I am not sure you can do this on your budget. I would have suggested gel stain, but since you have dark floors, I would say to paint the cabinets white. Add hardware. Get advise on how to paint the cabinets and what paint to use. Many here have done it, with great results. (Please don't think you can simply buy a paint and paint them.)
With this budget, I am guessing this will be DIY? There are many on GW who have tiled their own backslashes, and you can get lots of advise from them.
I disagree with the realtor in leaving the walls white. Once you pick your counter and backsplash, you can pick a neutral with a hint of color.

Why are you updating anything? Who "told" you--your realtor? If you're planning to put your house on the market, go with a good cleaning, new cabinet hardware and maybe a cheap but nice backsplash, and call it a day.

If you're not selling the house, forget what you've been "told" and wait until you have more money to spend before changing anything. Otherwise you're throwing away cash that you probably need on "flipper"-type staging for a house that won't even go on the market for years--when all the staging will look old already.

Have you gone to open houses in your area to see what the kitchens in your price range look like? I would have your realtor take you out to get a feel for what is out there as your competition.

If everyone is updated except you, you have to decide to spend $$ or drop the price. Don't just guess about the competition, go look.

That is exactly what I'd expect to find in a small, 1990s kitchen.

When I was cleaning my oak cabinets for resale on Craigslist, I read good things about Howard Restor-a-Finish. You might try it to make the cabs look like new.

Here is a link that might be useful: Howard Products

How soon are you putting the house on the market?

Half an update ends up looking more "lipstick on a pig" than anything. I'd go for 20% of an update instead: I'd clean the cabinets up really well, add sleek hardware, and put new stock laminate counters on, with a new sink and sexy faucet. Skip the tile backsplash, as it will outshine the cabinets and counters and make the new owner have to do more tear-out if they decide they want to update the whole kitchen.

Most of all, do see what the competition has and how it's priced. And act/price accordingly.

study craig's list or head to scratch n dent store and put in appliances that are upgrades from what you have,and that make a closer match between all the pieces.[maybe all white] A new wood floor and new appliances will allow anyone to move in and do a kitchen remodel later when they have the desire and style choices defined for themselves.

We were "told" to update our kitchen based on the comparable open houses we went to in our area and our realtors experience in the industry.

From what my husband and I could tell when we visited various open houses and comparable homes. Most kitchen remodels that have been done were simply replace the counters if they were in bad shape, which ours is in the laminate has been peeling a bit since we bought the house, most if not all either have solid surface counters or granite. We are planning on listing in 3-4 months and it would be a DIY project minus installation of the counters by professionals.

All the kitchens we saw didn't have oak cabinets that we could tell either they had been painted over or refinished. The flooring was all tile or lighter laminate inside the kitchens. Since we paid over $3,00 for the floors in our home we're simply not going to rip them out and replace them to resell.

None of the kitchens came with appliances either, if the homes did have stainless or others they were not included with the home. We are including the appliances in the sale of our home, due to not wanting to move them to our new location.

I had thought about a nice white or grey painted cabinets and then the solid surface or granite or course to coordinate with the paint choice, with a fresh backsplash, updated sink and hardware on the cabinets. Along with a fresh coat of paint on the walls.

Since I have priced out of the cost of the faucet and other minor touches to be under $200. We would have about $1,300 left to spend.

In my opinion I would put in new laminate counters from HD or Lowes. They are low cost and easy DIY. I would not put in solid surface or granite, you don't have the money for that.

Also, you can't tell from the data that you have if the kitchens in the houses you saw made the house sell faster, or for more money. Maybe everybody's realtor told them to put granite on their counters to sell. That doesn't mean its what the buyers want. Some buyer's will feel worse about demolishing a kitchen that someone just put granite into. Its different if your cabinets are already the current style.

I put granite on older cabinets to sell a house once. The cabinets were cherry and in decent shape.

I moved into a 1995 house with a similar kitchen- oak builder-grade cabinets, a white laminate counter top, and original white appliances.... none of the previous owners did anything, except create a caulk mess on the join between the counter and the wall (that I couldn't get off without hours of work) and update the faucet. I've been replacing appliances and dreaming about my own reno.

As for your dilemma, add hardware ($150-$200, max), update the faucet, replace the laminate counter with another laminate, and consider a nice paint on the walls. And of course remove the clutter and spend a morning scrubbing the grease (all kitchens have it!). You don't have the budget for anything else, and if you try to stretch, it will just be cheap.

