Upgrade your kitchen cabinets with just paint. 8 budget-friendly makeovers

Do you ever watch home improvement shows and wish someone would come in and fix up your kitchen for you? What if I told you that you can give your kitchen a makeover all by yourself? It's true!
With a few buckets of paint, you can give your kitchen cabinets an updated look that's both classy and affordable. Instead of tearing out and replacing perfectly good cabinets, you can make your kitchen look brand new by simply changing a few colors, or adding a new texture to the wood. Now, you just have to decide which look is best for you!
Advertisement
1. Dark paint
If your cabinets are a light color to begin with, you can drastically improve the look of your kitchen by painting your cabinets with a darker color. While black cabinets aren't for everyone, you can use various shades of dark brown instead. Using dark paint can help make your cabinets look sleek and new.
At Home With the Ellingtons
2. Whitewashing
If dark cabinets don't fit your personality, you can go in the opposite direction. Whitewashing your cabinets might take a bit longer than a simple paint job, but that's just because the lighter color of the whitewashed cabinets is less forgiving of mistakes. As long as you're careful to prepare the wood before you start painting, you'll end up with a great vintage look.
Do It Yourself
3. Crackle paint
If you're looking for a weathered look, but want to keep the color of your cabinets, try a crackling glaze. You can alternate between large cracks or fine lines by varying the thickness of each coat. The trick to making this look authentic is to apply the glaze by always brushing in the same direction.
Larry Jenks Painting
4. Chalkboard paint
If you have kids, you probably already know about the popularity of chalkboard paint. While most people use chalkboard paint on an entire wall, you don't have to go quite that big. If you're already painting your cabinets a dark color, use chalkboard paint on one or two cabinets. One can be at the eye level of an adult so you can use it to keep track of weekly meal plans or grocery lists, and the other can be closer to the ground so your kids can draw while you cook.
Bob Vila
5. Magnetizing
Like chalkboard paint, magnetic paint is growing in popularity. Another similarity between the two is color. Magnetic paint comes in black or gray, so this idea works best if you're planning to paint your other cabinets one of those two colors (or a color that matches). An important piece of advice to remember is that you'll need to use multiple coats of magnetic paint if you want anything to actually stick to it.
Candy Paint Asia
6. Chalk paint
Chalk paint is not the same as chalkboard paint! Chalk paint is white and can be used to give your cabinets a weathered look. If you even want to go so far as to add a bit of a scuffed look to your cabinets, you can paint over them with soft wax. Make sure you check the color of your wax, though, as a darker wax will affect the light color of your cabinets.
Captain Walt
7. Contrasting colors
If you want a truly unique look in your kitchen, go for a high-contrast look by painting half of your cabinets a different color than the other half. Most people who try this paint the lower cabinets with a darker color and the upper cabinets with a lighter color.
HGTV
8. Bold or bright colors
If you watch home improvement shows, you've likely noticed that people are starting to branch out with their color choices. So why not take a page out of their book and paint your cabinets teal or bright yellow? Use this repainting project as an opportunity to show your true colors!
Home Grown Decor
Advertisement
It's amazing that something as simple as paint can completely change the look of a room! It also comes in handy if you can't afford to renovate your entire kitchen, but need a new look. So when you're ready to give your kitchen an upgrade, try one of these tips. And make sure you share this list with any friends who might be considering giving their own kitchen a makeover.