I think a sagey green would look nice. It would pick up the slate coloring of your floor. For a real inexpensive backsplash you could do beadboard to match the door fronts of your charming hutch in the eating area. Your space is very pretty!

I had oak cabinets too and painted them a cream color and then glazed them. That is one way to get rid of the oak that you are tired of! One of my friends just had her cabinets painted a beautiful light pea green color. (I know it sounds ugly - but it was really nice! She has grayish/green walls with a red accent wall.) If you look through the blog photos - you will come up with different ideas. Paint is a very inexpensive fix!

Down the road you may consider replacing your counters. Choose colors that will work with your appliances and flooring. (Your flooring looks good as is!) You could really get a new look in your kitchen with paint on the walls and cabinets!

Maybe it's nostalgia, but your oak is looking pretty nice to me. Do you suppose we've complained about it long enough that it's due for a rebound? Your kitchen and dining are bright and sunny, and the rooms have a cheerful, happy feel to them. I guess the question is what look do you desire / what isn't working well for you?

Removing the wallpaper border and painting will make a huge difference. Might not suit you, but I'd remove the objects on top of cabinets and add some baskets on top (similar to those in dining room. Or if you have, some large scale chunky pottery. I'd remove drapes at sink, and change the dining room drapes. I'd add a tall chalkboard to the side of the pantry closet next to frig (you can make them yourself). Lastly, I'd change the track lighting over the sink when budget allows.

Just getting rid of the wallpaper and covering the walls with a warm paint will make a huge difference. I second the proposal to paint your cabinets (but do lots of research before you paint them. Not all techniques are equal and some techniques will actually devalue them.)

You should have seen my kitchen. It was a 1972 Austin Powers Special in a 1912 era house. Harvest Gold everything. Plaid wallpaper, even. At least you don't have that. Still, your wallpaper has got to go.

Your cabinets are pretty good-looking, I think, and they look solid. I would not paint them, but would embrace an outdoorsy look with the natural wood, green walls, stainless or ORB pulls, and a slate backsplash. I'd change to stainless appliances when budget allows-- maybe Craig's List?

I too have an oak intensive kitchen (oak cabinets, oak floors, and oak dinette set. In fact we have similar wallpaper and that overall decor that scream "country" that was so popular in the 80's. We were fortunate enough to be able to buy new darker wood cabinets which change the tone quite a bit. If you absolutely cannot refinish cabinets to a darker stain or paint and glazed as suggested by downsy (she did a marvelous job on her cabinets!), the following (most already suggested by fellow GWers) should be low-cost improvements that will considerably take you away from oaksville:

1. Remove all wallpaper.
2. Paint walls and BS for now. Tile when the budget money is available. I am interested and will be watching what sage green color remodelfla and others come up with. Painted beadboard for BS in a color picked up from the nice slate floor is another great suggestion.
3. Paint over all oak trims and mouldings (window, doorway, chair rails) to minimize the oak in the two rooms with wall paint color or some other coordinated color.
4. Cover dinette chairs with fabric chair covers readily available and reasonably price from retail stores (maybe Target or Walmart). I am talking about the ones that have a pretty bow tied in the back of the chair. You can choose a color that coodinates with updated drapes/curtains in both rooms.
5. Paint over the oak stools to match cabinet stain/paint color or trim paint. Or purchase new one another month :) - you can update the look with the saddle wood stools that can be had for $25 ea.
6. Track light has to go, another month? :)

I am linking the thread with my old oak kitchen pic. There is hope yet!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: My Old Oak Kit Thread

I believe that if you were to strip all the wallpaper in the house and paint neutrals, you would be thrilled with the results. A friend of mine spray painted her pulls black (has oak cabinets) and the results were amazing. I thought it would peel off and be a mess, but it has held up really well, and she just has to touch up a few now and then. Just make sure you clean and prepare them well.

Have fun!

Ok first, those fake wood doors...they're WAY cool! Maybe not your style, but don't throw them out. I know I'd kill for them...they'd be so fab repainted!

Ok back to your kitchen. Oak hurts my eyes LOL (that's because I used to live in your kitchen...it looks like it anyhoo). So here's a few ideas...