This post was edited by julieboulangerie on Wed, Jan 2, 13 at 23:05

I agree with the posters above. First of all, the kitchen needs to be spotless. No clutter, no mess, no grease, dirt or anything else.

You should restore-a-finish the cabinets and replace the laminate with HD or Lowes granite look laminate. Add dark hardware and a nice sink, paint a neutral color.

Gel staining is a DYI job, but cabinets really should be professionally sprayed. Gel stain would make your kitchen too dark.

Mock ups are using Lowes instock laminates.

For color schemes that allow you to refresh the cabs while keeping the golden oak, see this thread.

The advice to keep the walls white makes no sense to me at all. The easiest, cheapest way to create an updated look is with a can of paint. If the cabs stay wood, white walls provide the most contrast and draw the most attention to them.

If you choose to paint, white or gray would be fine, but with white cabinets I might change the walls to gray. Painting oak is a lot of work--you have to fill in all the grain first.

And I agree, laminate is pretty much your only choice for replacing the countertop.

Awesome affordable hardware- www.gliderite.com. I was super impressed with the company and the price I paid for the hardware for my 30 cabinets and drawers- under 100! But I would simply replace the countertops and leave the cabs. Hardware is going to make a huge difference. Buyer are going to want to rip out and redo it.

Awesome affordable hardware- www.gliderite.com. I was super impressed with the company and the price I paid for the hardware for my 30 cabinets and drawers- under 100! But I would simply replace the countertops and leave the cabs. Hardware is going to make a huge difference. Buyer are going to want to rip out and redo it.

You're not going to put in new granite or solid surface for $1500. That would cover the cost of a laminate installed counter though. Or it would go further if you chose the instock laminate as suggested above. Go with the dark and dark hardware to coordinate with the appliances. Then do a soft green with a lot of tan in it for the walls. It will read as a neutral but won't contrast with the cabinets quite so much as the white.

If you are up for a signfificant DIY project, then yes, you could paint the cabinets and put on new hardware. Even then, you'd be talking about a couple of hundred for the paint and product. And you'd still have to replace the peeling laminate with more laminate unless you increased the budget.

If you had a larger budget, and everyone else has done a kitchen remodel, then I'd suggest replacing the cabinets and counters. But, you'd have to up your budget by 10x at least, and do a significant portion of DIY.

I would paint the cabinets white and do the best job I possibly could. There are many threads on GW on how to do this with the best primer and paint. Replace the counters with stock laminate that looks like granite. Paint the walls a pretty neutral that looks good with the laminate and forget spending money on a backsplash. Declutter, declutter, declutter counters and display one or two decorative items, perhaps add a pretty decorative rug and valance and call it done

I would not change the cabinets to sell the house. It mights total sense for a realtor to tell you to do this because the funds are not coming out of his/her pocket to do so, and it would definitely take a lot more data to prove to you that it's worth it to spend your own cash to do so. I'd call an appraiser and ask them over the phone how much they add on to the value of a home for these changes, my guess is it's zero.

If the counters are "peeling a little" you could get the laminate glue and secure them, assuming all the pieces are there.

While this board is wonderful for many things-- the opinions expressed here are not always representative of the average homebuyer for any given area. Having lived in your house for 7 years, how long has it taken to gain $1500 in equity? Do you really want to fork that over to the next owner when they may have been equally inclined to buy your house with the oak cabinets and current laminate? Many people I'm acquainted with IRL think 1990's oak is the "bees knees" -- painting those cabinets and putting a granite looking laminate wouldn't make these people any more inclined to buying a house than if you were to use Thomson Restor-a-finish to revive them (because it makes them seem brand new again, it really works!). I'd probably spring for the new knobs, too, since I would get them for under $50. And paint as hollysprings suggested. Total cost: about $110. YOU pocket the other $1400, it's takes far too long in this market to gain that amount of equity to spend it on the wish for a quick sale or increased price.

If you only have 1500$ to spend dont do anything but get the house as clean as you can. Repaint the walls and trim if needed. Paint is cheap. and walls are easier than cabinets. Then clear out all of your personal stuff. Pack it up like youre moving and store in boxes in the garage
Stage your house like you dont live there. Make sure your realtor prices it based on neighborhood comps.
Dont waste $ on new hardware.
My last house sold in 24 hours. I know what I'm talking about. I had wallpaper in the kitchen that the realtor wanted gone but I didnt. I put in new hardware.Spent $300
The buyer and I became friends, she loved the wallpaper,
but I ran into her in Lowes 2 weeks after closing buying NEW knobs.
Repaint and get the house SPOTLESS

Here is another discussion about an oak kitchen.

