How to Update Oak Kitchen Cabinets
If your kitchen was updated in the 90s, there’s a good chance you have oak cabinets.
So how can you update them without redoing your whole kitchen? Many homeowners find themselves faced with a dilemma when it comes to this popular 1990s kitchen cabinet style.
On the one hand, oak kitchen cabinets are made of a durable, high-quality material. After all, real wood is hard to beat. On the other, the stain color on most oak kitchen cabinets is not really contemporary. Orange wood may have been trendy in the 90s, it surely doesn’t feel that way any longer.
Image via Lowe’s Home Improvement.
So, instead of exchanging them for new ones, many homeowners now wonder how to salvage these old workhorses and give them a fresh, modern twist. Especially considering that updating a kitchen is quite costly and complicated.
Fortunately, when it comes to “How can I update my oak kitchen cabinets?”, there are several potential answers. Read on to find out several oak kitchen cabinet updating solutions.
But First, What Makes Your Cabinets Look Dated?
Before you jump into buying supplies for your DIY oak kitchen cabinet update, take a moment to identify what it is about them that’s making them look dated. Sometimes, small changes in the overall décor may help give your kitchen and oak cabinets a more modern feel.
You could try changing the lighting in the kitchen. Or, the paint on the walls. You could also try updating the pattern or color of your backsplash.
The idea is that sometimes you may find that small changes implemented elsewhere can help give your oak kitchen cabinets a fresh and more modern vibe.
Now, when it comes to the kitchen cabinets themselves, try to determine whether it’s the stain color, the trim or pattern on the door profile, or something small like the handles that makes them feel outdated.
Identifying these aspects will make it easier to narrow down your updating options and have a clear idea of what issues to address.
Here are 3 D.I.Y. ways to make your oak cabinets look more modern.
Once you’ve identified what you’d like to update about your oak kitchen cabinets, it’s time to get to work. Remember, most updates you make that create a more modern look will increase the home’s resale value.
There are a few favorite DIY solutions to choose from to make your oak cabinets look more modern. The good news is that most of them are quick and affordable.
1. Paint
Paint is one of the first go-to DIY kitchen cabinet updating options. After all, it’s an inexpensive and quick way to take your cabinets from drab to fab.
If you want to update your oak kitchen cabinets with paint, here’s what you should consider:
Choose a neutral paint color without dominant undertones
Choose a color that blends in with the style of the rest of the house
The previous owners of our house painted our oak cabinets white. They still look pretty fresh! (If the interior drawers were in better condition, we might have kept them.)
Here are the steps you’ll need to go through to get a perfect finish:
Take the doors down
Use a degreaser to wipe down the surfaces you want to paint
Repair any holes in the doors with wood filler
Sand down the surfaces of the cabinets
Apply primer and let it dry
Apply two coats of paint
The downside of this DIY solution is that paint may chip over time. Plus, if you ever want to get back to a natural wood finish, it will take a lot of sanding to achieve.
2. Replace the Fronts
Refacing your cabinets is another great option for updating oak kitchen cabinets. It’s much more affordable than remodeling the entire kitchen.
Plus, if your oak kitchen cabinets have standard sizes, you can do it yourself. Simply order the door fronts to size and take down the old ones. A few drills and screws later, your outdated oak kitchen cabinets will be a distant memory.
However, if your cabinet boxes are older and not in good condition, replacing the fronts may not be the best solution. In this case, you should consider a more substantial kitchen update.
3. Go for an Even Older Style
Another great solution for dealing with an outdated kitchen is to embrace this dated style completely.
Instead of trying to modernize an old-world kitchen, why not take it even further back in time? For some drama effect, you can pair dated cabinets with even older elements!
To create this mismatched style, add some rustic/antique elements to the cabinets. Try some antique hardware or whitewash them. You can also add mismatched elements to your kitchen, such as an antique larder or island.
Via Unsplash.
A final note…
Because oak is a durable material, it’s worth considering bringing it into the 21st century. And, as you can see, you have plenty of options for easily updating oak kitchen cabinets.
Some solutions may indeed require more work than others. But, in the end, all of these DIY solutions are surely quicker and more affordable than remodeling the entire kitchen.
We’re living proof of the power of a good coat of paint.
We had no idea that our kitchen was in rough shape when we purchased the home, in large part because the cabinets seemed so decent! (Only after living in the home did we realize there was water damage under our sink, or that about 30% of the pull-out shelves were broken.)
Given the state of things, we’ve decided to completely gut the kitchen. But until the renovation starts, those painted oak cabinets are still doing some heavy lifting.