First, You can either paint, or faux stain the cabinets in another color. If you click on my name you'll see a couple of products in my "clippings" file that I like for painting cabinets without sanding (I hate to sand). I've done several kitchens and just love the products.

Secondly, you could fake stain them (staining requires all the varnish come off via sander, and oak takes stain half arsed). Here's a fake stain example:
My orange wall:
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Now walnut:
(the gold has since been toned down)
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This wall was done by an artist but he taught me his tricks. He uses shellac, which he hand tints with paint tint he buys direct from Sherwin williams (about $5 an oz and you only need three or four ounces). You need to experiment with the amount of color, but you'll use quite a bit. I would use black and brown as well as purchasing an umber myself. Add it drop by drop and then do a test on similar oak. When the color is deep enough, you'll end up using two or three coats, then seal the whole wall again with clear shellac. It's tough as nails.

Wallpaper must go :) You know that. I'd rent a steamer if you can, or buy one on sale at lowes if you have much more to do (they're about $50). My neighbor and I split the price because they wanted one too...it works well for both of us :)

Green would be lovely in a kitchen with either painted or left as is cabinets :) You're on the right track there, and thank god the counter is neutral LOL (I had a pinkish tan).

Look to your big box stores for very simple tile and do some reading in the bathroom forum about how to tile. Bill V is a huge help there for DIY'ers as well as Mongo.

If you ever want to go with stone counters, you could do 12x12 tiles from the big box store...it looks lovely when done...just something to consider down the road.

I'd paint the beam as well by the way...and then if you're me, all through the house (I banished all ALL orange oak from my 1980's home LOL I'm the oak nazi!)

I'm working on door knobs, but here's a picture with the dark trim color I used...I really like the dark trim with greens and oranges, and it does add some drama without being crazy to a room...much more so than matching oak trim:
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You could do cabinets in a dark tone instead of light. My original oak cabinets were chocolate before they were removed :)

I would get new hardware, remove the wallpaper, paint, and get a backsplash. Maybe at that point you could decide if you want to invest time in painting the cabinets. I don't mind the look of oak, though, so your cabinets don't really bother me.

You might look at doing black crown and a light rail. Some of the stand alone pieces would look good in a distressed black or dark red. Get new hardware pulls from discount bins or ikea eventually.

BUT, to me the second step after painting the walls would be new laminate without the leg thing. There are an endless supply of narrow counter height tables or cabinets that could take its place and look lots better. One of those movable carts with a bb top is another thought. Laminates come in a wide variety of colors and are fairly inexpensive.

I would do the laminate before doing any tile.

I can't help but imagine how many times a day everyone pushes those stools out of the way. With a full table so close by, I'd be weighing how much I liked the convenience of the stools vs how they rob the kitchen of space and access. Maybe a much smaller bulb on the end (that didn't need a leg) with a single stool?

I think your biggest issues are the wallpaper and the counter.

For a lot of effort, and a bit of money, I would take down the wallpaper in both sides of the room and paint. This will have a huge impact on your room. I like the previous poster's suggestion of a sagey green.

I would also get a new light over the sink... or if you like the way the track lighting illuminates the area, get updated fixtures for the existing track. That isn't expensive and takes all of 2 minutes to update the look.

After you have painted everything including the backsplash, I would assess the oak factor. I think your cabinets look pretty nice, and I notice you have continued the oak trim through the adjoining area. If you still really really hate the oak after you have painted, I would consider overstaining or painting the cabinets.

Then I would take a bunch of months off while I saved for a new countertop. Once that is in, I'd take another break and save for a tile backsplash

For no money at all, (unless privacy is an issue)I'd probably get rid of the window treatments and the flower/plant swags over the windows/doors. I would also seriously consider getting rid of, or reducing, the display on top of the cabinets.

Love what you did with the hutch!

I'm with whomever suggested that you paint your dining room and kitchen a sagey green. I think the wallpaper HAS to go, including the border above the cabinets and the contact paper behind the stove.

You have a lot of oak trim in the dining room and kitchen, which I think is lovely since it all matches so well. If you decide to paint or stain the cabinets, you'll definitely need to paint or stain all of that trim as well, which I think would be a shame.

