It depends on your finances. If you decide to live with them for awhile, there are stains and gels that can make a slight cosmetic improvement where the chipping won't be as noticeable. I would not paint these or overall stain them, I don't think the quality is there for you to do that.. We recently replaced our cabinets, and a few tweaks in the cabinet design and such items as pull out shelves in pantry and taller cabinets gave me so much more usable space, it's unbelievable. I highly recommend getting estimates from a kitchen cabinet designer if you decide to get new cabinets.

If you are handy, you could reface the styles and rails without too much trouble; hiring it done approaches replacement costs. Your door is simply out of adjustment. Five minutes and a screwdriver and it will be perfect.

I don't think these cabinets are nice enough to bother refinishing. They are partial overlay, which isn't popular, they are oak, which isn't popular, they are particle board, which doesn't refinish well, and the door style looks kind of dinky and cheap.

Particularly after you update the counter and backsplash, these cabinets'll be thrown into sharp relief.

Since you are really looking to sell immediately, what you what to do now is make flipper choices -- whatever is cheapest, easiest, and looks fine. The answer to that is Ikea cabinets.

Is it possible to go back to the manufacturer of the home and ask if they have replacement veneer? It may be the kind that you can iron on to the spot between the knobs. They may also carry a full side veneer for the trash can spot. As far as the bits at the lower edges, I don't think I would worry about them. I'd also be hesitant to do anything about the backsplash beyond some paint.

But then you bring up the need to replace the counter. If I were you, I'd figure out what the approximate cost would be to tear out the cabinets and replace them with Ikea or Barker or whatever, paint the backsplash, and do a new laminate counter. Ask your realtor is that amount of money would likely be realized in an increased sale price and/or how soon you could sell. It's possible you should just leave everything as is and let the buyers deal with it.

Talk to the realtor first. S/he may be able to give you an idea how much of a negative the cosmetic condition would be in your target market, and if it would be worthwhile to spend anything either to 1) sell the house more quickly or 2) increase the selling price.

I think in many markets the need for updated kitchens and baths and for staging is overstated. I think many buyers can recognize a quick fix and will still adjust their offer accordingly. Underneath they are still particle board with vinyl facings--which is sort of a negative-- but the price that you may be able to get for the house may Not warrant new cabinets or a new countertop.

Here's what I'd do: I'd adjust the doors, so they line up. I'd get iron-on veneer for the damaged parts. I don't think I'd bother with the edges. And then I'd gel stain everything with General Finishes Java or Antique Walnut.
How bad are the counters?

I'm not sure I'd put lipstick on a pig here. As a potential buyer (even without GW kitchen forum knowledge), I'd rather put in MY choices for counters than feel bad about ripping out something new that I didn't like. And the quality of the cabinets won't be easily disguised.

For sure check with your realtor. I'd make some cosmetic fixes, but I would not spend a lot of money. Even a whole kitchen overhaul will not likely recover your costs - unless your realtor tells you that your house is simply not going to sell in this condition.

Good luck!

My hesitation about the gel stain suggestion is that the majority of people who do it aren't very good at it. Then you go from functional but worn cabinets to functional but worn cabinets with a smeary reddish mess on them. You would be gel staining what is essentially heavy vinyl contact paper on the boxes.

I just saw the finished product of a friend on Facebook who gel stained some older cabinets and did some kind of surface treatment on the laminate counters and the "after" was much worse than the "before".

I had no idea the veneer might be replaceable! That would be a wonderful money (and time) saver! I suppose adjusting the cabinet doors might be feesable...though we have a bad track record for rehanging doors. Would it be terrible if we left them as is?

The counters definately need to be replaced. The manufacturer didn't use waterproof caulk on them so over time the counter separated from the wall in one area and created a hole (long story...they also gave us a badly designed sink which helped cause the problem). They are also textured and have collected stains we couldn't remove on the first day-even with a good scrubbing. The backsplash is a single layer of 4x4 inch tile and looks UGLY (it looks to me like a pinkish-tan, though someone else might say it has no pink. I never did like it). It also doesn't match the paint color we're thinking about (or anything else in the house, for that matter). In all reality, the cabinets are the only things I'd even bother saving...and that's only because they're still very functional (I never liked them either, heh).

