Improving bedroom cupboards

[Thora]

I'm about to move house and my new bedroom has these cupboards:


I don't want to get rid of them but do want to make them look a bit nicer. What's the best thing to do - paint them? Just change the handles?
Better to change the whole door?

I'm probably going to paint the bedroom walls green and our existing furniture is oak.

 

[StoneRoad]

Try new handles first ... as it is less of a faff than painting.

But you may need to do both tasks.
Warning ! - If that's a melamine / formica finish then you will need to sand surfaces to get a "key", otherwise the paint will not adhere properly.
but once you've started sanding that, you will need to do [finish] all of it.

 

[quimcunx]

Are they in good condition?

I wouldn't paint them. Especially as I'm a bodger. It will almost certainly end up rubbish even if you're not a bodger.

If you're crafty you could try some sort of collage. I think mentalchik did some I loved on here. I've covered things in patterned paper and varnished it before.

Some sort of wall sticker.



Or wall sticker picture frames with whatever inside. Or actual picture frames with arty postcard collection.

 

[Saffy]

Could you take the doors off the top ones and put wicker boxes/drawers or something in the cupboard? Break up all the doors?
There's the trend for adding a panelling look or removing the centre panel and adding rattan webbing.

I think I'd paint them and add wicker drawers to some of them

 

[Thora]

Yeah they're in really good condition and like a chipboard covered in melamine.

I'm not crafty at all

Maybe we will take the smaller cupboard doors off and have them as open shelves or put boxes in. I love the rattan look but think it's definitely beyond my skill level

 

[scifisam]

Are they in good condition?

I wouldn't paint them. Especially as I'm a bodger. It will almost certainly end up rubbish even if you're not a bodger.

If you're crafty you could try some sort of collage. I think mentalchik did some I loved on here. I've covered things in patterned paper and varnished it before.

Some sort of wall sticker.

View attachment 322056

Or wall sticker picture frames with whatever inside. Or actual picture frames with arty postcard collection.

Hmm, I like the idea of turning it into a mini art gallery, with small, light white frames stuck with that adhesive post stuff (it's strong enough for light picture frames too) either side of the small handles and larger ones next to the handles on the larger frames. Ie your idea #3.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Doesn't sound like they'll match anything. Get rid.

 

[Aladdin]

I'd be inclined to take off all handles and fill the holes left and paint them all whatever colour you're painting the room

Make them "invisible "...

 

[Thora]

Definitely don’t have the money to get rid/replace unfortunately.

 

[scifisam]

I'd be inclined to take off all handles and fill the holes left and paint them all whatever colour you're painting the room

Make them "invisible "...

And not use the cupboards?

 

[Aladdin]

And not use the cupboards?

No....I'd use them all. By paintjng them the same colourss the room it would maket hem look like they sre less of a dominant feature in the room.
There could be a job done on the doors and drawers. A groove could be bevelled in at the edge to allow them to be opened.


Another idea would be to decorste the lot...and by doing so they could become invisible.
Something like this...

 

[izz]

I tried to paint melamine many years ago and it didn't turn out well but I do like the idea of collage/stickers and pictures in frames. These cupboards may not be things of beauty to all eyes but they're very useful, jealous

 

[Boudicca]

You can buy special paint for melamine but it will chip, so don't throw the pot away. The arty farty furniture paint should work as well (Annie Sloan/French Chic/Rustoleum etc). Use a gloss roller not a paint brush.

I'd contemplate wallpapering them, but finding a pattern which is interesting enough without driving you beserk with pattern matching would be a challenge.

You could maybe get a woodworker with the right machinery to cut you some birch plywood to replace all the fronts, then just varnish them. But wood is very expensive these days.

 

[Thora]

I tried to paint melamine many years ago and it didn't turn out well but I do like the idea of collage/stickers and pictures in frames. These cupboards may not be things of beauty to all eyes but they're very useful, jealous

I'm looking forward to having so much storage! That's only two thirds of them too, there's another wardrobe and set of small cupboards and drawers.

