Give Your Dated Wooden Cabinets A Modern Facelift With A Few Inexpensive Swaps

Our kitchens are the nexus through which our families flow. Be it a family of five, a brand-new couple in their first apartment, or a place where various grandchildren pass through, kitchens are the heart of a home. I started my professional woodworking career decades ago making cabinets, and I am certain many continue to be used. But even with durable older cabinets, they might need a style change. So how do you give your outdated wooden kitchen cabinets a modern facelift without breaking the bank? I've got your back!

If you have dated, stained oak cabinets or some other funky hue that was popular at the same time as mall hair, there are some inexpensive ways to fix this problem. First, you could use a clever paint trick to make any wood look less orange or whitewash the cabinets. This technique will brighten the color, but still allow the wood grain to be seen. The second option is similar: painting your cabinets. Painting gives you a wide range of color options, but moderate earth tones are popular now.

You can also spruce up your cabinet doors and drawers by changing the hardware — swapping the knobs and pulls. There are so many options when it comes to cabinet hardware that it can be overwhelming. My advice is to avoid uber far-out designs; they can seem really at first, and then not so much a year or so down the line. Open shelving in the upper cabinets is a modern trend many love. Just remove some of your upper cabinet doors and see how you like it. (You'll need to fill the hardware mounting holes.)

Kitchen lighting inspiration is critical to a functional kitchen, but also adds to the aesthetics of the space. But there's a caution: changing to a different sort of fixture, like pendant lighting or some other type, may mean either dealing with the electrical wiring yourself or hiring for the job. (I don't recommend that novices attempt electrical wiring.) But that sort of dramatic swap will make a huge difference in the look of your kitchen. 

The great news is that there are now battery-powered fixtures that you can mount to your wall or ceiling that don't require wiring. Some of them turn on and off by remote control, giving you even more options for where to mount them. The batteries need to be recharged or replaced, but the ease and the versatility of these fixtures will make up for that challenge. Under-counter lighting can also help modernize your kitchen's style. There are a wide variety of options, from low-voltage light strips to fixtures that have adhesive backing, so you don't even need a tool to install them. These can be plugged into an outlet, wired by an electrician, or battery powered. 

At our house we have a few battery-powered units that are motion activated. So, when I stroll through the kitchen at night, I can see where I'm going. There are clamp-on lights and freestanding lamps as well — the options are many. If you have a space between your upper cabinets and the ceiling, a set of lights shining from the cabinets to the ceiling can add a lovely modern look to your cabinets.

Not exactly part of the cabinetry, but certainly linked to it, are the backsplash and countertops. Thinking of ideas for kitchen backsplashes is one area that can really make a difference in the overall look of the area. A backsplash can be a short 3- or 4-inch tall extension of your countertop material, mounted to the wall. Or it could be made from an entirely different material (tile, metal, or something else) that spans the space from the countertop to the bottom of the upper cabinets. Mosaics, dramatic patterns, painted murals, pressed tin designs, marble, or granite ... the options for backsplashes are legion. Adding one is often within the skillset of a regular DIYer, making it one of the more affordable options for kitchen upgrades.

Replacing a countertop is generally not an inexpensive option. The exception is wooden countertops. If you have moderate DIY skills, swapping out and installing a wooden countertop is certainly the least expensive route to go. And wooden countertops can look beautiful. Personally, and I have lived with wooden countertops more than once, I do not recommend them. They wear, stain, and show use quickly. But they are serviceable, and many folks love them. Another DIY option to change up your countertop is to paint it. Yes, you can paint your countertop. Using special countertop paint and a sealer, you can refurbish an old dingy, laminate countertop. The process will take up to 14 days, as each layer needs an appropriate curing time.

It you are like me, you like to start a job and power through it from beginning to end. And that's certainly an acceptable strategy. Another might be to take a piecemeal approach, perhaps through trial and error. I've offered several different options for giving your dated wooden cabinets a facelift in this article. Most of them are not mutually exclusive. Changing up many of these kitchen aspects together will have a more significant effect.

Start out by perhaps painting your cabinets. Then, add some lighting to see how that looks. You could have changed out the hardware when you painted, but now that the lighting has brightened the space, perhaps you've changed your mind and want to upgrade there, too. Ultra-modern metal pulls and knobs, or perhaps look at ceramic vintage-looking hardware. A couple of other things I haven't mentioned are sink faucets and details like switch plates and outlet covers. Art on the walls, perhaps a mirror or specialty shelving, can add to the overall look. My point is: this does not have to be a one-and-done event.

And while not an aesthetic upgrade, swapping out things like drawer slides and door hinges can make your kitchen more functional and definitely more modern. Self- and soft-closing hinges and drawer slides will make your kitchen experience more pleasing, as can organizational drawer inserts or pull-out aftermarket shelving or storage racks. This is truly a process that seldom ends. (So, how does your kitchen floor look now that your cabinets are spruced up?)