The kitchen is one of the first things you see when you walk in the door and it's very centrally located, so I feel it's important that it looks nice. What we're thinking doing is painting the walls a light greyish (or smokey, as Mom calls it) blue or green. The cabinets we were thinking about replacing them with are either the Cherry Glaze or Cinnamin Glaze from Kitchen Cabinet Kings.

The cabinets would cost around $4,000 if we installed them ourselves. The whole kitchen reno, including the floor (which we're still debating on), would cost around $12,000. If a buyer walks in and thinks it'd cost $20,000 and drops their offer by that much because of it, well, it'd hurt a lot. We're definately going to ask the realtor before making any final decisions. For now, we're just trying to weight the pros and cons and figure out our options.

If we were to keep these cabinets we wouldn't try to gel stain them; we'd just try to make them work. It was a good suggestion, but I'm not sure we could pull it off.

pal,
I gel stained a bathroom cabinet with that fake plastic wood paper on the side. The gel stain worked really well. Obviously, no wood grain is visible, but it looks like almost black paint. Way easier and much better adhesion than the Rustoleum cabinet transformation. If I may say so, the final product looks very good. My son, who's admittedly not very observant, assumed that it was a new vanity.

I think whether it's worth 4K for new cabinets or even 12K depends on the overall sales price and how the market is doing in your area. In my area, it would be well worth the price because people want move-in ready.

Are you sure that what came off is paper or is it perhaps thin veneer?

It's a plasticy paper and way too thin to be wood. There's no mistaking it.

I think I'd look into wood veneer. At this point, worst case scenario is that it doesn't work and you are where you started. For that side, I'd just put a panel on it.

In what shape are your appliances?

Here is a link that might be useful: veneer

is your home a modular or a manufactured home because that cabinet looks very much like what is found in a manufactured home. IKEA is your best bet

Modular, but the manufacterer was a cheapskate on the cabinets. We're not going IKEA because what we saw we hated more than these cabinets. I don't know if there's more than one style, but the one I saw was absolutely horrid and I searched high and low for more than one style.

Unless you really want new cabinets and can afford them, I agree with nosoccermom. Try to patch the veneer and use a gel stain. When you are done staining, have someone help you to align the doors. Lots of people have lovely kitchen remodel photos with gel stain. I am partial to the cherry and mahogany colors.

Inspired by the list, I got Old Masters stain at my local Benjamin Moore store. If you go to the Old Masters website, click store locations, and refresh the page you can print out coupons for savings on various stains including the gel stain. None of the local stores carry GF. As I novice, I wanted to shop at a store where I can get in person advice. Plus, I like to keep local stores in business and avoid shipping costs.

In some areas, it is more difficult to sell a used modular house. We were told by a realtor that this was true in our area, so we didn't build modular. So getting this information from your realtor should help you decide whether to spend the money on the kitchen.

I had cabinets like those in my condo, and so did my son. They were truly bad, and would be difficult to make look good, I would think. You might be better off just offering several thousand dollars to a buyer towards fixing the kitchen up how they want to.

Anne

Adjusting a door is a couple of minutes with a screwdriver.

You can also skin the cabinets and either stain of paint.

Regarding the floor. depending upon the space available, be careful not to "trap" the DW, if there is one, with hard surface products.

There are a lot of posts but have you got couple of opinions from real estate agents in your area. Every market is different and you just don't know for sure what buyers are looking for.

There are a million styles of Ikea cabinets. I'm not sure why you couldn't find more than one. Where were you looking?

If you don't think you can adjust the doors, and you choose to keep the cabinets, you could always get a handyman to come in and do that and possibly a few other things. Better than leaving them out of alignment.