Are Ikea's wood counters cheaper than laminate? Something to consider as I think it would make the kitchen look larger.

You haven't mentioned the style of your home. As others have mentioned, adding hardware, cleaning the cabinets well and using the Restore Product will change thier look a great deal. I see black cup pulls on the drawers.

Also, is that a light above the sink? I bought the change out drop lights that screw into these and it made a huge difference to my kitchen. They were inexpensive and you only need one.

Change out the faucet, it doesn't have to be the high end. Then go for a new counter top.

Have you looked at "Habitat Restore"? It has a lot of reuse options and could fit in your budget. I have found far too many building projects with their offerings. Run a search to see if one is near you. Even their counter tops are in great condition and there may be one to fit your need.

Use a wet/dry sandpaper to shine up your sink. Wet it and sand direction of stainless. It is very fine, but gets the old looking new. You won't be disappointed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oak kitchen discussion

Clean and de-clutter. Don't paint your cabinets, they appear to be in decent shape. If the laminate is bad, consider replacing it with new laminate. I agree with the suggestions of adding hardware, maybe replacing the faucet. But first, painting the walls a neutral will go far in changing the look of the current space. I'd do that first so you can see just exactly how huge a difference a can of paint makes. If you are selling, you give the buyers a blank canvas to work with instead of putting in your touches that they may not like. If your realtor insists, tell her to pay for it out of her commission.

If you paint, paint the adjoining room the same color. I am wondering what your other wall colors are, perhaps the realtor didn't want you to add more color. Neutral is better. Pick up a neutral tone in the laminate you are choosing.

Ebay has great deals on hardware as well.

This post was edited by gmp3 on Thu, Jan 3, 13 at 10:22

You could put in granite countertops, but they are already outdated too so it's a loosing battle.

I would not put any money into doing a 1/2 done job. Gel staining is a DIY project and really will bring the cabinets into this century. But, making the room look darker is not a good idea, especially with a dark floor. Although, when we sold the last house and I gel stained all the oak vanities, our realtor was amazed. She could not believe the change and she told us (next to the kitchen reno) that it was the smartest thing we did. The dark stain combined with the satin nickel hardware was very contemporary, and everyone who came into the house thought the vanities were all new.

Personally, I would take everything out of that kitchen that is not part of the kitchen....Totally clear the counters, perhaps a clear glass bowl with green apples can be put on the counter. Nothing else. Make the counters look as bare as possible. And clean the counters, fridge, stove, etc. If the counters are bad, then just replace them with an updated laminate. I don't think I would even bother with hardware--I think you run the risk of making the place look too busy. It is a small space, keep it simple.

Good Luck.

If your bath cabinets are the same as the kitchen, and the bathroom floors are light, gel staining bath counters as Bee suggested is a great idea and easy to do. As she mentioned, they will look new.

I really don't think the oak is ugly -- I like the warm color. I think it just takes the right paint on the walls, and some hardware will really change the look.

It is amazing what the right color scheme and a few accessories can do. For example: My neighbors raved about how I had "transformed" my home's exterior--but mostly, I had just painted it from plain white with black shutters to a sage green with other colors in the trims, and pulled out a few bushes! Ten years later I still have people telling me how much they like it!

I put down a fake vinyl granite in a rental kitchen. So far (3 months later) it has held up beautifully, even around the sink. My handyman/contractor and a carpet installer thought the counter tops were new. I would have replaced the laminate counter tops, but they were almost as expensive as granite (500.00 vs 750.00), which didn't seem worthwhile since the cabinets were old but still in decent enough shape. I gel stained them.
While I don't think it's a permanent solution, it may do the job until the new buyers remodel the kitchen to their taste.
You can buy the "granite" on Overstock or on Ebay for less. I used the gold color , and it does look exactly like the web site, not like the pink in my picture.

Here is a link that might be useful: fake instant granite to update

Thanks everyone I never even though to refinish them or gel stain them opposed to painting them, both are great ideas.

If we were planning on living here longer I would gut the whole thing and do over as I hate the layout and materials. The home is a 1987 split level with a beautiful fireplace. The home was last updated in 1997 with the cabinets you see in the kitchen and same same in both bathrooms along with ugly faux brown everywhere in the home. It was our starter home but we have unfortunately outgrown it now that we had our son last year.

