5 Easy Ways to Transform Cabinets When Painting Isn’t an Option

August 20, 2019

Working With Sellers, Remodeling, Kitchen & Bath

By Karen Post, Home Frosting

We’ve all been there: You tour a home with a great address and inviting floorplan—but those cabinets, though! They glow with an orange or red tint. The floors may even match the cabinetry. Dated oak or maple cabinets, if they could talk, may scream to a potential buyer: "Big renovation project needed! Not move-in ready!"

Cabinets matter. Light and white remain preferable to buyers, confirms a survey from Home Stratosphere, a home décor blog that surveyed thousands of consumers about their color of choice for kitchen cabinetry. White is by far the most popular cabinet color.

Painting cabinets can dramatically improve a room and update the overall impression of a home with a more modern finish. But a seller may not always have the extra funds to take on painting the cabinets prior to listing the home. (Expect a price tag of $3,000 or more.)

So what do you do? Let’s take this example.

Kitchen with island, and pine colored cabinets

When painting cabinets is not an option, try these five staging tips to transform the look.

A Kitchen with island, and white cabinets with light colored hardwood floor

Just paint the island, or add an island with white or metal. This small change costs significantly less, is not as disruptive, and can still have a high impact on the room’s look.

Neutralize dark or bold colors. Tone the cabinets down by adding large white accessories, such as hand towels, big bowls, and trays.

Change out the lighting. Try updating a key decorative light fixture. It can make dated cabinets feel more current. Also, swap out the light bulbs for warmer options, such as a soft white (in the 2700K to 3000K range).

Show prospects some what-ifs. Many of the national paint companies offer tools to show how a new paint color can change a room. This includes cabinets. Drop in your photos and digitally repaint them to show prospective buyers the possibilities for when they move in.

Before image of kitchen with standard "Warm" lighting

Have quotes on-hand. Invite a cabinet repainting company to submit a cost and time estimate of refinishing the cabinets. You can use this as a price negotiation point or provide a new buyer with an allowance to get this change completed before they move in.

Check out the pictures below of another before-and-after set of picture to see how these ideas work.