Your layout isn't horrible, although I'm not overly fond of where your peninsula sits, right by that door.

Once you've painted the walls, then reconsider the oak cabinets. They're not the newest style, but they do look to be in good shape overall. Unlike you, I love the arches in them! :) Maybe add some kind of backsplash behind the stove, a piece of stainless or some tile there would be nice.

For ultra cheap, I've had good luck painting laminate countertops in the past using rustoleum paint. It would change the look of your countertops, at least until you can afford to change them. If you google faux marble, you can even find techniques that would allow you to make the counters look like stone. :)

Oh My! Forgive my gushing, but this board ROCKS! Thank you so much for the MANY suggestions! I feel like I have a team of designers working for me on retainerÂhereÂs the plan of attack, thanks to all of you:

1) The wallpaper is definitely going, and sage paint is coming. Sage and what other color I do not knowÂwhite? Taupe? Light yellow?

2) Next will come a little bit o backsplash, in a basic creamy tile with some kind of accent. IÂm sure IÂll be combing this board for inspiration on that! I have to say I never thought about a beadboard back splash  it sounds cool! A great plan B for me, too.

3) Yeah, that track light is going, too! Might as well take it down when I paint the ceiling, anyway, just to be thorough. Maybe hubby will get some Big Box store gift cards for his birthday (spring).

4) i'm getting new hardware, but first I am going to try spray painting what I already have. If it works, great; if not, IÂm out $4 for a can of silver-ish paint.

5) IÂm going to wait and see on the cabinets, as so many of you wisely advised. I think you all are right, that IÂll be better able to make a decision when everything else is freshened up. Also, I would have to take the cabinet doors off and lay them down outside to paint/stain/glaze properly, which I canÂt do right now in the dead of winter in the Northeast.

5) bmorepanic, mildredpots, lissa_z9b, yes, the look of the counters does drive me a little nuts! ItÂs great to have SO MUCH counter space, but it makes for one really expensive replacement job. IÂll have to think more about faux painting and/or re-laminating them with something betterÂthat might just work!

As for the location of the peninsula, yes, it is a little weird, but we use it all the time. When we have parties everyone crowds around that little stump of counter and the rest of the house is left vacant. We are now a family of 5, but we crowd around the counter for meals. Lately my husband has been forcing us to use our table just so we can have elbow room! I donÂt know if itÂs the proximity to the food prep area or the taller seating height that makes us all peninsula addicts.
budgeteer_s and nightowlrn, you are my overly-oaked soul mates! You both did such great remodels!

Goldust, my sympathies on the Austin Powers kitchen!

We re-did our entire kitchen in our old house for about $2000. We bought the stock maple cabinets at Home Depot, new laminate countertops, new tile floors from Hobo, fresh paint, new inexpensive stainless sink and faucet and a new light fixture all for about $2000. Ours looks nice for the amount we spent. I see your concern about the oak cabinets, the in stock cabinets at Home Depot in maple are nice for the money.

I think once you de-80-fy the walls and decorations, that the oak cabinets will blend pretty nicely. Keep posting as you go. You didn't mention anything about function. Does that mean you're happy with the function?

For your sage-y green, consider Sherwin Williams Svelte Sage. I have had it mixed by Benjamin Moore in their super stain resistant paint to use in my new kitchen until I decide on a backsplash. Here it is in my old kitchen:
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kwd

Paint does wonders & given your budget or lack thereof - I think paint would really do wonders in your kitchen -

- I would paint the cabs as others have suggested & done if you are willing to put in the labor, research beforehand, all you pay is for the paint
- Paint all trim, chair railings, doors
- Paint stools, DR table & chairs
- Change out the leg to the penninsula - not sure to what but formica isn't adding anything there. Perhaps a simple unfinished one & paint it your trim color.
- Change hardware & hardware on hutch
- Change both light fixtures in the kitchen & paint the one in Dinning area or purchase new
- Tiling backsplash - I was encouraged on this site, and bathroom site & with lots of help (Bill V tile guru) and choosing an easy tile 3x6 subways I did my laundry backsplash - was very pleased with the results
- Remove wallpaper & paint - if wall paper removal does not render nice paintable walls you may want to consider putting up some new wp - hopefully you will be able to paint.

