The carpenter should be able to come up with the solution !

Using putty or fill sticks to fill the holes and blend the color, they should be able to get an acceptable repair.

Thanks. I am looking for out of the box solutions :-)

Iron on some wood tape, file the edges, stain and finish to match. Lotsa work for four screw holes not at eye level, but if you're paying, here's a change order for you to sign. They will disappear.

Your rooster valance is adorable.

Your cabinets are a beautiful color! And don’t sweat the small stuff so much. (Are you 6’+ tall? Wouldn’t bother me at all.)

I think that is a very nice valence and would keep it, It has a high quality look.

Thanks all - I guess I am sweating the small stuff. I am not a fan of the wooden valance so looking forward for it to be gone!

A bit of wood fill and matching stain. That IS the out of the box solution. Them stop staring at it looking for a flaw. Which is the other and part two out of the box solution

i'd suggest the straightforward fix first. when that fails for you, time enough to add brackets or something else. nothing is lost doing the 'easy' choice first. i'd go darker rather than try for a perfect match, an accidental too orange tone, etc, would be less apparent.

First do no harm...................................as all over think usually creates. A perfectionist plot is to call a custom cabinet shop, create a new trim side panel for each. I DOUBT it will be necessary, nor would I invest in it as arches on cabinetry themselves have a time and date stamp of earlier times. Try to relax,

I did the same thing you are doing. Took down a wood valence. It really opened up the area above the sink and looked brighter and fresher to me. I too was worried about the holes. The carpenter made plugs out of wood dowels and we touched them up with a stain pen. It looked great.

nobody mentioned the Minion sponges?? ;)

Actually they are Minion cookies - my son's birthday was the other day :-)

i agree with pb... if it was mine i'd remove it to open up the area, not because of it being 'dated'.

The kitchen is the darkest room in the house, so I am hoping that by taking out the wood valance and removing the window treatment, it will brighten things up a bit. Glad it worked for you pb.

I removed mine - and forgot all about filling the holes - I will add that to my todo list:)

It does help brighten the kitchen, but if you do not have under cabinet lighting, consider it. I have an older kitchen with arched cabinets and have made some changes over the last few years - I think I almost love my under cabinet lighting the most - tied with the apron front sink - and I only did it between the sink and range. I have it on almost all day - just love the light it adds:)

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~109854040

It's dark because you have a light bulb burned out. :) You are watching the sausage - don't worry about the screw holes. You will see it but no one visiting your home will ever see it (after your carpenter fills them). The bigger issue for darkness could be the empty space above your cabinets creating a dark area. Can you add low lumen led strip lighting up there to get rid of the darkness? Will make the room feel brighter.

Well, plugging them with dowels isn't any better than what the carpenter is suggesting. It's the same thing. Let him do it; live with it.

I'm departing from popular opinion and saying you will regret removing the valance. The crown will appear so thin and lonesome no one will notice the nail holes. It can't add more than 1% additional light to the room. Replace that burnt out light bulb,remove things preventing light through the window,pat yourself on the back then go read a book.

They are putty sticks in many, many colors - that's what I would use. Remember, the less you mess with it, the better.

If you're really stubborn, you can get wood buttons. Stain them, finish them, and glue them in the screw holes ( the hole will have to be enlarged for the button).

Thanks all - with the kitchen renovation, the high hats will be moved slightly and replaced with better cans. Over the kitchen sink, we are going to remove the 2 high hats and replace with one. Under cabinet lighting will be installed. We will be adding a glass subway tile backsplash so that should help reflect light as well. The countertop will be granite which is shiny and also have a reflective quality when it comes to light. The flooring will be replaced (currently it is a vinyl tile look that is the same color as the cabinets (what was the previous owner thinking??????) with a much lighter cream plank tile. I believe all these improvments will help tremendously.

The valance appears to be in good shape and not dated. If you could find it in your heart, try to live with it and add lighting behind it if you don't have a soft light source already. Replace the missing light bulb in front of the valance. If you are determined to remove it, allow your carpenter to do his best repair. I'll bet you'll not notice the little holes after awhile and when you sell the home the new buyers won't even be aware that they are there.

Good move! I don't like floating valences. They do nothing but choke off light.

About hiding the screw holes in the cabinet stiles. The valence is long enough to make strips to cover the stiles from top to bottom. One option is making the strips as thin as possible, applying them to the stiles, then puttying/staining the (very thin) edge. Another option is two strips for each cabinet stile that meet at 45 degrees, which would likely require only a little stain. Either way would take a little effort and a good table saw with a sharp blade, but should solve your problem.

There are a couple of issues that I don't see being addressed:

1) It's possible that the ends of the valance are also glued in place. If so, removing glue residue and trying to restain the areas to match will be much harder than suggested.

2) The areas on the cabinets on each side that are now covered by the ends of the valance may be a different shade after years of not being exposed to sunlight. If so, staining these areas to match the rest of the cabinet may also be hard.

I'm not trying to discourage you, but simply trying to prepare you for the issue that stain matching may be more of a challenge than making the holes disappear. Instead of spot-staining, it might be easier and better looking in the long run to mount a simple, low profile 3/4" trim strip covering the area that will be newly exposed and running it from top to bottom on the two flanking cabinets (so it will look like an intentional design element). It will be easier to blend the finish of this trim with the rest of the cabinet than to deal with trying to make the isolated, exposed areas match the old finish.

Valid point Kudz.