Metal Kitchen Cabinets

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Metal Kitchen Cabinets

I have old metal kitchen cabinets in my kitchen. I really can't afford to replace them right now. Is there any way I can revamp them and make them attractive? They are white but yellowed from all the years we've had them. I would appreciate any help.
B.

Any Color Will Update Metal Cabinets

We had the white metal kitchen cabinets also and they get dirty and greasy so easy. So we painted them with gloss paint in an attractive color to match the rest of he kitchen and now they are easy to just wipe off. We found some already mixed paint at Big Lots but some dollar stores also carry paint. Rustoleum is great and it's at Kmart, too. It's so quick and easy to roll the paint on after removing the handles.
You can get new pulls and handles at stores like Lowe's and other home improvement centers. Sometimes they discontinue certain styles and put them on clearance. That's nice. You save even more and when you are done everything looks bright, better, clean and new at a fraction of new prices. The best part is they are already hung with nothing to haul off and you did it yourself. Look at all the money you saved.
Susan M.

Return to Bare Metal Cabinets

I saw the decorating show by Christopher Lowell on the Discovery Channel on old metal cabinets. The sleek, chrome lines of the 1950s are really back in style these days. If you like a retro, clean look, don't repaint those cabinets.

Show them for what they really are and expose the beautiful, bare metal. Christopher used some metal stripper and stripped an entire kitchen down to the bare metal. The results were stunning.

The bare metal was polished using steel wool and elbow grease, and then protected with clear varnish. This finish is virtually indestructible. Metal cabinets won't suffer from grease or dirt damage and are easy to clean.

I cannot remember the names of the products he used, but I'm sure a hardware store clerk could help you.
Barbara

Appliance Spray Paint Renews

In my kitchen I have a metal cabinet unit about five feet wide, with a double-bowl sink (porcelain?) with drain boards on either side, four cupboard doors and two drawers beneath. It's probably from the 1940's and it was pretty tired and dingy. But it is also kind of fun and funky-looking and all my friends envy those expansive drain boards!

Anyway, I bought two cans of white appliance spray paint and painted it, and now it looks like new! I'd definitely recommend spending the extra for appliance paint over regular spray paint, because it covers well and dries to a very hard, shiny finish just like on new appliances.

I did mine over a year ago and so far there are no chips or scratches. I would give you a few words of caution.

1. Mask off and cover everything else in the kitchen. Make sure you have adequate ventilation and wear a mask because the overspray seems to be worse with this type of paint.

2. Remove or carefully mask off the hardware, and if the cupboard doors are removable (mine weren't), take them outside to paint.

3. Also, if there are any spots of rust, use steel wool and a rustproof primer to spot-prime them first.
Amy

Wood Grain Contact Paper Cabinets

I have in the past for a quick and inexpensive fix up used a wood grain contact paper and covered. They wipe off easily and looked better than what I had at the time.
R.

Seek Professional Help

I suggest checking your yellow pages for businesses, which repaint appliances. A friend purchased a home in which the owners included the side-by-side refrigerator in the sale. It was a wonderful shade of avocado green. Perfect for today's retro look. However, my friend wanted all-white appliances.

She found a family-owned business, and had them repaint the fridge. It cost a fraction of the price of purchasing a new model and the painters did an outstanding job. I pored over it and couldn't find one hint of avocado!
Natalie

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