- New window treatments
- I like the suggestion of putting something on the pantry side - not sure I would do a blackboard though - If you do paint cabs - I'd wait on that decision until cabs are painted, it may not need anything at that pt.

I think if this were my space I would scrimp & save to have flooring done in both areas - If you can't purchase all new for both areas - & if you decide to paint cabs - then I would run what is in the dinning area into the kitchen - the 2 problems I see w/that is 1. If you don't paint the cabs I wouldn't run that into the kitchen 2. I would want the flooring to run the opposite way it is applied in the dinning area - so, I don't know that it would work - I think that would have a huge impact on this space tie the 2 together

Make a plan - decide what you really will do - Then make a logistical plan - if you are painting cabs then you may want to do that first so you are not mucking up nicely painted walls, do ceiling work lights/paint,All trim work, build a palette and keep plugging away, you have a great space it just needs updating
I think you are right - It's just too much oak

Craigslist is an excellent site to find incredible buys - just make sure you are clear on your plan before you go searching or purchasing

http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/mat?query=&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max&hasPic=1
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Good luck - looking forward to seeing a transformation

kdw, the wallpaper removal and painting will make a huge difference and may tide you over for a long time!

I'd like to buck the advice of some tho, since I'm a fellow peninsula lover. I would actually try to figure out a way to make it bigger, rather than remove it, when money allows. This all would depend on how many inches really exist. Looks like you have several inches between the pen. and the door frame. I would extend it to that point, using a shallow set of uppers as the cabinet base instead of the leg, so you would still have leg room, but also a bit of storage underneath. you would have to adjust the flooring a bit, but looks like it could be done.

If you do paint the cabs someday, I would also consider moving the door handles on your uppers down, closer to the edge of the doors.

At any rate, good luck! i think you will love your new, painted walls!

Your cabinets are the same color as mine. I just painted my kitchen SW Svelte Sage (using Valspar paint from Lowes), repainted the trim in white and replaced my countertops w/ the instock laminate ones at Lowes in Milano Quartz. I also replaces all the polished brass cabinet knobs w/ some 97 cent antique brass ones from Lowes, and replaced the light fixtures w/ some antique brass ones I got on clearance at Lowes. It looks fab, like a brand new kitchen!!! I am in the process of picking out a new vinyl floor. Once I do that, it WILL be a brand new kitchen :). I was planning on replacing the floor becasue the blue squares didn't go w/ the new paint, and I had a water leak (icemaker connection went blooey), so the ins co is paying for the new floor. I swear it was not an intentional leak - LOL!

It took several years before I could manage it financially, but I finally bought new doors for my oak cabs and painted the boxes to match.
As for the peninsula, I had one made out of the old useless half wall separating the kitchen from the living room and used a cab base that serves as storage on the kitchen side. The top is Formica. I know what you mean about people congregating around it....I almost have to beat them away to sit down at the dinner table!
Good luck with your kitchen re-do.

Very nice, supercat!

If you don't want to repaint cabinets right now, you could easily update with new paint (remove wallpaper first), new lighting and new pulls. Then, if you finished all that and wanted to do more, maybe a new countertop and a backsplash. The cabinets look like they're in good shape, and perhaps with some updates (especially the paint), you'll be happy with your "new" kitchen! Good luck.

Oh timberframe, I am too afraid to even think about function a tiny little bit for fear it would lead me down the path toward complete gut-and-renovate! The function really isn't too bad, but i would definitely make some changes if I were starting over tomorrow. We were clueless newlyweds back then, what did we know?

bbstx & ystraitlover, I love the Sherwin Williams Svelte Sage (or anything that says "Svelte"). I am confused, though...you said you mixed it with Benjamin Moore or Valspar? How does that work?

jejvtr, that leg does look weird! I am thinking about wrapping it in something beadboard-y. My friend got something decorative like "Pole WRap" to wrap around the columns in her basement.

supercat, your kitchen is so nice and I have peninsula envy!

kdw,
All of the major paint manufacturers/stores can look up the formula for another manufacturer's paint and mix it in their paint. All my painter did was call the Benjamin Moore store, give them the Sherwin Williams name and number, and it was ready when he got there.

