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Bathrooms Storage & Closet

How to makeover these solid but UGLY painted wood shelves?

5 months ago

Any ideas for painting/etc? My husband wants to tear out the shelves and find a closet that measures perfectly to slide into this space, but this closet is unusually deep so finding a pre-built cabinet to fit the space is a challenge. we are planning on replacing the louvred doors with shaker(?) style doors with the solid panels instead.

Thanks so much-we are first time homeowners and a bit overwhelmed.

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Comments (4)

kempek01
5 months ago
A fresh coat of white paint will go a long way.

If you have white trim in your home, use that color. If there is no white elsewhere, use the brightest white you can find. It will make finding things in the closet easier.

This is one time when I would say you don't need to worry about "matching" whites.
Nancy in Mich
5 months ago
Yes, paint. This will allow the undersides to look as nice as the tops. You don’t need to replace these shelves yet. They do not even look bowed by the weight of things on them. You look like you are making good use of the space. New doors and some paint, and you are done!
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Painting the cabs to a high standard is an investment in both time and money I would not do in a rental. Also, is the owner supplying the paint for the walls? As a landlord and a former renter, I would make sure that any colors chosen get the owners approval first. As to what shade could work best for you on the walls, can you share more pics? Agree with you that the current shade isn't working. And I would most likely paint out that bit of white trim to match the new wall colour, if the landlord approves.
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Your window panes appear to have divided lights. I'm not sure if you are thinking of hiring a painter, or doing the painting. Either way, the painter is going to charge to do all those divided lights, or you are going to be doing painstaking work yourself. White is very fashionable now, but once you paint woodwork white, it will never go back to being stained wood. To prep, you need to sand lightly every single surface, then primer to keep the color from bleeding, and then you will need to fill every little hole and crevice that you didn't know were there until you put white on it, and how they look bad. Then you can apply the paint. So, I'm thinking that the white has been around for about 20-25 years now. Fashion will be swinging back to the darker colors again, as it has already shown up in cabinetry. The woodwork will have to be replaced if you change your mind and want stained wood in a few years. I agree with the comments about using lighter colors in your furnishing and even artwork on the walls.
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AnnKH
5 months ago
I agree that painting is the solution (at least for now), and that your plastic drawers are a great way to utilize the space.

There is a lot of cubic footage there, but the depth makes it a challenge to use. I would put some long-term storage in the back, so the things you use every day are closer to the front.

Since you are replacing the door, I would go with a single door, so you could put a pocket organizer on the back.
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maggieq
5 months ago
Once you paint, you need to let the paint "cure" before loading the shelves again. The longer the better. Good luck.
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