The wall in the opposite room the small dinning area is white with the inside of the bay window painted a dark green. The opposite side of he kitchen has 2 more cabinets and rhe fridge so I giess you would call it a galley style? The Persian rugs in the home are green as is our living room.

I'm still not sold on replacing laminate with lamininate just yet, we spotted a lovely solid surface at Lowe's we really like that would have been $700 installed with a built in sink. Maybe is is because he area that I live he average on price per square foot is $10-50?

Thanks again everyone will keep you all updated as the project goes forward.

$700 for solid surface might be worth it if it is neutral and coordinates with the kitchen cabinets.

I have to say that gel staining is way more forgiving than painting. You could search for gel staining here and drool over the results. Also, if you can get a solid surface counter top for 700.00, I'd go for that rather than laminate. How about a kitchen like the one below with dark cabinets and dark floor?

Here is a link that might be useful: dark floor/dark cabinets

I agree with the people who say do not paint or stain the cabinets. Skip the granite also, because it will just be wasted money. The new owners are probably going to replace the kitchen in the near future.

I like the darker option that gmp3 put up. And having a spotless clean kitchen will be the best money spent.

My neighbor put in laminate with a built-in 50/50 divided sink. Totally worthless imo. If that's the only sink choice, I wouldn't bother. It will not be a selling feature.

I think it also depends on who your potential buyers are, what other properties you're competing with, and, of course, your asking price. Many people may not want to have the hassle of having to gut the kitchen or may not be able to afford it, so updating may be useful.

You could gel stain your bathroom vanities to see how much work it is and to see whether you like it. There's lots of information and before/after pictures here and on the Internet.

However, I also have to say that just yesterday I looked at a property where everything had been "updated" not only on the cheap but rather in a very careless way, e.g. same flat stark white paint slapped on the walls, ceilings, outlets, backsplash, and cabinets with a stipply roller, really huge chrome door knobs in the middle of the cabinets, cheap laminate counters, and cheap tiles haphazardly glued down. So, make sure that whatever you do is done to (almost) perfection.

Here is a link that might be useful: gel stain

I'm going to start posting here soon - my journey of renovations here and there in my home; so this is my FIRST post! I've received tons of inspiration reading other people's posts, and stayed up waaaaay into the wee hours to do so some nights.

I had to reply though, because no one else has suggested it. Here's a pic of my kitchen in progress (note the "bombed out" look of the walls). We got this super easy to install thinner granite from muranocollection.com The cheapest one is $10 s/f, the "Modena". I really wanted that, but it'd look better in a white/black kitchen so I went with the next step up which was $12 s/f "Milano". I have a HUGE kitchen, plus added an island, and spent about $1,600 total, including the slide-in sink. I'd really been eyeballing the formica fx180, but because of my island it would've been MORE than this cheaper granite! That being said, Lowes carries the Formica FX180 in a bigger variety of in-stock stuff, and it looks like you could do a straight run of that in-stock stuff for pretty cheap. Honestly that's what I'd do AND do an inexpensive glass tile backsplash. I just saw some at Home Depot that called out to me - that they'd look great with these cabinets. I really like the pics I've seen of the gel treatments to the cabinets; I think you could honestly do the gel treatments, buy some hardware off of ebay (I DID!), murano countertop and cheap glass backsplash for way under $1K. I included a link to them - not exactly what I saw today but at this price it'd make a beautiful and cheap upgrade!

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Home Depot glass tile

WOW~ we both have the same builder grade ugly oak cabinets! As I slowly got into home design and decor, the more I hated my 90s kitchen. The orange oak and brass screamed outdated! I got a wild hair to "update" the kitchen after seeing so many DIYers... I thought to myself, "if they can do, I can do..." Long story short, I painted my oak cabinets a grayish color, put in granite, SS appliances and a new backsplash. Overall, I love it, BUT BUT BUT I still want to completely gut the kitchen in the next 3-5 years and get new cabinets... But for now this will have to do.

To answer your question, I believe you CAN update your kitchen with $1500. I would paint the cabinets white and put in Formica countertops in that mimics granite. I would think $1500 could go that far, but I can't be certain. Good Luck!!

Here's my lovely oak....

Here is a link that might be useful: More pictures and details

Mrs. Shane-your kitchen looks awesome! What did you use to paint the cabinets?