It is all about personal preference. My husband refaced my cabinet doors a few years ago. The bases need freshening but that is A LOT of work. I spent last summer sanding/staining and polying them. We found the gel stain was a bust--not the product to use when you want a horrendous job done well and right the first time. I had it in my head I wanted the poly finish to be shiny. The door fronts do not leave much base cabinet showing so I knew it would not be overwhelming when finished. (The veneer he used on the door fonts is a rather sleek Italian wavy maple.) I LOVE IT!! Now I look at the door frames into the kitchen and the baseboards and I think YOU'RE NEXT!! I think the shiny gives my circa 1970s kitchen a much more modern look and feel. At my youngest's grad. party this past spring I received many compliments. No one was sure what had changed but they loved it!

Depends on what you like. We stripped and refinished our kitchen cabinets in our first house, but we were much younger then, came out beautifully but a ton of work. We chose a satin finish, not GF so I can't say how shiny it is. The higher the gloss, the more you will notice the little drips and runs though, so apply very carefully.

Arcy what brand of gel stain did you use? That's what I've heard about every brand but GF.

With a stain that dark, ambering is not going to be an issue for you but I would not use an oil based product regardless. Brain cells are too important! My personal preference is minimal sheen so I use matte finish top coat or low luster. As mentioned, the names and sheen will vary among manufacturers. With any of them there are certain things to remember - never shake the can, do not stir vigorously so as to create bubbles but DO continually stir gently as you are working. the solids settle out very quickly with low luster products especially and what you are left with on top is going to dry improperly and give you inconsistent sheen levels. This is a big project and needs to be approached with the long term goal in mind regardless of the time it takes which will be longer than you think - it always is. When you get tired of it and try to rush it, you'll see the result of that in the finished product. This is hard for me because if you were a friend of mine here in flesh and blood I'd do anything to talk you out of it. Of course it can be done and many people show their beautiful results but for every one of those there's probably 2 people who got part way into it and wondered why in the heck they ever started. But I'm going to be a cheerleader and say go Shee go! - you can do this, take your time and don't ever work on it when you're tired.

Hpny, good point about higher gloss showing imperfections.

Dlm, "This is hard for me because if you were a friend of mine here in flesh and blood I'd do anything to talk you out of it."
:) Because you think I'll regret it later? You helped talked me out of painting years ago when I kept trying to convince myself it was the way to go. (Thank you for that, btw.) I'm very glad I never painted them for a number of reasons. I've decided to leave the island stained for now so I'll get to practice on that first. (I'm going to replace the base on the bottom.) I've thought a long time about this. My counters and floors are fine, but I don't like them with the cabinets. The day we replace anything will be the day we remodel the kitchen - many years from now. We're planning to expand the family in the near future so I'm really wanted to get this wrapped up, but I'm not going to slop through it. I can't. I spent a majority of my time in here so it's important to me. I believe I can do a good job with this, but it's 'definitely' going to test my patience.

Your cabinets look very nice. I think they would look nice with a bit more sheen. How long did it take for each coat of the gel stain to dry?

I am a novice refinisher.

I am using a similar color oil based nongel stain-- Old Masters Rich Mahogany wiping stain.I asked the manager at the Benjamin Moore store about protective finishes. He recommended either a satin polyurethane or a matte acrylic. The satin is traditional, matte more modern according to him. An advantage of the acrylic, at least the BM one according to the manager, was that it is clear and doesn't yellow.

A neighbor gave me a new container of Minwax wiping poly in semi-gloss. Although I have not been a fan of the minwax products I have tried, I read and heard good things about the wiping poly. It is super easy to use (wipe on and off like a wiping or gel stain). I am thrilled with results after several coats on my test piece. I sanded with 0000 steel wool in between the coats. (I read that you can do this to make any poly less shiny if you want). It looks like fine furniture not saran wrap.

My biggest problem was dust and dog hair landing on the drying poly. You also need really good light to see the surface with a dark stain.

Rockandroses - That's actually not my kitchen. That poster used the same stain and color I'm planning to use. Her cabinets were also a light oak to start. She waited 24 hours between coats. Here was her updated post.

I am a little concerned about dust and cat hair with the poly.

Here is a link that might be useful: gel stain post

Sorry, I misunderstood. I have been reading so many posts in the kitchen and woodworking forums lately.

Have you asked at your local better paint stores? I am really glad that I went to the Benjamin Moore store before mail ordering General Finishes gel stain. I tried both gel and wiping stains from BM and really love the wiping stain.

You have to strip the piece before using a wiping stain. Some people just sand their cabinets before using the gel stain. That could be a time saver.

I have a choice of bugs and acorns outside or dog hair inside. I can't believe that my little pug can shed so much! I was gathering up laundry while my poly was drying nearby. That didn't help. I also didn't have bright enough light to see the surface. I moved a floor lamp and the clip on lights from my attic to the "finishing" area. It helped.

If you lived here I would try and talk you out of it because....
I know how much work is involved
When I have huge projects to do it's all consuming
An all consuming project when you have a toddler is challenging x a bazillion
I don't let my friends tackle big projects alone - and they rarely want to even if they only want a body in the room with them so they're not alone
So then I would have big project to do
With my own projects I've learned -finally- to say it's good enough and mean it when something isn't perfect
But on a friend's project my perfectionist/ocd-ness goes into overdrive - I hate to disappoint and I'll be the one losing sleep over something not quite perfect, not my friend

Which leads me back to being a cheerleader. This is something you've thought a lot about and have a vision in your head of where you're going and what you want it to look like on the other side. And I TOTALLY understand what it means to be in a kitchen that you're happy to be in - you start and end every day there, it is the heart of the home whether that sounds corny or not. I say go for it because if you don't, there will always be a nagging disappointment with the space until you make it your own.

Rocksandroses - Some people completely strip the cabinets for gel stain, but you can clean them properly and lightly scuff sand them. I'll start off with sanding and see if I like the look.

Thanks for the info. about the wiping stains!

Oh yes, I'm always fighting the bugs outdoors for paint projects!

Dlm - I'm trying to figure out the most practical way to break this into sections. I have to face that I'm just not going to get an entire coat on everything in one day. That's a hard one. I suppose I'll have some time to thoroughly clean out my cabinets during this process.
"But on a friend's project my perfectionist/ocd-ness goes into overdrive "
I do this too. In my case I usually find that the person doesn't care if it's not perfect which somewhat baffles me! I once helped paint kitchen cabinets with two very non perfectionist people. Oh my.

Lots of cheering is welcome!

Thanks everyone! I'll post updates eventually.

I'm going with the water based High Performance.