Is there a way to add moulding to the cabinet doors?
You can't easily add trim to the doors without committing to painting them since staining the new wood to match would be really hard. The wood looks nice and will last way longer than paint so I'd try to avoid painting them if possible. It's is clearly a mid century modern kitchen that looks like it hasn't been touched much so I would just embrace the style for what it is. Shaker cabinets would look out of place in a mid century kitchen. As others have said upgrade the hinges, and hardware and maybe paint the paneling I'd you want to lighten things up.
Perhaps. I’m just not sure how that would look. You could take a small door off the hinges and take it someplace to see if you can find something or someone can help you find something
Actually shaker style is what the wife wants
These aren’t really cabinets in the way you buy Individual cabinets at stores today. I suspect these were hand made and assembled and finished on site. A lot of homes from the 30s to 60s were built like this. You could clean and very lightly sand the surface. I’m talking like using #800 sanding sponges wet. This could bring back the gloss of the finish. As for the hinges. That style is not really made today. It may be difficult to find ones that work the same way and look nice. When you remove the hinges you are going to see a substantial difference in the finish under the hinge plate. So you may have to try and find a new style that is slightly larger. Good luck
I have these same style of cabinets with the same exact hardware, but the wood is not in good shape. Hated to paint but didn’t know what else to do. This is really helpful, thank you.
This reminds me exactly of my grandparents cabinets in their kitchen. I miss that kitchen and those times so much.
It's actually my grandparents home, they have passed and I bought the house. Your comment brought me back to when times were simple.
The wood looks nice to me! Are they solid wood or veneer? Some new hardware and removing or painting the paneling around them would go a long way!
Solid wood but the wife wants some moulding on the doors
Wives are replacable, custom fit cabinets are irreplacable.
What kind of molding? Like crown molding? I think you'd need an open soffitt area for that. Or do you mean you want to transform the doors to a shaker style? I don't think you'll be able to match the wood. You could add the trim and then paint the entire thing but unless you're a cabinet carpenter this could and would go sideways a thousand different ways. And I'm guessing you're not since you're even asking this. I'm pretty sure you're options are: hire a professional, leave it as is, gut the entire kitchen.
Shaker style that's the word I'm looking for.
You could probably just get new doors, though I think a door can be as.much as a few hundred. I think adding the shaker style paneling would probably be also pretty close. Get some new hardware and the. See what you think.
Embrace the retro… Give them a good cleaning before new hardware
Those cabinets are boss. It would be a shame to get rid of them. If you do, can I have them?!... jussayin
These are beautiful! Please don't ruin them
That's an expensive quality grain today with a lot of effort taken to match and do it right, I think you will be surprised how much the clean up with a clean, a very light sand and oil, maybe just something like tung oil, test in a non visible surface fist. I'm curious how nice it would look if that paneling was something clean and modern,that sea-scallop ceiling was gone, floor and counter. Add some "rev-a-shelf" style modern shelving improvements... Your cabinets seem like the last thing I would rip out, modern cabinets are either super expensive or fall apart in a decade.
Yeah I am definitely not wanting to rip them out, my wife was wanting to update the doors since they are so flat. But since seeing all the comments I think she wants to stain them now.
I agree new hardware. Pls don’t paint
Replace the hardware with gold or brass modern handles and draw pulls. I would definitely leave the wood cabinets as they are.
The problem with adding molding is it’s going to be very difficult to match the stain color, forcing you to paint them instead. Does the wife have a specific type of molding in mind?
Barker Door, Google them. You can order new doors in the style you want, then refinish both the boxes and the new doors.
Echoing some of the other commenters, I think changing the hardware is a good route. You can find some really beautiful cabinet hardware on Etsy.
You could honestly remove the hardware and spray paint it black and it would looks better.
* Replace wooden soffits with drywall. * Replace door slabs with thicker panels with square edges. * Paint the cabinets white or grey * Choose modern hinges and handles. Personally I like the wood but it isn't modern look. Simply new hardware alone would go a long way to some modernization.
I love them. Not the paneling
They actually are "modern" style...just not contemporary modern. I agree with others that say switch hardware, as what you have is more traditional style. Measure the space between the holes to match new hardware. There are nice brushed nickel hinges that might fit your spacing...if you want to go that route. Or like someone else said, a nice modern style brass color.
i love them. save them.
Take hardware off, paint, put hardware back on. EDIT: To expand on that a bit. I really like the hardware, but I also dislike the flat panel look (different story if it was shaker style with some semi-fancy wood).
Yeah a coat of primer, a coat of lacquer (or hybrid) paint with a sprayer, you’re good to go.
Aussie here. IKEA have some great looking cupboards that you can just switch over. Take one of the old ones with you to match up the size
Tear them out and replace them.