Think I will try a mix of taking some doors off, replacing with boxes and covering some of the doors with a self-adhesive paper and changing the knobs (30 knobs in total so that alone will be expensive )

 

[Glitter]

They wouldn’t be too bad if there wasn’t so many tiny doors!!! I think taking a few off and sticking baskets in will work. You can get them on ebay. I bought some fpr some shelves a few years back

 

[Epona]

I agree, I think just breaking the wall of doors up a bit will improve it no end

It's a lovely bit of storage, just looks a bit plain and dated.

 

[Supine]

Tbh I’d just rip the lot out, see how the land lies and then put in something more minimal. That’s just me though

 

[Red Cat]

She's already said that they don't have the money for that, its all going into buying the house.

 

[Supine]

She's already said that they don't have the money for that, its all going into buying the house.

It wouldn’t cost any money! Bit of plaster and paint at some point in the future. I couldn’t be in a room with all those doors!

 

[Epona]

It wouldn’t cost any money! Bit of plaster and paint at some point in the future. I couldn’t be in a room with all those doors!

Where do your clothes go?
Storage is good.

 

[Red Cat]

It wouldn’t cost any money! Bit of plaster and paint at some point in the future. I couldn’t be in a room with all those doors!

This doesn't make sense. How does replacing wardrobes with a more minimal style not cost any money?

Also, having no storage for a while isn't practical in family life.

 

[platinumsage]

The only thing I'd do is adjust all the hinges and drawer fronts so they all align properly, and then maybe replace the knobs with some brushed steel ones or something.

 

[baldrick]

I think they're plain enough that some different knobs/ handles could change the whole look. I wouldn't paint them, it's a huge faffy job with all those doors.

If you can tweak the hinges so the doors are level that will help also.

 

[Red Cat]

The worst bit is the drawers, all those knobs, it's too much.

Maybe removing the drawers and using the space as shoe racks?

 

[Looby]

I’m actually really jealous of all that storage! Definitely worth keeping if it can be made less ugly.

 

[StoneRoad]

Thora
To change the knobs, get them in bulk, on-line.
That would be loads cheaper than buying in one or other of the "big box diy sheds" or even ikea / habitat type places.

Although changing for varnished plywood sounds a great idea -
Problems with cutting plywood - even good quality stuff [speaking from experience !]
a) getting all the grain to go the same way can be wasteful of material if the amount needed doesn't fit neatly into the 8x4 sheet size !
b) edge protection; cut edges aren't always "neat" and also expose the end grain of the interior layers [and it is not unknown for that to "include" voids or other faults] - unless you buy either the very expensive top of the top grade, have an extremely good quality and top grade "sheet/table saw" and even then grain cut first or are prepared to "breadboard" the edges on all sides.

 

[bluescreen]

Am I the only one who came here in the hope that bedroom cupboards would change my life?

Seriously - painting melamine isn't for the faint hearted. Stickers, knobs, and panel changes are the way to go. (Envious of the storage space.)

 

[Thora]

Absolutely going to cover the cupboard doors in this

 

[Saffy]

Absolutely going to cover the cupboard doors in this

That's gorgeous!

 

[shakespearegirl]

You can buy special paint for melamine but it will chip, so don't throw the pot away. The arty farty furniture paint should work as well (Annie Sloan/French Chic/Rustoleum etc). Use a gloss roller not a paint brush.

I'd contemplate wallpapering them, but finding a pattern which is interesting enough without driving you beserk with pattern matching would be a challenge.

You could maybe get a woodworker with the right machinery to cut you some birch plywood to replace all the fronts, then just varnish them. But wood is very expensive these days.

View attachment 322088

These are almost identical to what my husband has just built for us! Only taken 2.5 months.. they are brilliant, changed the usability of the whole house as we previously had zero storage