To me it is the tile countertop that is glaring and makes the kitchen look very dated. If you paint the cabinets a creamy white, get new handles, and replace the countertops you'd have a great-looking kitchen. And if you could only do one thing because of budget right now I'd skip painting the cabinets (they don't look too bad in the pic) and replace the countertop.

The cabinets appear to be a brite white, compared to the tile on the countertop? If that's the case, I would paint the cabinets to a shade that's similar to the tile or a creamy white. As for the tile, I would grout using a white that matches the tile & seal the grout well. I used some of the 20 yr grout sealer from HD in my shower & the grout doesn't mold or show stains. (Well worth the little bit of extra cost).

So then the question is, in real life are the cabinets in good enough shape to keep for now? If so, I say to just do the counter, add hardware and a backsplash and you are good to go!

The cabinets are horrible - the original 1980 MDF stuff built in to the kitchen, they have some warped bottoms and they are poor quality in general. There are features such as huge dark cavernous corner cabinets with only a 6" door opening (useless waste of space!). The shelves are too shallow, making the cabinets impractical for storing as much as they should for their size.

I know they look fine in the photo because it's so bright but there are many places where the paint is peeling/gouged to show a peachy color underneath (cabinets have been painted multiple times by previous owners). I'd like to at least touch this up but matching the existing paint shade would probably be difficult.

The tile countertops I hate of course - but there is no point replacing them without doing the cabinets too. It could be worse at least it's white and not some other 70s/80s color like avocado or goldenrod!

My plan is to replace all the cabinets and the countertops in a few years when budget and time allows, so this is intended as a temporary facelift to make it more attractive in the mean time.

The tile does look a bit yellower in these pics than it does in real life. It's hard to say - from the dining area where the warm-toned Mascarpone is, the tile looks stark white with greyish undertones. From inside the kitchen with the grey walls and stark white cabinets, it looks a bit creamier - but it's really not. I think the grey walls make it look creamy somehow - and the grey doesn't go with our warmer colors in the rest of the downstairs and flooring so I was planning to paint the walls too.

I definitely plan to install nickel hardware - for looks and function I hate the finger-holds as a way to open the cabinets, it has also contributed to the paint wear because fingers brush against the paint regularly.

I'd regrout as suggested by southerngal, paint the upper cabinets the same creamy white as the tile, and the lower cabinets a rich charcoal gray.

I'd also spring for a more interesting light fixture over the sink - something modern that hangs down a couple of feet. Maybe something like this?

I like bronwynsmom's idea. That would look really nice.

I would regrout the counters in a putty color, paint the cabinets a cream that works well with the gray walls (which I like) and the wood floor. Would also put plain round pulls on doors and drawers in a brushed nickel finish and LOVE the light suggested by Bronwyn's mom above.

bronwynsmom, love the light - where is it from?

Do you have any particular color/shade recommendations? I can always bring home a stack of chips, but last time it took me about 5 trips to the paint store with huge stacks of chips to find colors I liked in the house! A starting point would be so nice.

Tinan,

I afraid I differ in my opinion. Since this is only a "temporary" fix, why not get a little daring? I'd be tempted to try painting the lower cabinets Mexicana, like the accent wall in the living room or some other color in the same family. Then maybe the do the upper cabinets in the creamy white that matches the counters like others have suggested. IMHO, the kitchen seems to need a little something to brighten it up for now.

I would paint the lowers to match whatever gray the grout color is and the uppers to match the tile.

The light fixture is a Kichler pendant (#2655) from Lighting Direct.com - link below.

To work with your tiles, I'd look at Farrow & Ball's White Tie for the upper ones, and Downpipe for the lower ones.

From Benjamin Moore, Huntington White above and Tamarack Gray or Bullock Gray below (from the Darryl carter group0.

Or you could try Bone White above and Kendall Charcoal below - it's a very warm dark gray.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pendant light

If the grout is just dirty, try scrubbing it with oxyclean powder mixed with water and a small brush. I used this on the nasty grout on my floor and it came out great. If it's in bad shape, though, you might have to replace it.

Thanks! So most people don't think that grey walls and possibly cabinets in a room open to the creamy white/red color scheme would look too cool? I hadn't thought of doing dark cabinets below and light upper, it only occurred to me to paint a different shade of white, but a darker color below might help make the countertop look better.

Here are some closer up pics of the bad paint job so you can see why I really want to do at least a facelift until we can replace it all. You can also see the badly sealed grout shiny almost black in some places, and the bumpy tile. It doesn't look as creamy in real life as in pics, but the stark white cabinets and cool grey walls definitely seem to make the tile look grungy. I do like the grey walls with the stainless appliances, but not sure if it is the best with the tile.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

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I steamed and scrubbed the grout with a brass grout brush but the PO "sealed" it with something and did a poor job, some areas are almost black while some are the original light grey. I think I will regrout so I can bring the grout level up even with the tile which at least will make it a bit easier to keep clean, and make sure the color is even. I can do it a little at a time.

