How to update these recessed 80s cabinets?
Has anyone seen this type of recessed cabinets? I have searched over and over for other cabinets like these to see if there was a (simple) way to extend the bottom part of the cupboard so it's flush with the drawers, but my searches come up with nothing. Either I don't know what to search for or there aren't many cabinets that exist like this. It feels like changing out the door fronts (like I'd really like to do) would be a waste of money because the recessed part dates it so much. This is a pic of the bathroom and eventually we'll replace the vanity, but it's also like this in the kitchen, which is my main concern. Is there anyone out there that has had cabinets like this an successfully revised them? I'm wondering if it would work to add on a couple of inches to the framework. But maybe that's more work than it's worth?
Comments (13)
PRO10 months agolast modified: 10 months agotake out the drawers and ope n the doors. take a pic straight on. is the body-base completely flush?
what's the plan for this bathroom? how much updating are you planning?
were you going to paint?
replace the top?
what about the mirror/lights?
(there are tons of used oak vanities for sale, cheap, on craigslist, Restore, habitat for humanity, etc, you could replace the doors/drawers, or even the entire vanity. ()which would be a lot easier and look better) for $300-600 bucks, you could get a vanity/top and sink.
Here, $400
vanity granite and sink
this entire set, including mirror, $250
$100 for this marble top. all you'd have to do is cut the sides to fit. cheap.
you could look for a vintage dresser or chest online and modify itHeck, this one is free
shop around and replace. you may be surprised. less work than fiddlefarting around w/that oneT Penn thanked Beth H. :Related Discussions
How to update this 80's kitchen on a budget?
Comments (30)Regarding the "how well can you paint the cabinets if they are laminate" question. A very good question that I can perhaps answer. I had what appears to be the same cabinets in my kitchen. I hated them and wanted to paint them for what I thought was going to be a year. Turned out to be about 4 1/2-5 years before they were demo'd, and they definitely could have gone much longer. I got up one Saturday morning and started slapping on water-based Kilz with a little foam roller. After I'd done most of them I realized I'd forgotten to wash and de-grease them as I'd intended. Too late. So they had the 1 coat of Kilz, 2 coats of blue-green Benjamin Moore latex eggshell. Not cabinet coat, not anything fancy, no gloss coat, no tricks. In fact, a friend who had never painted before helped on a few cabinets. Actual painting time was short -- the only thing that made it take awhile was drying time between coats. I painted the insides as well, including the horizontal contact surfaces. I stored heavy crockery on those shelves, which I scraped across the painted surfaces, and I saw only tiny scratches on those particular surfaces by the time I demo'd. The cabinet fronts were perfect. I don't have dogs who scratch at cabinets for their treats, or kids who play "carpenter" and hammer on them, but they definitely held up well, particularly for the extremely casual way I painted them. If you take a little care, there's every reason to believe your results should be at least as good, if not better. Their slab surfaces made them extremely easy to paint by roller and brush. On mine, the oak strip was a component of the cabinet and could not be removed without leaving a big gap. But I believe several companies made cabinets like this, so yours may be different....See MoreSlowly removing the 80s from the 80s Kitchen (paint & LVT)
Comments (10)that new stuff isn't much different from what you currently have. I think you could find something better. if you have any aspirations of painting those cabinets in the future, white would work better w/that color flooring. If I had to rob a bank, I'd get the money and put it toward that bubble florescent fixture. Honestly, that is the worst thing I've ever seen. Please, splurge and get an electrician or a family handy guy over to remove that and give you 6 cans. you'll be amazed at the diff. if you can do the cans, at least get rid of that behemoth and do a flush mount fixture. are you DIY ? painting those cabs will freshen up that spot. even if it takes you two months, you could do it yourself for a few hundred. countertops,,check in pre-fab granite or quartz they cost about 300-500 for one 22"X9' slab. hire a fabricator to come and cut it for your kitchen (800 or so) do the legwork yourself, offer cash, and save big time....See MoreHow do we update this 80s balcony?
