Comments on: (646) Budget Kitchen Makeover

by: Naomi E. Soldon

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:35:59 +0000

I am also planning similar low budget renovations, but my cabinet boxes would not take paint well as they are a laminate of some sort. I do not care for their appearance, but their construction is adequate (I assume they are made by Wood Mode whose name is on the hinges). Also since I am not modifying the cabinet lay-out, it makes sense to keep the boxes. I plan to install new doors/drawer fronts on the cabinet fronts and exposed ends; and am considering them for the cabinet bottoms as well. Any comments/suggestions?

by: Kim

Sun, 04 May 2008 15:33:27 +0000

Frankie: I, too, plan to paint my old dark-stained cupboards in my small kitchen. I’ll be using either a semi- or high gloss for durability, and for reflective shine. The wall color is called “Country Peach,” which I think is a Behr color. It’s a bright color that contrasts well against glossy black. The ceiling is bright white. I used semi-gloss for both, to protect against kitchen steam and grease and make clean up easier, as well as offering more light in the evening. My kitchen gets all the morning sun, but very little light after 4pm. I also use compact fluorescent bulbs (2, each supposedly equivalent to 100 watts) in a fixture with a frosted diffuser (shade), so the shine reflecting off the gloss isn’t glaring, but does add interest. My 40+ year-old eyes also find the combination of gloss + fluorescent increases visibility for when I’m chopping or measuring (as opposed to the glare of gloss + incandescent, or flat/satin + any type of light). I had a hard time finding complentary curtains, so I made my own out of black & white towels, with “funky” black & white shoelaces snipped and fabric-glued to make tabs for hanging. I suggest that you get color samples from the bigger pamphlet-style paint cards, and toss them around various parts of the room at various times of day. (You can cut the individual samples off the card to make this easier). Whatever doesn’t look right to your eyes at any time of day gets tossed in the trash immediately to avoid later confusion. As you go through the process, you’ll whittle your selections down until you’re ready to tape the samples onto the surfaces to be painted (for this, get as many more chips as you need to make big enough samples to put in as many locations as you need). Leave the samples up for a day, to see how the color changes with the light. Don’t think about the color, just pay attention to your mood when you notice the color — that will tell you when you’ve found the right one. Good luck!

by: Frankie

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 11:27:49 +0000

I noticed the cabinets appear to be painted black. I have been wanting to repaint my old dark stained cabinets black. I have a small kitchen, do you think this would look good?

by: Michelle Laine

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:13:02 +0000

I absolutely found this to be thouroughly informative video on remodel on a budget.The kitchen you features is almost identical to the kitchen in my rental unit I would like to remodel.
I also Have another rental I would like to restore to live in it myself, it has hardwood floors that must be refinished, as well as the old windows that are in need of painting and restoration. I would love to get help with this project.
I appreciate your show on TV as well.
Thank You
Michelle Laine