Kitchen cabinet colour

[abbey44]

My kitchen has dark wooden cabinets - lots of them - with black granite tops and I really hate it. It was like that when I bought the house and I've never been able to justify (or afford!) replacement. But I'm thinking of putting it on the market, and I'm torn - I've seen the V33 paint in B&Q which has some terrific reviews and gives what looks like really impressive results.

The kitchen is quite large - about 5m x 5m - with units along three adjacent sides, and a large island in the middle. It's a barn conversion, so double height, vaulted ceiling, and the windows are on the south and west walls, so it gets plenty of light. The flooring is stone.

So....my dilemma/question is: would it massively improve my kitchen to paint the cabinets in a linen/cream colour and give it a more updated look or would I be wasting my time/money? If I were planning on staying, I'd definitely do it as I really don't like dark cupboards with dark worktops, but do you think prospective buyers will be put off if I leave it as is?

Houses in this area and at the price level I'll be at don't sell easily or quickly as a rule. There are vastly more sellers than buyers and having had it on the market unsuccessfully with a different agent last year I want to give it my best shot to give it a bit more wow factor.

What do you reckon....?

[user1491572121]

Oh no it WOULD improve things hugely. People like pale colours. Dark cabinets would put many off.

Pale green can also look lovely as well as cream/linen.

[abbey44]

Thanks - yes, I like green too, but I've got some really lovely Nigella things in duck-egg blue that I'd like to have out, and I think the cream will be better for that. And probably better for selling the house too.

Anyway, I've got a pot of the linen to try out - first on something else, to see how well it goes and then I'll try doing the wall cabinets first.

[Debmeister4]

Try OneStop Refinishers on Facebook-they come and spray everything in a day, good value too!

[abbey44]

I've just had a look at their facebook page - that is absolutely stunning! What a transformation - and in just a day too.

Thank you for that - I know who I'll be calling tomorrow morning....

[abbey44]

Respray booked - just have to choose the colour now....!

[thethoughtfox]

If I saw a dark wood kitchen, I would want to replace it instantly so could put me off buying; if I saw pale painted cabinets, I could definitely live with it and would be more likely to buy.

[abbey44]

Well, they've just left and I'm sitting in my 'new' kitchen feeling quite giddy, though to be fair that might just be the paint fumes...

Here's a before and after - I chose Skimming Stone and I am so pleased with the result. Thank you @Debmeister4

[abbey44]

Oops, wrong 'after' photo - that was in the middle.

Here's what it looks like now...

[AalyaSecura]

Wow, that's an amazing change!

[abbey44]

Isn't it just?! It's not quite as bright white as it looks in the photo - more putty colour and I just absolutely love it. It fits the rest of the house (barn conversion in a village) so much better than before.

I've got the estate agent's photographer coming in on Wednesday so I'm hoping it'll give a bit of wow factor. Just have to finish the new blinds now...

[NamedyChangedy]

What a huge improvement - well done! Lovely kitchen too.

[justaweeone]

Op
It looks fab!!
Would you mind telling me how much it cost?

[tatohead]

That's amazing!

[abbey44]

justaweeone - no, I don't mind at all - it was £750 + VAT, which I think was amazing value, as it's quite a large kitchen (there are over 25 cabinets). It looks like I've just had a new kitchen put in.

I think they start at about £300 or so and you can get a quote by sending them photos of your kitchen. Their Facebook page has loads of before and after photos of the jobs they've done - some absolutely amazing transformations.

I wish I'd known about them sooner - I could have been enjoying my kitchen instead of hating it...!

[tattiehat]

WOW! That looks amazing! When I seen the before photo I thought your cabinets were nice but the after photo they look so much better, gorgeous!

[angof]

Abbey - that looks really great! Did they spray inside too? What does it look like when you open the cupboard doors?

[abbey44]

angof - yes, I chose the 'premium' service, which is inside and outside of the doors, and they repair any minor marks in the units as well. They mask off and cover everything (and I mean absolutely everything!) that isn't to be painted - that takes longer than the actual painting - so when you open the doors the backs are painted, but the cabinet carcasses are untouched. The only way you can tell that they've been sprayed is that the hinge on the back of the door is painted, not silver. The 'standard' service is cheaper and doesn't include the door backs.

In addition, I have two glass-fronted cabinets that were dark wood inside, and they sprayed them to match the outside, so they look in keeping too.

tattiehat - yes, the kitchen was nice before, but just not in keeping with the rest of the house, which is a country-style barn conversion in a village, and I felt the dark wood was more an urban kitchen, IYSWIM. Now it fits with the whole picture.

[angof]

Thanks Abbey, your feedback is appreciated!! I'm really tempted.... I thought it would be much more expensive to get that result. One more question if you have time; our kitchen is mainly solid painted wood at the moment but has various parts which are coated MDF (like kick boards & dividers). If your kitchen has these parts, does it feel like the paint spray has really 'taken' over the top? I can see paint would stay permanent on the wooden parts - just a bit concerned that it would come off with repeated cleaning on the other areas (cos I clean a lot - well I keep meaning to!)

[abbey44]

I think my kitchen may have been a mixture - I'm not sure what the kickboards are made from - but they've assured me that as long as I take care not to bash it in the first couple of weeks while the paint cures fully, then it should be ok with all normal wear & tear and cleaning etc. They give a five-year guarantee (and a touch up pot, just in case!) so that's probably as good as you could get. If you wanted to know for sure, though, it'd probably be better to contact them directly - they're very helpful.

I thought it would be much more expensive too until I got the quote - and I think that for the quality of the work and the standard of the finish, it is probably about the best money I've spent on my house so far. Certainly a drop in the ocean compared with a new kitchen!