3 Ways to Make your Builder Grade Cabinets Look Custom

While new builds can absolutely be gorgeous, sometimes builders finish houses with lower end materials in order to get it done faster and cheaper. Here are 3 ways to make your builder grade cabinets look custom.

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Before

Here’s what your kitchen looked like when we bought our house. Cute, but definitely lacking that custom look. The biggest part of it is that the cabinets have so much space above them. I’m a sucker for everything to look very built-in, like it was made specifically for that space.

#1 – Add “cabinets” on top of your cabinets

There are a few ways this can be done. First, you can actually buy (or build) cabinets to fit the space between the existing cabinets and the ceiling. This was an option, but definitely the pricier option.

I came to the conclusion (after a while of thinking it through), that all I really needed was the face frame of the cabinet, since no one would actually see the rest anyway. SO, what we did was design and build the face frame of a cabinet to be attached up there, in order to fill the space without breaking the bank.

Another benefit of doing this is that the ceilings look taller, because it draws your attention all the way to the ceiling, instead of stopping 2.5 feet from it.

I believe we used 1x poplar for this project. It comes in different widths in order to match your existing cabinets. I can’t remember if we had to rip any boards, or if the widths were purchased the right size. Needless to say, make sure you measure everything first.

This is the face frame I’m talking about. We used a Kreg jig to screw it all together on the back side.

Here they are all secured up there. Such an improvement and a much more custom look.

#2 – Paint your cabinets

One sure fire way to upgrade the look of your cabinets is through paint. No pressure, but the paint colors you pick for your kitchen cabinets can definitely make or break that. So choose wisely 😉 White or black are always safe and classic choices.

I recently took a risk (for me) and painted my base cabinets green. I really love how they turned out too! The color is Retreat by Sherwin Williams.

#3 – Remove cabinet doors to create an open shelving look

Removing the cabinet doors on the far right side did so much for this space. It made it a little more exciting and gave it a little more style.

I wouldn’t do it for every cabinet, but if there’s one you can see right when you walk into your kitchen, do it! I also didn’t fill the holes for the hinges, so I can always put the doors back on.

So there you have it, friends. 3 Ways to Make your Builder Grade cabinets look custom.

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