In the alternative, if you have a sample of something you want matched, most of the paint stores and big box stores have a gizmo that can "read" the sample and translate it into their formula.

I was perfectly happy with Svelte Sage stratight from Sherwin Williams in the previous house, but for this house I wanted a Benjamin Moore formulation, Aura, that I had read about that contains microscopic ceramic beads. On another thread, someone had said it is very stain resistant and cleans up easily. Because I was not anticipating installing a backsplash for a while, that appealed to me. (Today DH decided that he would really prefer to have the countertop granite extended as a full backsplash. I'm thinking.....)

On your pennisula leg, would it be possible for you to slip a cabinet under there? It would give you more storage, something that I am always looking for!

If you were serious about wanting to wrap that leg in something beadboard-y, there is a product known as paintable beadboard wallpaper--I know because we are putting it up on our ceilings in our renovation to match existing beadboard (so far, it looks great although we haven't painted yet). In this process, I have accumulated a lot of "waste" that I am saving for a possible project down the road--would be happy to send you a piece if you would like to try, just let me know the height of the leg.

I would definitely start with removing the wallpaper and painting the walls too. Green would be a nice color -- just test to find the right shade.

Hardware would be a good second step.

Counters present a number of options -- new laminate with an updated color and look, granite tiles, or a new product that comes in a can like paint and creates a concrete finish over your existing counters. I don't know much about that but saw a very brief mention of it on a Design on a Dime special on HGTV.

For the peninsula leg, I was going to suggest a bookcase turned sideways. It wouldn't close up the leg room or cost you access to that cabinet underneath the peninsula, but it would give you storage for cookbooks, phone books, homework papers, display items -- or even breakfast cereal in pretty canisters or glass jars to make breakfast at the bar easy.

Is it possible to turn that cabinet under the peninsula so that you have access from the breakfast room/family room side rather than having to reach under the peninsula? That would make it easier to use and make the peninsula look less like an afterthought.

Oak is not my favorite, but I do like those I have seen stained darker. Unless you are going to spend enough to replace or update your appliances (there are appliance paints that would work on the fridge, vent and a DW panel, but don't know if you can do that on the range), I think taking them darker might make the white appliances too jarring -- unless you want to keep a light countertop. I suspect it will not be that many years before oak is new again -- just about the time all those who wanted something different have replaced, painted or refaced them. Maybe just adding a stacked crown to carry them up to the ceiling would give them an updated look and let you be ahead of your time.

Lighting will do a lot for updating that space also. If you are handy enough to DIY, that doesn't need to cost an arm and a leg. Just look for good value fixtures. I've seen some that I thought were a good bang for the buck at our Lowe's.

Are you crafty at all? I would have loved to do a mosaic backsplash. I've been saving tiles, chipped plates and mugs, so I might still do something in the laundry room, but I went classic in the kitchen. Tiling is not that hard -- it's mostly about planning where and how the tiles fall and the cuts. If you are willing to learn, you can rent a tile saw and DIY. Basic subways run about $2 sq ft at Home Depot and Lowe's.

Working with a tiny budget is a challenge and an invitation to think outside the box. Be creative, hunt for ideas and values. Make it your own -- there have been some great ideas here over the couple of years I've been looking. Oh, don't forget Habitat for Humanity's Restore, Craig's list or moving sales.

Your cabinets look like they are in good condition. One thing that would really update them is to put matching crown molding on the top of the cabinets. A friend did this to his oak cabinets and they look so much nicer. I don't think it would be very expensive if you did it yourself.

I have the same cabinets in my kitchen. Replacing them is years away. I'm getting my walls painted a nice sage.

Yellow looks horrible with this color cabinet. My bathroom vanities are made of the same stuff. I had my small bathroom painted creamy yellow to go with the gray shower and floor tiles. The yellow looks wonderful against the gray, but the oak and yellow are hideous together. I just don't look anymore. It cured me of yellow paint forever.

