I was in a 1950s house the other day and was amused to note the cabinets were almost gummy because there were so many layers of paint on them! I guess no one had ever stripped them back to the wood before repainting.
This happens all the time in older homes, especially when the residents are renters. Someone who loves them can bring them back to a beautiful state with some elbow grease and the right painting tools. It does turn off potential renters or buyers, doesn't it?
We were going to repaint our cabinets this year. Of course we would sand them all the way down to bare wood first. I do think that the gumminess is years of grease build up though - not paint.
Nasty cabinets will certainly turn off prospective buyers. It would turn me off living there too. You have to sand all the way to bare wood prior to painting them again. I wonder if there is a specific paint for cabinets?
We need to get new cabinets in our kitchen because unfortunately they are not real wood, just veneer. They are God awful for sure and had I been looking at the house I would never have bought it, but it was my husbands before we met. I think you are probably right about grease being the culprit though.
YooHoo, were you looking to buy this house or was it something you just observed? There is probably some very good wood beneath all that build up, whatever it is. I would get some varnish/paint remover then sand them down real good before restaining or painting. They could look real nice!
I do agree with Plush - I bet there is some really nice wood under all the gook. Older houses usually have "real wood" cabinets. The newer cabinets are usually that junk wood.