The light fixture is pretty but a bit more than I want to spend right now, but I think I can find something similar at Ikea. I got the dining room fixture at Ikea for $40. Maybe like this one for $20

I don't know where I can get F&B paint I've been using BM so I'll stop by their store and get some of those samples this weekend.

Here is the living room which is open to the dining room and visible from the kitchen, for reference. It's nearly done except we plan to put bamboo shades behind the drapes - another thing waiting for budget to allow (the new furnace had to be first!)

{{!gwi}}

Why not take a stroll through our kitchen post in the Gallery? It's loaded with gorgeous kitchen photos. See what turns you on and go from there?

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Gallery Kitchen photo album

I'm going to second the opinion to get a little daring - I'd paint the lowers Mexicana - anything to take the focus off the countertop! I'd paint the walls the same color that you have in the dining area and the uppers a white that goes with the tile.

Another idea that I used in a previous kitchen is to remove a few of the cabinet doors to give an open shelving look. Obviously not appropriate everywhere (who wants to look at their boxes of pasta and canned goods) but if you have some nice dishes or something it can give the kitchen a focal point.

You are certainly right that the white cabinets are what's making the tile look dingy. It will look very much better if the cabinets are the same tone.

I also think although the red would be zippy, it's an aggressive color in a small space - if you went ahead with cream uppers and warm gray lowers, you could paint the walls your red color, and the fact that they are behind the cabinets, and that there isn't a lot of square footage of wall, would make it look great.

Make sure with the light fixture that you are not looking into the bulb when you're standing at the sink. A closed bottom is easier to work with in that spot, I think, but I'm sure you can find something in your price range.

Another voice for more daring colors. Red, orange, yellow....

As I look again at all the photos, if you decided to use the red on the kitchen walls, you could also paint the dining room wall that has the pass-through to the kitchen the same red.

You'd tie the three rooms together with that one rich color, while keeping the other tones quieter, rather than using a riot of colors that would chop up the space. That kind of thing works better in a much bigger place, I think.

I would put color on the cabinets. I was initially thinking softer colors, but when I saw your other photos and read that this is a shorter term fix, I agreed with the have some fun -- do something you wouldn't do in a once for a lifetime replacement.

I love red, white and grey or black, but you have the oranges in the dining room and living room, so I'd play with the orange add grey and the teal from the background of the dining room picture. Consider taking a couple of the upper doors off to minimize the slabs in your face, but definitely add some hardware. I'm thinking the cabinets (at least the bases) teal. You could do the uppers in orange and the walls (maybe the insides of the open cabinets) in grey (or reverse it), some brushed chrome pulls -- a yard of retro print fabric or a wood shade on the window. Replace the light when you can afford the one you want -- don't make it even more expensive by buying twice.

For a couple gallons of paint, I'd have fun with it.

Do test your grout approach. The sealer that was applied may prevent new grout from adhering, so you may need to strip it, scrape it down or find something that is super bonding. If you have grey on the walls or cabinets, I think the grout will look less dingy and the saturated colors will put a lot of life into it.

I plan to drill/gouge out the top layer of grout first, so the new grout will stick better and to remove the existing yucky sealer (which has dirt entombed in it - maybe they started using the counter before it cured).

I have had door-free upper cabinets before and liked them, but the insides of these cabinets are far uglier than the outsides - warped bottoms and funky shelves and unfinished MDF. The doors must definitely stay on to cover that mess!

Thanks for the great ideas, going to the paint store this weekend to start the fun! It may take a while to complete the project since I only have weekends to work with right now.

I can offer something about the grout that will save you *time* and energy:

We used it in our shower when the installer put in epoxy grout without testing it that turned out to be WAY too light. That was in 2006. It's still on tight now. You don't have to do anything mechanical at all to prepare the existing grout.

HTH!

Here is a link that might be useful: I think I just saved you several hours of work : )

flyleft - thanks for the link, I am sure that's much easier, I will have to examine the grout more carefully because it has been sealed already not sure if I can color over top. Also I was hoping to bring the grout level up a bit higher so it doesn't collect crumbs, but I'm nut sure if that's feasible.

I could either try to match grout to the tile or to the cabinets... matching to the tile would probably make it blend better and look less like old tile.

Looking at hardware now, I have never done hardware before should I go with all knobs - or use pull handles on drawers and knobs on cabinets?

