Hi iggs85 as it is an older kitchen I would not spend a huge amount of money on a revamp. It is definitely possible to paint laminate but good preparation is vital to ensure the paint 'sticks'. However a quality painter is going to charge you about the same as your resurfacing quote. Using either a painter or a resurfacing company does let you choose any colour though. The biggest disadvantage of the current benchtop is the bullnose which is very dated. From your photo, the colour and pattern look OK but you could get a stone 'overlay' put on it. They square off the bullnose so it looks more contemporary. An acrylic feature panel on the return is another alternative to vinyl planks. It looks like glass, comes in a good range of colours and is relatively inexpensive compared to glass. See http://zenolite.com/range as an example. You can buy acrylic sheets from Bunnings. You could also use pressed metal panels as a feature eg. http://www.wunderlite.com.au/catalogue/details/1/79/pressed-metal-crystal?start=25 Add some new handles on doors and drawers too.

We got a custom made flat pack kitchen from a company in Queanbeyan, not sure of where you are. Much better quality, Australian made and you can get exactly the dimensions you want, which is important for a kitchen with so many corners. You might be better off holding on until you get a little bit more money together and put the kitchen in the existing living room and opening up the kitchen dining to the new kitchen for a better flow out to the backyard. The room looks lovely and well lit with high ceilings, paint it and change the handles now and don't miss the chance to do something a bit better later on. Does not solve the dishwasher question though. .....

Hi Anna, usually flat laminate doors are cheaper than a shaker 2 pac door because 2 pac means it's been sprayed with 2 coats of paint/lacquer but maybe your cabinet maker has the shaker doors in stock in certain colours and that's why it's cheaper and he might need to do a special order for the laminate plain doors for you. You would need to ask those questions to your cabinet maker to find out more information about prices and lead times for both options. I'd recommend you ask for a quote for both options if you haven't already.

Thanks for your reply! Love the oak colour with the black in your kitchen! I just received my samples today from polytec I was tossing up Between vanette and ultra matt (acrylic) it seems the acrylic showed less oil marks then the vanette and was easier to clean, although I do like the flatter and more matt look of the vanette I will probably go with the acrylic. I think I need to except that black kitchens are overall higher maintenance. 😆