Trying to fix up and sell mom’s house which has been vacant since she fell and moved into assisted living over a year ago. House sits in dwindling neighborhood, house values in this unsafe neighborhood have dropped drastically, and we will be looking for first time home buyers that qualify for some federal money.
Getting mom’s house renovated and on the market next week (if we can get all these last projects completed). One of our final decisions is whether or not to paint the pine cabinets in the kitchen. The inside of these cabinets is awful, and none of us siblings could imagine storing our own food/dishes in these cabinets. But if we just paint the pine, is it going to look awful to have the knots and the holes of wear and tear through the years showing through?
DO NOT MENTION ripping out cabinets and redoing them. It is NOT an option for us. Our realtor is telling us the Federal Money programs opened up January 1, and we need to get this house on the market before all that money dries up.
The house will have new paint everywhere. New countertop in kitchen will be something that resembles granite but is a cheaper substitute. New vinyl flooring in the kitchen and basement, new builder’s grade carpet in the living room, hallways, stairs, and downstairs den. Both bathrooms have been completely remodeled and are the highlight of the house.
This will be the largest home in the neighborhood coming on the market.
Have you painted worn out pine cabinets, and do you regret it? I would love to hear your experiences with painted pine cabinets.
Hi. We bought our home because of the old, hand made pine kitchen cabinets and built-ins. That being said, most people like “brighter” cabinetry, I’m told. We used Benjamin Moore Georgian Green on the walls (made the kitchen feel fresh and organic) and did dark countertops. I posted my kitchen online and have seen it reblogged many times as a successful old kitchen redo that kept the knotty pine.
Painting pine successfully needs TONS of prep or the knots show through and the paint yellows in no time flat. I’d clean the cabinets really well and let the new owners decide what they want to do.
I wouldn’t do it. I think you will make it worse. It’s also likely that renovating the kitchen will be one of the first things that new owners would want to do. I would give them a thorough cleaning and let it go.
I have re-stained cabinets before, but the cabinets were cherry and not in bad shape from the beginning. But honestly, a good staining job isn’t cheap, either, if you are having it professionally done. You could get an estimate from a pro. I would never attempt painting or staining cabinets without a professional, unless you have a lot of experience yourself.
Anyone interested in this home will have ZERO money for remodeling. They will be lucky to qualify for financing. This is not a great neighborhood, and we are already on the top end of the price point for housing available on the market in this neighborhood.
People who have extra money for remodeling will be choosing other neighborhoods to live in.
A couple gallons of kilz and some paint won’t cost new owners much if they really hate the cabinets. But they could prefer wood, so I’d just clean them and let them decide what they prefer.
Can you clean them, put some fresh shelf liner or something inside so it isn’t so gross, maybe add some new hardware (nothing expensive but new) and then paint the rest of the kitchen a nice inviting color so the cupboards aren’t the eye sore noticed???
Get some good cleaner and wash those cabinets inside and out. They will look better. You can get the light Old English for the outsides. If you can inexpensively replace the pulls, that could make a difference too. My very first house had knotty pine cabinets…I painted everything else…but not the cabinets. I loved the look.
If you can get them clean I think I’d lean that way, other wise just put a layer of Kilz and then paint them white. I agree new pulls can do a wonder. You can get pretty nice ones at Home Depot for a few dollars each.
Don’t know what you are looking at. My dad refinished the home cabinets (not pine) after 40 years. Looked great. True, it wasn’t updated but I think most buyers would take it. And new pulls would make a huge difference.
I wouldn’t paint them. It’s a lot of work to prep and paint over wood cabinets and pine’s knotty texture would make it even more difficult to get a good looking result. New knobs/pulls are a smart idea.
If you are putting a new countertop, you will have to do something with the cabinets; otherwise, the kitchen will look very odd. You will need to wash and prep the cabinets anyway if you decide to go with paint. I would see how they turn out after a good wash and go from there. Are they stained/varnished?
paint. it will feel and look cleaner & brighter. new owners can always strip the paint if they want pine or maybe they’ll replace the cabinets all together. paint is cheap but goes a long way. yes, I have done it myself. It was very emotional for me because it was my grandmother’s house and I didn’t want to do it but was so glad I agreed when I saw the final product.
Have you already checked with an elder attorney about the sale and possible medicaid? When my mom went on medicaid she learned she could keep her paid for house, but could not have money. I think this varies by state, but be try to check it out before selling.
If the cabinets looks clean, I’d vote don’t paint.
If you paint it yourself the first time ever, you will screw it up and it might cost as much as new cabinet if you hire a painter. There are cheap off the shelf cabinet you can buy from places like HomeDepot, if you do not care quality. It seems like the house is in a low income area, they will not care much about the quality of cabinets.
I have bought 18 liner feet of cherry wood cabints(upper and lower) Granite counter tops for under $2,000(not installed), I think the raw oak cabinets at Home Depot is even cheaper.
We used Benjamin Moore Georgian Green on the walls (made the kitchen feel fresh and organic) and did dark countertops. I posted my kitchen online and have seen it reblogged many times as a successful old kitchen redo that kept the knotty pine. 