Craig Byrne December 22, 2021
The kitchen is the heart of the home. After all, a lot happens there. It can be a place to entertain, an eating area where the family gathers, and it’s a place where people can use the surface space. Therefore, a lot of owners like to renovate outdated kitchen styles. Many times, the renovation comes before a homeowner decides to sell, because they know the all-important kitchen is a space many buyers gravitate toward when deciding whether to purchase a house. However, there are dos and don’ts when it comes to renovations. Recently, realtors and kitchen cabinet painters gave their expert opinions concerning these matters. They narrowed down specific remodeling tips to make your home more attractive. These categories are broken down in the remainder of this article.
CABINET PAINTING TRENDS
Wood-stained cabinets are out these days according to realtors and kitchen painters. Doug Griner and Josh Vandrasek of Greenville Refinishing in South Carolina has noticed the trend toward replacing wood- stained cabinets with painting. “These days, wood isn’t the look people want. We paint a lot of wood cabinets to make them more contemporary. Owners now want their cabinets to accent the rest of their kitchen with a splash of color,” Griner says. Realtors agree. They believe cabinet painting is your best option if you still have the wood-grain look because, according to Jeremy Porter who is a real estate agent in Orlando, Florida, “If you ask me, [wood stained cabinets were] never really in style,” Additionally, he states cherry stained cabinets are perhaps the most outdated. You can achieve a good flow from your kitchen to the rest of your home by cabinet painting. You can paint your cabinetry with light paint and wood colors.
“There is a move to darker paint and wood colors,” Paul Chastain, a real estate agent in California states. “But you must be careful here because good color is a function of space size and light. You need a large kitchen or lots of light to get away with darker colors. Dark spaces are still a detractor of value.”
Furthermore, space-saving shelves and big pantry style cabinets are replacing traditional woodgrain cabinets.
TO DIY OR NOT TO DIY
A word to the wise: don’t try cabinet painting on your own. “It’s a much more complex process than people believe,” Griner says, “homeowners watch a lot of TV shows and read magazines that encourage it but tackling such a huge project on your own can cause a lot of problems.
Even though DIY projects save money and allow homeowners to display their creativity, they are simply a no go when it comes to kitchen renovations, says Maggie Richter of Baird and Warner in Illinois. “Generally, the quality of the installation gives away the DIY factor,” she says. And cabinet paint is usually trouble. “Sellers who paint their oak cabinets with the curved panel are making a huge mistake. The shape of the cabinet door dates a home immediately. Trying to paint over an oak surface is very challenging; the grain from the wood is impossible to remove even with the best artisans. And never reface. The old box of the original cabinets with the custom shelf paper gives it all away.”
OPEN SHELVES
These days, open shelves are risky. Keller Williams agent Arlene Clark of Pennsylvania believes it’s a trend that is taking over the request for closed cabinets, but she worries they may go out of style soon.
“Many homeowners that see it in new construction question how to use it long-term,” Clark says. “Cabinets with doors hide a multitude of sins!”
DECORATIVE CABINETS
“Simple and chic are the trend. Plain styles are back,” says Arlene Quirk, realtor with Keller Williams in Pennsylvania. She says it best: “Simple and chic are in. Plain styles are back.” You should keep away from looks that don’t have clean lines and anything that seems ornate or too flashy. In addition to the cabinet painting, you should avoid handle pulls that are intricate, wood that’s decorative, islands that are strangely shaped, cabinets that are styled and drawer fronts.
SEPARATION OF SPACE
“Separate kitchen space is going out of style,” Chastain says. “[Instead, choose] flush mount cabinetry and tidy smooth finishes that fade the modern kitchen function into the living space with little or no separation in look.
The kitchen is a space to enjoy and celebrate big moments in. Who doesn’t love walking into a modern kitchen with vibrant colored cabinets and a great flow from the rest of the home? It’s a desirable trend that has homeowners taking notice. If you don’t like your wood-grain cabinetry, best to call a cabinet painter to help you achieve the look you want without the disaster of trying to DIY the project. Open shelves are a gamble, and separation of space is a trend that has been phased out. To have the look you want you don’t need much more than a little expertise, like the advice of expert real estate agents who are up on the trends or a cabinet painter to help you liven up your kitchen, so it is a room you enjoy and look forward to gathering in.
This article was originally published in a different form by Jennifer Billock.
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