Comments (32)Yep yep. I agree, it makes the most sense for it to be a load bearing post, and covering the openings, the A/C would be compromised, and OH MY GOD we do NOT want to do ANYTHING to interfere with the A/C!!! Besides, I have had an amazingly inspired idea. What if we covered up the center pole, all except the arrowhead shaped part, with the right size & shape of distressed & stained wood planks to make it look like a giant beam. Then, the bottom of the arrowhead would made to look like a crossways beam bolted onto it. I might have to continue with another gigantic fake beam underneath the entire length, but that might look really cool! I wish I knew how to visualize it, to show you how it looks in my head. Another style option might be fake steel beams, but I can’t find any tutorials how to do that???...See MoreNeed help updating 80's home and all it's honey oak everything
Comments (30)I agree with the first above houzzers.....paint it a warm white and leave it for a year living in it to decide where you want to begin, then begin with one room only and do that room completely.....people get so caught up in saving money, that they invariably end up spending a little bit in each room because they cannot afford to do one room right......I speak from experience! Painting the whole house will cost a lot of time money and headaches especially if you have never painted.....just sayin'.....So paint it a nice white and live in it and then decide where to begin first.... As you have always rented, you can be patient, and keep a list going of what you want to do in each room and then will be able to pare down the list to the most important.....personally I think you will get the most bang for you buck, and great satisfaction by tackling the kitchen after your year of living in the house; that way you get to enjoy all the money you spend before you decide to sell it......good luck, your happiness and joy at what you have accomplished in buying a home, is refreshing and charming and admirable.....See MoreRelated Professionals
Brushy Creek Architects & Building Designers · Corpus Christi Architects & Building Designers · Lexington Architects & Building Designers · Buffalo Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Fort Wayne Furniture & Accessories · Farmington Furniture & Accessories · Fountain Furniture & Accessories · Pasadena General Contractors · Syosset General Contractors · Tabernacle General Contractors · Fremont Glass & Shower Door Dealers · Jefferson Valley-Yorktown Cabinets & Cabinetry · Sayreville Window Treatments · St. Louis Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Honolulu Design-Build Firms
10 months ago- 10 months agolast modified: 10 months ago
Unfortunately I can't take any pics now. This is my parents in law's house that we are planning to buy and haven't yet moved in. We do plan on eventually replacing the vanity, but there are many other things we wanted to do in the house that are priority, so I may just be painting the vanity for now. The rest of the bathroom will get fresh paint, new mirror and lights. However, really, the bathroom was kind of the least of my concerns, as the kitchen cabinets are like that, as well, and we will not be replacing those anytime soon. I just used a bathroom pic for reference, here.
The body base is not flush with the doors. It is set back, just like normal. Here's another pic I have of the kitchen cabinets, that shows that a bit more. Sorry about the bad pics... it's all I have.
10 months agolast modified: 10 months ago
10 months ago@T Penn - sorry for not explaining myself very well.
Here is a photo of my remaining vanity (it’s about to be ripped out when gutting my powder room for upcoming renovation - along with textured walls! ):
I tried just gel staining it awhile ago - but didn’t like it - so, I never put a top coat on it = many little chips.
The top false middle drawer and the two top side drawers stick out farther than the raised paneled doors below.
When I realized that it seemed odd - I looked at it - and noticed that the top part that sticks out more is not actually closed all the way.
You can see the bottom of the rollers for the drawer on the right - and can see the bottom of the sink.
This is what I was trying to ask you about - whether yours has an opening like mine.
Once I noticed this - I knew that I couldn’t simply replace the doors/drawer fronts with full overlay - and be happy. I thought that the recessed part would still make it look dated - I couldn’t even find any examples where someone updated this type of vanity cabinet. I wasn’t even sure what to call it when searching for examples!
My house was built in 1996 - and the recessed part was not added because there wasn’t enough space in the bathroom to have it flush with the top. I have NO IDEA why it was made this way - and it’s not something I noticed back then (I was 8 months pregnant and had two weeks before my last set of law school finals when I made selections - and many changes- for my house. Bathroom vanities were not high on my list LOL!)
I agree with Beth - I decided to replace all of my bathroom vanities.- 10 months ago
- 10 months agolast modified: 10 months ago
@T Penn - mine is recessed 2 1/4” (maybe a little less - just a touch over 2”).
I have no idea why they made these this way - so odd.
I’m excited for the powder room (and kitchen) - I’m going to select some type of stone and have a floating vanity made to sit within the alcove (about 42-43”) - like this:
I just need to decide on the type of stone for the countertop/vanity - I will be doing a separate undermount sink. I like the ones where the sink is the same material as the vanity - however, I’m not sure how practical that would be.
- 10 months ago
10 months ago
BeverlyFLADeziner