You will never get new veneer to be an exact match. You can veneer it of course, just understand it won't match with what you have, cabinet color changes over time, depending on the finish and the wood, so even if you can get the original color and finish, it still won't match the doors exactly. I'd probably get the veneers ( be sure to take the time to do the surface prep right, this is key, otherwise it won't stick), then gel stain them. You don't say what your counters are, but I wouldn't spend a lot on replacements. I can never understand it when people put beautiful stone counters on old, not so nice cabinets. It only makes the old cabinets more noticeable. If you counters are in good shape, leave them. If not, find a reasonably priced laminate, maybe some inexpensive subway tiles for a backsplash and call it done. Or don't bother with a backsplash, just paint it. Chances are, the new buyers will want something different anyway, I don't think you'd recoup your investment if you spend a lot trying to put in new cabinets. Just make sure it looks clean and well maintained, that is more important IMO.

For the cabs, I would shop around for some golden oak contact paper. Take a door or drawer with you to match the color. If you can find a decent match, it will let you patch the problems with a finish nearly as good as the original. Do the whole vertical or horizontal strip or end panel. Don't try to match a small patch. Won't cost much to try it.

Some of the roughed bottom edges I would just carefully sand down with very fine sandpaper.

Try a google search for 'contact paper on kitchen cabinets.' There are some how-to's available and some special contact materials more or less suitable to the job.

No way would I replace the cabinets. You are going to sell this, right? I don't think you will get your money out of any major replacements. Not countertops and not cabinets nearly for sure. But you CAN make them look a lot better.

RE: the countertops. Some people here have painted old countertops. The best results seem to be with Rust Oleum (or is it Rustoleum?) paint. It is a multi-step project with a specially formulated product. If it would work for you, you could patch the problem areas and paint.

Again, do a google search for 'rustoleum countertops garden web' You will find a bunch of links. Some of the results look terrific.

The backsplash. If you mean there is just a single row of 4 x 4 tile along the back of the cabs, I would probably replace this. Should be fairly easy and inexpensive. You might find something that would really add to the look of the kitchen.

Painting. I would definitely repaint walls and woodwork if it is needed or would be a cosmetic improvement.

Here is a link that might be useful: Golden oak contact paper on Amazon

I have to disagree with Bellsmom. Contact paper on the face frame of a cabinet is going to look super cheap and its not going to stay on. If I was looking to buy, that would be a bigger turn off than leaving it as is. Contact paper lining cabinets is one thing, on the outside, something else altogether. . You can buy veneers made for refacing, which would look a lot better than contact paper. Some have the glue preapplied its much stronger than contact paper adhesive, but again, you have to really prep the surface first to ensure a good adhesion. If it were me, I think I would paint the walls to freshen it up for sure. check out this website for some veneer banding - http://www.rockler.com/cabinet-refacing-banding There are other sites as well that sell both unfinished and finished veneers.

Wow, that's a lot of research ahead for us! It's a relief to know we CAN save these cabinets, though we'll definately ask the opinion of a real estate agent first. Today, Mom and I picked out a backsplash and wall color that looks good with all the changes we're thinking of, and they also look good with our current cabinets.

Thanks everyone for your help!

My son purchased a manufactured home and had the same type cabinets that were falling apart. He replaced them with Lowes stock cabinets for about $1100,and new countertop $800. The stock cabinets are nice, and much better then what was originally there. He didn't pay very much for the home, it was a forclosure, so I dont think he is over invested if he sold it. Good luck on what you decide....

Sorry Jillius, your question got lost by my overwhelmed brain. I looked for ikea cabinets online, namely on their website. The only style I saw was way too modern and it had legs under which dirt and cat toys would collect.

Would you have enough storage if you took the damaged upper cabinets completely out? Lots of newer kitchens have no uppers at all, or use shelving in place of closed cabinets. Is this an option for you?

These are all the styles of ikea kitchen doors:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/11479/

Ikea sells toe kicks that attach to the legs. 99% of ikea kitchens are installed with toe kicks, so you don't get that dust thing you're talking about.