That is really a matter of personal preference, and even then it may vary with the style you chose. I tend to put knobs on uppers and pulls on drawers. In my current kitchen, I also put pulls on my pullout pantry tower and tall cabinet doors, but knobs on the ones above them and the fridge

With your slab doors, you might like the look of a longer pull on the uppers -- it will give more of a visual break and you certainly don't have a lot of moulding or detail to be fighting them.

When I was looking at cabinet colors I found most creamy whites have grey undertones, my countertops I felt needed yellow. From the picture your countertops have yellow in them too, you may want to look at BM Canvas.

ilene-84, love your cabinets and counter-tops, sigh I wish we could replace the whole mess (but honestly we don't use our kitchen enough for me to complain). Thanks for the tip on the yellow undertone and the Canvas. I am off to the paint store tomorrow to get chips!

Tinan, Thanks! Please post pictures when you finish.

Well after going through dozens of chips, it looks to me like the tile actually has significant pink undertones, not yellow. I hate it even more now after looking at it so much, LOL. The greys all made it look dirty, the warm colors with orange undertones looked horrible. the only color that looked OK with it was White Dove.

After closer examination the cabinets are not really that bad under the paint, the one with a warped bottom could be repaired, and the bodied and doors are actually wood not MDF (just sides and back are) so now I'm considering how much it would cost to replace the countertop with granite and just do a proper job of stripping and painting the cabinets, rather than trying to match tile I hate. But if we do this it would definitely have to wait at least 6 months. Perhaps I should just live with it peeling paint and all for a few more months and see where we stand then...

Have you considered an epoxy composite like Silestone?

We chose it over granite because it required no maintenance and doesn't require sealing. I absolutely loved it.

We chose black, and if the kitchen in this house hadn't just been redone (with a busy brown-beige-gray granite I don't much like), I'd have done it here in an instant.

(The wall color didn't look nearly this pink in real life...it was a complex beige from Donald Kaufman.)

Would you consider laminate counters? I'm amazed by how nice some of the styles and finishes are these days and the prices are amazing - particularly if you buy the pre-fab pieces they have in stock. You could probably get some really nice looking new countertops for very little $ and that would open up the possibilities for painting the cabinets - especially if you want to keep them white.

I like the dark grey on lowers, white on uppers ideas. Haven't read the whole thread so apologies if I'm revisiting already decided territory! I wonder, is there some kind of paint you can use to "paint" the grout? We've regrouted and it's a painstaking process, particularly if you need to get off every last particle because you're going to go with a different (paler) color. I'd try painting the grout as a first step *if* there's a product for that. You could always regrout as a back-up plan.

I've lived with tile counters, so I know I could do it again, but uneven tiles with nasty looking grout (maybe it's just dark grout) would make want to rip it out. If the cabinets are in decent shape and you are living with the layout okay, redoing the counters could be a wonderful thing. I would rather have stock laminate installed DIY or IKEA butcher block than bumpy tile I didn't like, especially if the color was governing the choices I was making for painting cabinets and walls. If you really like white cabinets, you could have them without having the counter look so dingy. And cutting boards won't rock and roll on you. For me at least, the demo would be a pleasure. ;-)

Yes we will definitely be considering laminate countertops, I think I was giddy from my cold (sick this weekend) when I thought of granite - after finding out it would be a minimum of $6000 installed for this kitchen! Considering the context - an inexpensive townhouse - granite would probably just be silly, though it does seem like a prerequisite for resale around here, and we do not consider this our forever home so i do need to keep that in mind.

Another option that just occurred to me is DIY concrete countertop - I remember seeing one on a blog some time ago and it was really nice (and very cheap!). I have no idea how that works with the sink cutout etc but I'll have to look up more info, has anyone here done a concrete countertop?

The cabinets - they could be a lot better, but after pricing even middle-road Ikea cabinets, and considering the major demolition that would be needed, I am not sure if it's worth it to replace them. Perhaps all they need is a really good stripping and sanding and proper repainting.

Our bathroom cabinets have MDF doors, that's why I assumed these were too, but they are wood - just not high quality wood.

If you want to replace them and this is just to give a facelift, then I too agree that you should do something fun. A gray would be great, below is a link that shows Sally Wheat's kitchen. It is BM Fieldstone Gray.

Or you could do a light blue kitchen. Oooolala. That would be pretty cool too.

[Traditional Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107)

cobalt blue?

[Mediterranean Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/mediterranean-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2109) by Other Metros Architect RAFAEL DAVILA

Take a peek at Houzz for some ideas too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Attic Mag's Sally Wheat Kitchen

How about this:

Here is a link that might be useful: white tiled countertops

Yes!!!

Hop over the the kitchens forum. 2LittleFishies is doing a butter yellow kitchen. It is so dreamy.