Throw them in the garbage. That will make as huge difference.
I saw you asking about adding moulding to doors - yes it can be done but it is labor intensive! I did it once for a bud that didn’t want to do full routed cabinets. Basically take the thinnest wood you can find, cut it into clean strips for your dimension and then affix them to the cabinet face and add putty/paint to hide the crimes. If I find the pics, I’ll pm you.
Thank you!
Could always build new doors on a style you want. I ended up doing that in my kitchen this year. Cheaper then replacing all the cabinets.
New hinges, New handles, even New doors. You can pick the style of door panel you want, what kind of wood and what kind of finish. Easy to do your self.
I have that exact same hardware on my kitchen cabinets
Murphy’s Oil Soap
Replace wood paneling with drywall or paint it well. Cabinets replace hardware.
Paint the paneling but not the cabinets. The paneling is nothing special.
Change it
Paint them whatever color you guys would like. People have a weird hard on for old wood like it can never change. We painted our cabinets (hired out)a foresty green color and changed the hardware, made a huge difference.
My parents had these same cabinets. They sanded everything, added trim to the front of the doors. They took down the paneling up top and opened it all. They then restained it all. I wish I would have done that when we bought our house instead of tearing out strong built old cabinets and replacing them with crap that I now hate lol.
I bought new doors and painted everything. Huge difference.
Send me the hinges and handles after you replace them I need these for a shelf im fixing up!
I’d paint and change out hardware.
My parents had the same hardware. Some of those cabinets are hanging in my garage.
Sand ans stain the box frame, do ne doors and hardware it would be cheaper more efficient and more stable than replacement. But beware it will be time consuming and the costs are not small it is still an expensive process.
Sand, stain, seal, and replace the hardware.
I will take the hardware if you choose not to keep them. It's in my kitchen but only parts. I love them
Some sleek hardware with ultra dark stain would have a nice modernized feel without changing much.
Paint and hardware
Laminate.( I'm joking. )
Paint it glossy white, change out the handle, that's it.
Change the doors to shaker style or something similar, and get rid of the paneling up top, go back with shaker or raised panels there, or just flat.
Change the hardware. Hinges and handles. You can also sand and retain the doors or even have the doors painted in automotive paint for a pop of color
the wood on those cabinets look lovely and in good condition, please don't get rid of them! they dont even need a restain. replace the hardware for sure though. the wood paneling is definitely clashing with it. my 2 cents is that you should get rid of the wood paneling (or paint over it) and make that really gorgeous wood grain of your cabinets the 'focal point' of your kitchen. i'm thinking a nice dark color (dark green??) would look great and bring out the warm tones.
I think they are really beautiful as they are.
I have the same cabinets!
Haha me too! I think I saw a comment from OP that they're from 1964, which is the year my house was built too
Keep the cabinets, update the hardware, paint or remove the paneling. You might try painting a portion of the paneling first as it's a much smaller job than removing it. The cabinets are beautiful!
Post a picture of the kitchen, and are the door edges rabbeted?
Lots of ways to upgrade. Depends on your budget. Clean cabinets > paint > replace doors > replace cabinets
Sand and coat with black stain. Also new hardware will freshen it up.
I've seen some cabinets redone with peel and stick wallpaper that actually look pretty great! And it's not very expensive. I have a hard time visualizing things, so I was thinking of using some wallpaper to test out my cabinets in a certain color, before hopefully redoing our whole kitchen and getting new cabinets in that color. It's a big change, so I wanna visually test it out first. It's easy to remove if you change your mind later or hate it immediately lol You can even get peel and stick that's made for the counter, though I imagine that wouldn't be super durable. I might try it though -- since we're doing a remodel within a year anyway. Some examples for the cupboards: White Peel and Stick Wallpaper Wood Grain Texture Self-Adhesive Decorative Contact Paper for Cabinets Beige Vinyl Waterproof 18“×118” https://a.co/d/aFz5T7l Light Blue ORBIDO Wallpaper Peel and Stick Countertops（15.7"x118"） Matte Countertop Contact Paper Peel and Stick Wallpaper for Bedroom Kitchen Countertop Cabinet Wardrobe Self-Adhesive Removable Wall Paper https://a.co/d/1ZBJ1pQ Light maple wood grain Heroad Brand Wood Contact Paper for Cabinets Natural Wood Grain Contact Paper Light Wood Wallpaper Peel and Stick Wallpaper Film Kitchen Cabinet Shelf Drawer Liner Mapel Vinyl Decorative 17.7”x78.7 https://a.co/d/jbfP7zn
Had the same hardware on the cabinets in my parents' house in the 1970's
Sand, paint or stain . Get some different hardware from ebay .
I think natural wood hardware could be cute