As for way too modern, these are all Ikea kitchens with Ikea cabinets:

We prepped our house for sale in June and I thought we'd need to put a lot of money into it. Our realtor said repeatedly, "Do not do anything beyond repairs and finishing projects!" I didn't believe her, but she was right! Our place sold in one day, above asking price. Find a great realtor and do what he/she says is my best advice. If you need a realtor recommendation and know of Dave Ramsey, you could try one of his Endorsed Local Providers (ELPs.)

Beyond cleaning, cleaning, cleaning some more and putting neutral paint on the wall you're not going to recoup your investment 100%. You will likely sell your home faster, though.

I would check craigslist.org

I just did a quick search of our local craigslist and someone is selling a basic, complete white wood 10x10' kitchen with built in oven and a dishwasher for less than $1000. It looks like there are also a lot of complete honey-oak cabinets. A lot of those are in excellent condition, they're just not popular here and people are taking them out.

I've read that Habitat for Humanity Restore is a great store for kitchen cabinets as well. There's a good chance there's a REstore near you. I've seen them all over when traveling.

Another option is a cabinet outlet. There's a cabinet outlet here that sells super basic cabinets for cheap. I've never priced them out, but you might look into a similar store in your area.

We have used prefab laminate counters from Lowes (or maybe it was HD) and I think it was less than $300 for a DIY of an 8x8 condo kitchen. My friends bought their laminate counter in the As-is section of Ikea for a great, discount price because there was a bit of damage on the end of a long run.

Good luck!

Although you can find replacement cabinets on CL, or some place, once you start that project it usually snowballs into something much bigger. You take out the old cabinets, install the new and they aren't the exact same size, so you need fillers, and a new floor because the replacements don't cover all the floor. Then of course, the counters must be replaced too. Before you know it, you've done a complete renovation. And putting new counters on your current cabinets is not going to help, they will only call attention to the contrast between the old, worn cabinets and the pretty new counters. If you are willing to do some work, paint the cabinets white or some shade of off white. Add some new, inexpensive knobs/handles and thats it. A lot of work to do it the right way, yes but won't break the bank. (And definitely do it the right way, a bad paint job could make it look worse) You don't have a photo of your counters, if they are in good shape, just leave them be. You can never recoup the cost for a full out remodel, so what you should be looking for is minimal cost outlay to yield the best price you can. To me, painting would do that.

If these are the type of cabinets I'm thinking, the finish is truly comparable to contact paper. I don't think the suggestion to repair with wood grain contact paper is that far fetched. However.

After thinking about it a bit more, I wouldn't do anything with the cabinets. I'd repair the damage to the wall and install the cheapest off-white or charcoal/black laminate countertop you can find and let it be.

You might be better off offering the $4,000 you plan to spend on your cabinets as a credit to the buyer (depending of course on getting a good offer). A credit can be a very attractive marketing tool in the right situation and it allows the buyers to get the cabinets they really want.

As a potential buyer, jerzeegirl's suggestion is the most appealing. I'd rather get a price break than for the seller to slap on some inexpensive covering that won't last. To add contact paper to the stiles might look ok but there is still the side panel, applying contact paper there will look very obvious, could make a buyer wonder what else you are covering up. Contact paper is not the same as applying a veneer. And the contact paper won't stick for long. If your house is in a good location, well kept and super clean, that is what will sell it. You can of course spend the money to renovate the kitchen, as long as you realize you might not get it all back in your selling price.

We had two agents come through and give us advice. Both of them said our cabinets are fine, though we probably want to fix the worst areas (we will contact the company who sold us the house and see if we can buy what we need). Both agreed the counters need to be changed and that we need a new backsplash. The nice thing is they both also liked the colors for the walls and backsplash we picked out. They gave a lot of good advice and we're going to take and weight what they said (some of which was contradicting to what the other said) against the costs.

Be sure to post a full room picture before and after of your kitchen. I would leave the kitchen alone and do what the realtors suggested.

About adjusting the doors--you said you don't have a good record of rehanging things like that, but I think you're misunderstanding. Most cabinet hinges have screws that you can turn while the door is still on the cabinet. Adjusting the screws adjusts the level the doors hang at. It really is a couple of minutes with a screwdriver--no need to rehang a door at all.