Covering laminate kitchen cupboards?

[Nobodyhasthisoneyet]

Hello all, long time no post!

I have a *very* old house that used to be a rental, so it was renovated on the cheap - think scratchy beige nylon carpets and cream walls!  It also has a set of cheap laminated chipboard kit-cupboards in the kitchen.  They're quite serviceable (well, other than one door that's falling apart!) but very cheap and nasty looking.  They're also beige, and I have an ideological objection to beige. 

I can't afford to replace the cupboards, and even putting new doors on is beyond my budget.  I've put new handles on, put that's really just putting a party hat on a dead horse.

I've looked into painting them, but that special laminate paint's really expensive, and I've heard it doesn't always work anyway.  Would painting them with normal paint work? Maybe an oil-based gloss? Maybe some sort of undercoat, or at least a light sanding, would make it 'stick' better?

My other idea was to cover them in fabric, using white glue as an adhesive - that way, if it all goes horribly wrong, it can just peel off.  But it'd need some sort of sealant over the top, so spills or grubby cat pawprints could be wiped off rather than staining the fabric.... Not sure if some sort of regular varnish would do the job, or I'd have to go for the special kitchen sealant made by the same company as makes the laminate paint.  And it's similarly expensive!

My other other idea was contact, or whatever that sticky plastic used to cover books is called these days.  But would that just look terribly cheap and tacky?

Any advice on any of these options?  Any other ideas?

Ta! 

[ChipNClancysMom]

We moved into a house last summer and I had to make a choice between new cabinets or new appliances...we just didn't have the budget for both. I chose new appliances and painted the ugly dark brown laminate cabinets a cranberry red.  Just take your time and they will turn out great.

I did scratch them up a tiny bit with sandpaper. Then I primed them. After that it was two coats of semigloss enamel applied with a paint pad. It has been almost a year and there is no peeling. I have read that you can seal them with a clear coat, but I didn't and they are doing fine. I was really scared to do it, but once I saw how it turned out and how it has held up, I wanted to kick myself for not trying it in other places I have lived.

Here are two pictures...they are way more red in real life.

[SunflowerSmiles]

This is one of my favorite colors I decorate with. This looks beautiful!  Nice job