Better Homes and Gardens estimates that kitchen cabinets take up an average of 40 percent of the typical kitchen remodel budget. The Kitchen Advisor website suggests that cabinets can cost anywhere from $100 to $1,200 per linear foot and you can only expect to get back 65 percent to 80 percent of their cost when you sell.

If you plan on living there forever and money is no object, feel free to spend your money as you see fit on the kitchen of your dreams. But if you expect to sell at some point and/or budget is a concern, your should be planning a kitchen remodel that will pay for itself and maybe even turn a profit.

The only way to do that is to make sure you add more value to the home than the remodel costs. If the cabinets are in good physical shape, one of the wisest budget moves you can make is to refinish them or paint them instead of replacing them.

But it needs to be a quality job. In most cases you should hire a professional painting contractor to do this for you. Unless you are a very experienced Do-It-Yourselfer, the money value of a job well done versus the cost of a botched job means it is simply not worth it to take any chances.

You might think that cabinet painting is surely far easier than cabinet refinishing and anyone with a paint brush and a bit of enthusiasm can surely succeed but think again. On the upside, one piece you can do yourself (or with just a little input from your contractor) is pick the color.

White Cabinets

White is a very conservative choice. If you expect to sell your house in the near future and you are updating your kitchen to make it more appealing to potential buyers, white is the safe bet.

It’s endlessly flexible because an all-white kitchen can be given dashes of any color you like by simply changing out the accessories. If you have a drawer full of towels and the like, you can make your kitchen match your mood and look completely different at the drop of a hat.

It’s also an excellent choice if the space lacks natural light or if you live in a place with too little sunshine. The white cabinets will help brighten up the space and make the most of whatever light you do have available.

If you are a fan of art, an all-white or mostly black kitchen are your best bets for showing off any pieces you care to include in the space. It will help make sure all eyes are on the art and will not muddy the colors with reflected color from other surfaces.

Because it is a safe, conservative color, it also has staying power. White kitchens are never out of style. Other colors may come and go with the latest trends, but white is a perennial favorite in kitchen design.

Blue Cabinets

Blue is another conservative color in home design, but one not found as often in kitchen cabinets. If you want to be a little daring, but not too daring, this generally conservative color choice can be an unexpected and fun twist without going too far.

It’s also a very calming color. Large swaths of blue are sometimes recommended to help calm down people who are over-excitable, such as children with ADHD.

You don’t have to have a family member with a formal diagnosis of that sort to appreciate the calming value of the right shade of blue. It’s also great for calming your nerves if you are throwing your first party or cooking to impress an important date.

Pairing it with traditional wood tones can give it a very laid-back country vibe. Pairing it with chrome appliances can really capture an urban vibe of “the future is now.”

Red Cabinets

This is a very energetic color and is known to stimulate the appetite. That’s why so many eateries have red accents in their dining area, such as red-and-white checked table clothes.

If you haven’t been feeling yourself and could use some help getting excited about food again, this may be the best choice for you. Of course, you might want to avoid it if you are perpetually on a diet and looking for ways to curb your enthusiasm for food.

It might also be a great choice if you travel a lot for work and don’t get to cook at home nearly enough. It may be the perfect choice to make you feel excited to come home and get back in the cooking game to enjoy a healthy home-cooked meal instead of collapsing onto the couch and ordering takeout again.

Black Cabinets

This is another classic, conservative color, but it is a less safe bet for selling the house. Some people feel strongly about black decor and not always in a good way.

Still, it can be an elegant choice, one that lends itself well to quiet bragging about having taste and style. It can help you show off any prize cookware or fine china by not distracting from the pieces.

You can make a bold statement by pairing it with a black-and-white tile floor or a more muted statement by going with beige or mid-tone woods. Black plus the right shade of beige can be wonderfully relaxing while still feeling extremely sophisticated.

Gray Cabinets

If you feel black is simply too dark for the lighting conditions or too strong of a statement, you can always go with gray. This is also a perennial favorite neutral that gives the space flexibility.

If you love chrome or black appliances, this can be a neat way to show them off while toning down the statement factor of the room. Gray with beige is a wonderfully warm and cozy color scheme that lends itself equally well to country styling or classic elegance.

A light gray can have many of the benefits of an all-white kitchen while reducing the demand to keep it impeccably clean. If you like white but you aren’t sure you want to mop all the time, gray can be an excellent alternative.

Green Cabinets

Green is a surprisingly common color for the kitchen, but it is usually found in accessories. Green cabinets are a fairly bold choice for the adventurous homeowner confident in their taste who expects to be there for a while.

But if you love it, the right shade of green can also be a very calming color choice and can help signal your eco-friendly values. Don’t hesitate to mention that you got your old cabinets painted green instead of buying new as an environmentally responsible design decision that was also good for your pocketbook.

Doing the right thing while also saving money is a terrific win/win choice. What’s not to love about it?

If you are looking for a contractor in the Virginia Beach VA area, Hughes Painting has got you covered. We also serve Chesapeake VA and surrounding areas and have for 45 years.

Call us today if you need a cabinet painting estimate. We stand by our work and promise it will be meticulous. Is paint not your thing? We also do cabinet refinishing. These days, cabinets can be stained a variety of colors even if you aren’t painting them. The effect can be amazingly beautiful but more subtle than paint.