Before and After: Paint and Hardware Make These Kitchen Cabinets Look Brand New

It’s easy to think you need to drop tens of thousands of dollars on a kitchen makeover. But the truth is, paint and hardware can go a very long way.

This is something that Judy Pellow and her husband kept in mind when they purchased a house in Ontario that was built in 1987 and hadn’t been updated since. “From previous experiences in updating kitchens, we knew how costly they could become,” says Judy. “However, we were not fans of the oak trim, lack of hardware and character, and the almond color of these ’80s melamine cabinets. When you walked into the kitchen, although the location of the kitchen itself allowed for ample natural light, the cabinets made the area feel dreary.”

So, the couple spent about three weeks introducing smart, inexpensive tweaks that would make the room feel decidedly brighter and more modern. They dedicated $1,800 in Canadian dollars to the kitchen project, putting $1,400 CAD of that toward paint—they hired a professional painter to spray paint the cabinets in a “soft and inviting” white (Benjamin Moore’s Simply White) and then either painted over or removed any visible oak. The pair also brought in a carpenter “to dress up the island and sand the butcher countertop to bring life back into it,” Judy explains.

New hardware provides a lot more interest than previous knobs. And while costs prevented the couple from springing for a backsplash, “we did purchase a vinyl contact paper to cover the old beige laminate countertop until we were ready to budget in a new one,” Judy says.

She’s thrilled with the new look and how clean, open, and light-filled it feels. The moral of the story, says Judy: “Renovations shouldn’t put you into debt, so use what you have and make the most of the space!”

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