I have been trying to find an easy way to make my cabinets look better and think I've found it while watching one of the DIY network shows...paste on the wall wallpaper (Wall Doctor)

I'll probably go with the Bead Board style. The cabinets are oak with a plain 2" trim around the cabinet face, they are rather plain looking.

Anyway...what I'd like to know is if anyone here has used this type wallpaper...if so, did you have any prolems with it?

I know I'll need to prime the section of each cabinet that I wall paper, can someone suggest the best way to remove any grime and prime the surface?

Thanks!

I can't think of a less practical surface for cabinets than wall paper. I think this is a bad idea. Maybe if it were just in the center of the door it would be OK. but everywhere else? No way.

Some things make for good TV but bad construction. I'm with monsternaz on this: Unless the wallpaper is only used on an insert, this is a bad idea.

jaybee & monsternaz....

Guess I should have detailed what I want to do with the 'paste on the wall paintable wallpaper'...I will be adding it to the center panel of the cabinets. There is a 2" wide trim framing the cabinet doors, the wall paper will go inside the trim on the panel...as mentioned, the cabinets are oak, so I will probably leave the trim, sides alone and paint the wallpaper 'inserts' and add hardware.
This is all still in the planning stage...but the first step when I'm ready is getting the panles primed and ready, and was curious if there are any tried & true products to use to get ride of grime & best primer to use before I put on the wallpaper paste.

Thanks.

TSP to get the grease off.
Even as a center panel sounds like a very bad idea to me. Good luck trying to clean it later on.

What is TSP? Hate to sound dumb, but never heard of it. Thanks very much.

About this being a bad idea...first of all, it's just me and my husband, so things don't get very dirty around the house...even with our dogs ...I plan on looking into this further before I actually do it...but I would think since it's paintable wallpaper that I can use a paint that is washable...I could also, maybe, add a coat of some kind of a 'sealer' to protect the paint.
Plus, if this doesn't work, you can simply pull the paper off the cabinets...no harm done.

http://www.naturalhandyman.com.../infxtra/inftsp.html

Any hardware store, or box store will have it.

Thanks...appreciate this.

TSP is the main ingredient in **** n span. Be careful about using it on the sealed surface of the cabinets. Don't let it run, as it will dull the surface.
Do your cabinets have hardware? Might be good to add if not to keep the fingers away from the paper.

My aunt, an artist, painted the inset on her cabinets and then added words and flowers. It was lovely. She sealed it so it was washable.

Maybe you could find a vinyl paper. Better choice.

Evidently, our auto-censor is Italian.

Thanks, monsternaz...good info on the cleaner. No, they don't have hardware...I mentioned in my first post I was going to add hardware.
I do plan on looking around for other types of wall paper I could use...I will be doing this project myself (we farm, so husband is way too busy, plus, I enjoy DIY projects)...I don't want to have to cut up wood to size, which is why I'm thinking about the wall paper thing...I may decide against that and just paint...I'm artistic too, so could probably do most anything.
I'm also looking into adding a different trim to the cabinets and looking at different decorative mouldings and wood 'sculptures' (can't think of the proper name) to add to the cabinet doors...have ideas rolling around in my head, just haven't decided on anything yet and was curious about that particular wall paper...

A good cleaning and some nice hardware will really perk up the cabinets. You could also add some wood trim - way more practical than wall paper.

They are really plain...we had to go cheap when we first got the kitchen done...5 yrs ago. Just oak with a plain 2" border trim around the edges. I'm browsing around looking for nice trim and wood designs I can add the the doors....for sure some nice hardware...I want to do a lot to the cabinets, I want to add crown moulding, but this is an old house and most of the walls where they meet the ceiling are not level, especially in the kitchen...one one wall there is a 4" difference from one end to the other...I don't want to make that even more visable, so crown moulding is not the way to go...depressing
Anyway...still thinking it over and thanks for your suggestions.

Just had a brainstorm...I have some wrought iron things in the house, maybe I can do something with wrought iron on the doors...diamond pattern, criss-cross pattern, maybe as a trim around the egdes...some possibilites there...or, since my kitchen has a lot of earth color, like terra cotta color, maybe find some nice copper trim...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jmd47,

Google "cabinet doors" there's hundreds of companys that do nothing but make doors and drawer fronts.

Thanks...I do know that. Can't afford changing out doors, but appreciate the tip.

Yes of course i have been tried this technique on the kitchen cabinets...And seriously it look good..The unique wall papers of different types make them more beautiful and attractive..definitely you can apply it during your home renovation period...

Contrary to popular belief, TSP is not a great cleaner. I tried using it to clean a stove cook top, and it didn't work well at all.

What TSP DOES do well is etch drying oil based paints (like linseed oil based paints), Tung or Danish oil and real varnishes.

If this guys cabinets are painted with a linseed oil based paint or varnished with a real varnish, then you don't want to go near them with TSP. Any TSP that dribbles down the cabinet door is going to leave permanent streaks on the cabinet doors where the gloss of the paint or varnish is dull.

It's a bad idea to go near any painted or varnished surface with TSP unless the intention is to dull the gloss of the existing surface prior to repaining or revarnishing it.

Thanks for the heads up about the TSP...I went ahead and got some, then read more about cleaning the cabinets, which are not very grimy anyway, and decided already not to use the TSP...I have saved several other ways to clean them up, just can't remember now what I found, but shouldn't have a problem cleaning them up...no TSP!!

I am still going to do more research on using that wallpaper...the trim is wide enough, and with hardware, I doubt the panels on the doors will get very dirty...but I am going to make sure, if I go this way, that I can seal the paper with something to protect it and make it washable.

Actually, I have pretty much decided to paint the trim and the cabinet frames the same color as I'll use on the bottom portion of the kitchen walls, and use a tinted sealer on the door panels to make them a little more brownish in color...I am tired of the Oak, maybe a tint like a Walnut...something to add a brownish hue to the Oak. I think that would be do-able? Just need to find the right tinted sealer for the job.
I also thought I could add small wood on lays to the corners of each door panel...dress them up without having to cut anything.

OH...I did use the TSP recently for something else...my husband was doing tractor work in a field, plowing, and he had the tractor's back window open...a hydraulic line popped (exploded) and both the cab of the tractor and my husband were covered in hydraulic oil...what a mess. While he took a long shower to get cleaned up, I had to clean the cab of the tractor, which was soaked in the stuff...I used the TSP and it did a great job getting the hydraulic oil cleaned up!!

It would have been far safer to use an Orange cleaner, Cuts the grease, no smell and safe on your body.

we decided to get a router and table (Merry Christmas for me!), a rail/stile bit set, and some oak and made all our own cabinet doors and drawer fronts... and later a $30 Chinese jiig to dovetail our own replacement drawers with better slide systems.

to buy doors at the box store for our cabinets would be on the order of $80-120 depending on size. we had 38 of them.

I figure our nice oak doors cost $20-25 to make, including the wastage.

it was worth doing, and when we redid the laundry room and built a vanity in the remodeled basement bathroom, we only had to get a couple dozen boards and voila! -- almost free doors.

YMMV of course.