Part 2: Creative options for making your existing honey oak cabinets look & function better?

If you have read part one in this series, Update Your Kitchen with the Honey Oak Cabinets: 4 Compelling Reasons Why you likely are interested in learning a bit more about just how this could work, especially if you are not going to be content to just leave your cabinets just as there are.

You’re likely looking for a bit of an improvement and an upgrade, whether for your own enjoyment, the functionality of the kitchen, or to add value to your home. All great reasons to read on.

In my experience with kitchen design, there are lots of ways to create a mid-point between the extremes of tearing out your cabinets and just leaving them exactly as they are.

These hybrid options are things that will allow you to leave the framework and bones of your cabinets in place and instead update some details about how they look or function. This is a great way to save money & time, while moving your kitchen closer to something you can fall in love with and enjoy.

There are plenty of creative ideas to nudge your existing cabinets into something you love - here are 8 of my tried and true upgrades!

Uppers Only

Almost all of the concerns about replacing your cabinets (see Part 1 here!), aside from the expense and possibly warranty issues, center around the base cabinets (where the plumbing normally is, the flooring must be accounted for, electrical is already in place).

A nice option to get some more updated features while avoiding the hassle of replacing the base cabinets is to only replace the uppers. Aside from changing up the color or height (taking them to the ceiling can look so nice), you could also replace them with open shelves, a unique or stainless-steel hood fan over the range, new glass doors, etc.

Try to match the general details of the doors below (simple shaker or slab doors, etc) if possible.

Island Only

Another option is to only replace only the island cabinets if you have one. This can create a nice focal point in the kitchen and even in brand new kitchens this is a common way to break things up visually.

This also gives you a chance to rework the layout, add seating, storage or even something like a prep sink, bar fridge or wine cooler.

Just the Doors

Door & drawer-front painting or replacement is another great upgrade that still uses the existing cabinet boxes.

Don’t overlook the option of having your doors replaced, painted at a spray booth or even painting them yourself. Paints capable of refinishing cabinets (and especially the matching primers) have a come a long way and with the right application they can be a high-quality & low-cost upgrade.

Accessories

If you are having trouble with functionality, look at adding accessories to your existing cabinets.

Things like super-susans (rotating shelves), pull-out shelves, drawer organizers, pull-out garbage cans, pull-out pantry inserts, can often be retrofitted to simply enhance the cabinets you have.

You can order many of these things from Amazon or buy them at a box store, but also check out more specialty hardware places like Lee Valley or Richelieu. If you are working with a contractor, they should have access to ‘contractor only’ shops and the pricing that goes with them.

Countertop Swap

This one is on the higher end of the cost spectrum, but replacing your existing countertop can have a big impact on the look of your kitchen without changing the cabinets themselves!

If it doesn’t seem worth it to put a high-end natural granite or quartz stone on older oak cabinets, even a new laminate counter can be a big upgrade. Laminates have come a long way in terms of both quality and style! For an oak kitchen I would look at a stone-look or near-solid laminate and steer clear of faux wood or busy patterns.

If you go the laminate route, look to a local contractor to custom build the plywood base & glue down any laminate you choose - if your cabinets are older there is a good chance things are not perfectly square anymore and custom building the counters gives a much nicer finish than a pre-built one-piece slab. This also gives you the option to add a tile backsplash, rather than using the integrated back lip that comes with the one-piece counters.

Hardware Upgrades

Nicer quality hardware really does enhance the feel of a kitchen. Internal cabinet components such as soft close hinges and drawer glides just upgrade the feel & function of the parts of your kitchen that you open and close every day.

Consider finding a cabinet maker or finish carpenter that will make the swap for you. You can always try to take this one yourself if you have cup hinges already but I will be honest that the measurements need to be precise and if there isn’t an exact match between new and old, some specific tools and years of experience make this job much more likely to go perfectly (what I’m trying to say is: it’s worth it to hire the right skilled person if this isn’t in your wheelhouse!)

Drawer Box Upgrades

One hallmark of an upscale kitchen is a dovetailed wood drawer box. Did you know that these can be ordered, custom built, and you can have your existing drawer fronts added to them?

This swap will also require new drawer glides, but that’s also a chance to upgrade to soft-close hardware. These details are not often found in builder-grade kitchens and many people don’t know they can upgrade in this way without having to replace the entire cabinet.

Shelf Replacements

If the shelves inside your cabinets are getting worn on the edges, it’s possible to build (or have built) new shelves for a nice upgrade. You can use white melamine and matching edge tape or pre-finished plywood with matching PVC edge tape (both can be ironed on with speed tape adhesive glue tape if you are doing the work yourself).

You might be surprised what a nice upgrade this one is: you will notice it every time you open your cabinets!

Knobs & Pulls

The classic cabinet upgrade but it sure does make a difference! Easy and relatively low cost.

My main advice here is to match the hole-to-hole measurements of your existing hardware exactly. If you want to try a new size or move from a knob to a pull, filling & staining the old holes and getting a perfect, invisible match in the finish is the key to it looking great.