Help Needed with Red Formica and Knotty Pine Kitchen!
We recently bought a mountain cabin built in 1958. The kitchen needs some help. Remodeling is not in a budget at the moment as we have to address more important structural issues.
But we would like to give this kitchen a cosmetic uplift and be respectful to the original knotty pine (or some of it).
Thinking about painting the upper cabinets (all or just a more recent upper storage built-ins?), the wood trim around windows, and the walls. We would liked to leave the lower cabinets and wood paneling as is. We would relocate the 'pedestal-fridge'.
Need some help with paint colors. Should we paint the upper cabinets and the dry-wall the same color or different? What are the color suggestions that would balance the red counter top and knotty pine?
Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Comments (9)
6 years ago- 6 years ago
apple_pie_order, the seller wasn't available to answer questions. But another shot of the kitchen might help to explain. The awkward slide is an overhang of the basement stair ceiling. We plan to relocate the fridge to the space left to the door. And conceal the slide with a curtain for now. Thank you!
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Family Room in new house - knotty pine paneling help!
Comments (76)Well, I've called all around and any of the wood "reclamation" companies aren't real interested in pine boards. Those that may be would require me to take it all down, sort by size and stack and bind all the boards up for shipping, and they're in different states I figure they're not going to pay much if anything for it once they figure their transportation costs. I could give it to habitat for humanity I guess, but again, someone would have to carefully dismantle it all, stack and take it there and we don't have a truck. I was hoping against hope there would some company out there that would come and take it down and haul it away - I'd give it to them for free just for their labor. Now if it was cherry, or hickory or something interesting like barn siding I think I'd have some takers! :-)...See MoreAny photos of 'refreshed' knotty pine kitchens?
Comments (21)I think depending on the style of the rest of your house and your decorating, you could make these cabinets work without painting them. I understand your worry that they look dated. I think by refreshing the cabinets, and changing the formica and backsplash, you could have a very beautiful, charming space. I have 1960's cherry cabinets that I debated whether or not to paint b/c they were very dingy and I just hated the look of the kitchen. We did not have the money for new cabinet installation, and our remodel was 100% DIY. After posting on the kitchens and old house forum, I decided against painting them. I 'refreshed' them and am soooo happy I didn't paint. Granted, knotty pine is not cherry, but it still has a certain charm to it that painting would take away. If you decide not to paint, my advice would be to test what finish you have on them. Then, remove the hardware and give them a good washing with some fine steel wool and TSP and rinse them completely. Then re-coat them with a compatible finish (i.e. poly, tung oil, varnish). Make sure you do a test with your new finish in an inconspicuous spot to make sure it doesn't gum up, etc. Before: Mid-remodel: (Needs more trim work, painting, new window, etc.) You get the idea with the cabinets. Excuse the clutter and the flaws that the flash picks up, this was snapped hastily!...See MoreKIKI...a knotty pine kitchen
Comments (19)gosh no.. i meant i couldn't clean the cabinets they were so gunky so that is why I had them lacquered... paint wouldn't stick to the varnish but lacquer did. The quartz gives a modern look and cost about the same as granite. It cleans well but chips easily on the edges. I am careful not to put anything hot on it but the manufacturer says it is not resistant to very high or prolonged heat. I also installed roll out shelves to make the cabinets more accessible....See MoreRemember the knotty pine/kitchen ?'s - Here's an update!
Comments (21)Thanks everyone for your comments. I don't know if you can see it, but the green square between the two windows in the FR is a sample of BM Baby Turtle. That's the color I was thinking about painting that wall. I agree that painting the entertainment unit would breakup the Knotty pine overload! I was thinking about maybe starting off with putting a paintable wallpaper on the back wall of the bookcase and seeing how it looked with that painted first - maybe do the Baby Turtle on the back of the bookcase, and the white on the shelves. I was thinking about painting the trim white, but thought it might look stark with all the paneling. The fireplace is very tall. I'm 5'4" tall and when I stand on the hearth, I can barely reach the top of the mantle. To put that flower arrangement up there I had to stand on my tippy toes to just reach enough to place it up there. So, to watch TV up there is impossible. The room isn't that large. We struggled with the furniture placement for hours, but with the wall of windows and the builtin, I'm sortof stuck with where things are. I figure you can sit up on the sunroom chairs to admire the fireplace this winter....See MoreRelated Professionals
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- 6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
Hollybar, you are right about it being funky. We would like to keep it this way. Spruce it up without making dramatic changes. We definitely plan on changing the floor in the future.
Re the slide. Came across this picture on designsponge (steep staircase used a creative display ) and it made me thinking. What if we retrofit the slide with the creative shelving?
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