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Are those solid bricks or just thin brick 'tile' adhered to drywall? they can be painted. I think removing or painting then would make the most difference. A new countertop would be nice but it depends on how tight your budget is.

 

It’s like real brick feeling. Sorry I am no expert. I was thinking of painting them. I don’t hate them just more like I hate how dark it is in there. Is there a cheaper way to handle the countertop. The tiles are in good condition. Can I put something over it? Might be worth waiting I guess. I have to recover from the flooring.

 

Funny how pictures can make things look better than they might actually be. From the pics that kitchen looks good. But I agree it is dark and needs to "opened" up a bit. A new floor in a light color will help. I hate to see brick work painted, but in this case it would help. That cupboard door below the sing looks like it's in bad shape. I think the door pattern is common enough that you should be able to get a replacement.

My opinion, if you plan on staying there then do the minimum a suggested above, then later when finances get better plan on a complete remodel. One idea is strip the brick and go with painted walls. Even that small thickness of the brick being removed will open up the look of the room.

 

 

Here are some instructions if you decide to paint the cabinets - https://www.doityourself.com/forum/p...t-repaint.html the 2 most important things is making sure they are clean and using the proper primer.

 

When the floors are done I need to get new moulding. Any suggestions on where to buy base moulding?

 

Baseboard and shoe molding can be bought at any big box store or wood trim supplier and many lumber yards.

 

I don't like how the hardware is in the middle of the doors. Painting the cabinets would make a big difference and new hardware. Don't know what's involved in plugging up those holes, getting new hardware, and placing them somewhere else.
Also painting the brick would make a big difference. I've seen people do this and it really brightens things up.
Then the countertops may not look too bad and you can always change that down the road.

 

I also think the paneling, wallpaper and drop ceiling are pretty dated. When we bought our house (a lot of years back), we had the same stuff in our kitchen. Eventually, we tore it all off and put up drywall. If you can't do that yet, I'd at least paint that paneling and wallpaper, too. The kitchen looked a lot bigger when that drop ceiling came down too.

 

The plan for the cabinets is to move the hardware and bring it up to date. I will fill the center wholes and then sand prime and paint. I was thinking either white or gray

 

Whatever filler you use to fill the screw holes will need 2 applications as the filler is prone to shrink.

 

Base moulding... does it matter what type? Wood vs polysomething.

 

It's mostly dependent on your taste, personally I'd use wood as I never cared for the 'plastic' moldings.

 

But what’s the difference between mdf and finger joint.

 

MDF is a man made material. It paints beautifully but can be damaged by water or abuse. Finger joint is small piece of wood locked together with interlocking joints and glue.

 

We had that “Z” brick in our kitchen. Actually came off pretty easily, but the sheet rock needed to be repaired, patched after. Take it off, you will be glad you did.

 

How did you get it off? I see it doesn’t go behind the microwave or fridge

 

Normally you can get a chisel or stiff putty knife behind the brick 'tile' and pry it off. Once you get started it generally gets easier. Once the tiles are removed you'd need to scrape off any remaining thinset/mastic, apply Gardz to any exposed gypsum and patch the drywall as needed.