An inside kitchen cabinet makeover involves emptying the cupboards, cleaning thoroughly with a degreaser, and updating the surfaces. You can refresh interiors by applying peel-and-stick wallpaper, rolling on cabinet-grade enamel paint, or installing fresh, easy-to-clean shelf liners to completely transform the space.
Are your kitchen cabinets looking dingy? Brighten them up with these tips! First, give your cabinets a fresh coat of white paint. Then, line the insides of them with a colorful paper.
The 1/3 rule in cabinet design is an interior design guideline stating that a cabinet pull or handle should be approximately one-third the width of a drawer or one-third the height of a cabinet door. This ensures hardware is visually balanced and functional.
Painting or Staining Inside the Cabinets
When refacing the cabinets, consider freshening up the interiors too. They can be sanded, painted or veneered for a completely new look. Adding handy functionality, like pull-out drawers and rotating shelves, is another great option.
Though it is entirely optional, if opening your cabinets to see a fresh new color makes you happy, then do it. Some people will paint the insides of their cabinets with a color that contrasts with the exterior. The contrast provides a surprise pop of color that can feel exciting.
A sure way to recognize wood laminate is when the grain does NOT follow through your piece. Wood Veneer is a sheet or thin layer of 'quality-natural-hardwood' that is adhered to a lesser quality wood surface. Wood Veneers give the impression of a more desired quality wood without being as costly.
Choosing hardware is a small decision that makes a big difference. By opting for classic finishes like matte black, brushed nickel, warm brass, or oil-rubbed bronze, you're investing in the lasting beauty of your home.
Proper preparation is the most important step for a flawless, long-lasting cabinet finish. You must empty the cabinets, remove doors, drawers, and hardware, and label them with masking tape. Scrub all surfaces with a heavy-duty degreaser, fill any holes or dents with wood filler, and scuff sand to ensure the primer adheres.
Cabinet pull trends in 2026 highlight a shift toward warmer, tactile, and sculptural hardware. Top styles favor mixed metals, micro-proportions, and organic curved shapes rather than uniform, industrial designs.
Keep your kitchen cupboards or bath cabinets in order with base cabinet inserts, drawer liners, kitchen plate organizers, partitions, cutlery accessories, utensil trays, towel bars and other cabinet storage solutions.
Avoid these critical kitchen remodel pitfalls: underestimating your budget by not holding a 20% contingency fund, skipping the "work triangle" (sink, stove, fridge), ignoring layered lighting, and sacrificing essential storage for extra counter space. Always verify contractor licenses and permits.
Kitchen cabinet colors that feel dated include stark, clinical all-white, cool minimalist grays, and red-toned woods like cherry or honey-oak. Flat, one-dimensional brown-on-brown color schemes and overly bright primary colors have also fallen out of style.
Update your cabinets by putting wallpaper inside drawers or on the back interior walls of cabinets. Wallpaper has its biggest impact if you take doors off cabinets or put glass doors on them so you can always see the wallpaper. Otherwise, the paper is a sweet surprise when you open a door or drawer.
Yes, Murphy’s Oil Soap is a trusted and highly recommended choice for cleaning and restoring wood cabinets. It is a gentle, vegetable-based cleaner that safely breaks down kitchen grease, grime, and food residue without stripping the wood’s natural finish.
In 2026, kitchen color trends are moving away from stark white and cold gray, shifting toward warm, nature-inspired, and earthy tones. The aesthetic of "warm minimalism" dominates, favoring softer hues like creamy white, taupe, mushroom, terracotta, muted olive green, and deep teal-blues.
Yes, you can use Dawn dish soap on wood cabinets, but only highly diluted in warm water. Because Dawn is an aggressive degreaser, using it straight or without thorough rinsing can strip the wood's finish or leave a dull, hazy residue over time.
Not Thoroughly Cleaning the Cabinets
If you don't plan to sand your cabinets, you really should wash them clean with a solution of water and dish soap before applying paint. There's a good chance grease and grime are coating the doors, and you should never paint over this—the paint will not adhere correctly if you do!
Yes, it's entirely possible to paint cabinets without sanding, and thousands of DIYers and friends have done it successfully. But don't forget the prep. Skipping sanding doesn't mean skipping cleaning, priming, or using the right products.
Top 10 Timeless Paint Colors for Your Home
The same goes for wood. While the organic nature of wood makes any type or color add warmth, wood trends favor oak, maple, cherry, and walnut with undertones of beige, honey, pink, and cheery yellow. Anything with gray or white undertones or accents is considered cooler.
For 2026, door knob styles are shifting away from stark, sterile hardware toward warm, tactile, and patinated finishes. Designers are heavily favoring unlacquered brass, deep bronze, warm pewter, and brushed brass. Additionally, modern matte black and mixed metal pairings are trending for a bolder look.
What makes it look cheap: A lack of continuity disrupts the home's visual and physical flow, subtly cheapening the overall experience. Mismatched flooring, abrupt ceiling changes, or lighting that feels disconnected from nearby spaces can make the kitchen feel compartmentalized instead of cohesive.
The jar of petroleum jelly or Vaseline that you have in your medicine cabinet can work wonders to remove white water rings from furniture. The oily petroleum base penetrates the finish on the wood, displacing the moisture trapped inside, and the oils also nourish and condition dry wood.
Laminate for Cabinets, Furniture, and Architectural Projects. Wood veneer and laminate are the two most popular material choices for finishing cabinets, furniture, and millwork in architectural projects, but they offer vastly different characteristics regarding material, appearance, durability, and cost.