There have been so many good ideas given here! Here's what we did on the cheap to update our 12 year old kitchen. I painted the original cabinets, bought some roll outs to make them more functional. DH boxed in above the remaining uppers. I took down some of the uppers that really closed in the kitchen. We replaced the countertop (the last piece is going in today) The BB countertop is from Ikea, the piece of marble is a scrap from a funeral parlor. We did replace the appliances, but only because I hated the black ones so badly!

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What a surprise to see my older thread pop back up!

Mfrog, I love those shelves above the uppers. Gotta think about adding that now!

I got so many good ideas from all of you, and I have s-l-o-w-l-y- been plodding along trying to implement them. It's my super-busy season at work, so everything is taking even longer than I generously estimated, but we'll get there.

Here are some photos of our progress (or lack thereof!). I did get all the wallpaper stripped. That revealed several nasty drywall cracks along the ceiling line and a few really bad patch jobs on the walls, courtesy of the previous owners. I wasted 2 weeks waiting for drywall contractors to call back before I gave up and started doing it myself...so it's not perfect, but it's better than it was so that is progress. You can see our many paint samples on the wall. So far BM Dill Weed is the front-runner.

I also couldn't help myself and I am priming the inside of one cabinet door. This photo shows 2 coats of BM primer. WHite color TBD...

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My pics didn't show up...trying again with a link instead:

Oak.Intensive.Kitchen.Updating.In.Progress

I love the progress you are making. Have you thought about using a darker shade of the color you choose for above the cabinets - I like happyLadi's idea of using crown molding - they would gain more intensity with a darker shade behind them on the wall near the ceiling.

Mfrog's use of Ikea butcher block is lovely in her kitchen. We are using the same, and are going to seal it with either the Ikea recommended, or with Waterlox. It is fairly inexpensive and looks fantastic when sealed. I currently have a piece on my baking center sealed with a mixture of bees wax and mineral oil. The ones near the sink will be sealed with something more durable. I am glad to see that you are painting - it will make a lot of difference.

Oh My!!! I am just about done removing the same wallpaper as you!! It was slow going b/c it seemed to be two layers on improperly sized walls. Great job you and your helpers did!

kdw;
It was amazing the difference in the kitchen when I painted the maple cabinets. DH made the upper shelves out of furniture grade mdf & face framed them out of pine. I think you'll be much happier with your cabinets painted out!

I talked friends of ours into painting their oak cabinets black & they are so pleased. Good luck!!

Your cabs would look fab painted, kdw! And maybe remove some of the uppers and replace them with open shelving, as well as do mfrogs open boxes at the top.

Your kitchen already looks so much better! Good job!

And mfrog, I can't wait to see your completed kitchen! It looks like a great transformation in the making!

Sandy

I am in awe of the progress and the difference, kdw72697 !!!

And your Little Helpers are just toooo precious!

Let us know as soon as you decide what you are going to do with the track lighting, and any other changes, of course! :)

THIS is my kind of Topic....anything to do with the words "Super-Cheap", and I'm there.
Fantastic Suggestions throughout this topic and I'm so grateful you all posted them!

Everyone who posted pics....THANK YOU!
I am always on the look-out for new ideas, inspiration, anything "budget-minded" to freshen up my own home.
The colors you've used, the kitchen set-up...all ideas that motivate and inspire me!

Igloochic, Your home....always an inspiration at every turn...especially since I use paint and paint techniques to create something a little nicer than the norm (the 'norm' that I can't even afford!) ....I've used your home pics more than once to get me motivated.

Here's my latest budget project...maybe someone else can benefit from it in their own budget-minded kitchen.

Real Travertine Tile Trim was NOT in the budget but the discounted/discontinued tiles we purchased looked so nekkid without something on top (the discontinued tiles didn't have bull-nose or anything close to matching).

A length of cheapy wood chair rail molding, some left-over stucco in the bag from an earlier window re-do and my paints and some good sealer.....
(I DID resize these pics to make them smaller...I hope it worked!)
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I have crimson tide(burnt orange) walls, mable/amber cabinets, Cambria Oxford countertops, and a mocha colored floor tile with a tan grout. Really in need of backsplash suggestions. Still thinking maybe I should have went with a darker grout....o well kind of too late now. I'm going to have to work with what is there. PLEASE HELP!