Paint.
When done right.

We redid our kitchen this year and kept the old oak cabinets. It is amazing what new countertops, backsplash, hardware and sink can do. Ours were quality Kraftmaid cabinets and more the orangey oak than golden but so glad we didn't paint them.

These are the cabinets with Statutory Bronze hardware, Jeffrey Court beveled subway tile, Absolute Cream granite, black Swanstone low divide sink, new oak toe kick and Shaw Resort vinyl tile grouted floor.

Tinker's look great!

That looks very nice. The granite matches very well with the oak.

Thanks but know it takes some doing mixing the old with the new. I wanted a more updated granite pattern, and something more unique to pull it off and got lucky with the Absolute cream. Though not an exact match to the cabinet color it compliments it without being too over the top for this old house.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

I'm thinking about updating my cabinets with a 2 tone finish with gray paint or a darker stain on the lowers and white on the uppers. After looking at several pictures online{{gwi:807}} I'm really liking the look. It's a good option in my case since a darker paint or stain on the bottom will coordinate better with the existing granite, but white uppers should brighten up my dark kitchen.

I might do a grain filler or at least several coats{{gwi:807}} of primer and paint to minimize the grain, but I actually don't mind seeing some wood grain under paint.

I like the warmth of my existing oak cabinets but not the shiny, yellow/orange color.

This post was edited by juddgirl2 on Sun, Jan 18, 15 at 2:07

I would do darker stain. It's easier and looks really beautiful.

I would think stain would be much easier and more forgiving than paint, especially if you have to smooth out the grain a lot before painting, but, I could never bring myself to stain them true black....I might possibly go with dark gray lowers and painted white uppers. You need to consider the final emotional impact on working in a kitchen with black cabinets. Do more research on all that is involved with both before proceeding, there has been alot on this in other GW threads. Finally....people with black cars frequently complain that black shows every speck of dust-that may be true in the kitchen too.

Google Linelle's kitchen. She replaced the doors and they were finished off site. The rest was painted.
Lots of sanding might help eliminate the grain. I think this is what Beekeeper's wife did in her old kitchen. But, pictures are deceiving.

My house threw up orange oak and brass so I made the decision to paint mine. I didn't want super dark cabinets so that wasn't an option for me. I also didn't want white cabinets so I picked a soft gray (BM cumulus cloud) and then found a beautiful granite that had all the colors that matched in it.

The process took me 4 months. I removed all the doors, wiped them clean, sanded them, wiped them again and again, two coats of primer and two coats of paint. I enjoyed the process though. I used Cabinet coat for primer and BM Advanced paint. Both are none oil based so easy clean up and no harsh smells. I wouldn't change a thing. They have held up fine.

I'll post pics. Be sure to post pics too if you do anything :)

after

MrsShayne, ooh la la!!! I can't believe you did that all yourself.

For the OP, I would go white, esp. since you don't have an abundance of light in your kitchen. If painting is too daunting, then I would do as Tinker's done. There's nothing wrong with oak and it showing its grain. Just embrace it and update other elements in your kitchen.

Black (or dark brown) wouldn't even be my third choice. I know many like it and have seen some beautiful kitchens with dark uppers and lowers. I'd opt for white or natural wood.

MrsShayne, your kitchen is beautiful! I really like the gray cabinets. It's a little different from what you typically see and it looks very sophisticated.

The scale of the project scares me. My husband works out of town and won't be much help.

Do I need to remove the cabinets to paint them?

Also if I decide to paint the cabinets when do I do it in the renovation of the kitchen? We are going to re-tile the floor, paint the walls, change the light fixtures and put in granite countertops and a tile backsplash.

Can you hire people to paint cabinets?

Can you hire people to paint cabinets?

You betcha. That's what I did. It wasn't cheap, but they were highly recommended and they were worth every penny.

Tinker, I love your kitchen, your choices look beautiful with oak :) great job!

I took off the doors to paint them. You can pay someone to paint yours. They may leave the doors on and use a spray gun to paint them (taping off any area that doesn't get paint) that process will go a lot quicker. You can also reface the cabinets but that's probably costly and if your cabinets are decent then I would paint or stain first to save money.

My kitchen remodel took 4 months because I took my time and only painted a couple cabinets at a time, plus I did four coats. You can do it quicker of course. I did a test spot and painted two cabinets first just to make sure it would look decent.

Thanks Mrs.Shayne and I do love yours a lot. What is the name of your granite? Everything just blends so beautifully!!! Four months seems fast for all of the work involved. Again, very nice!!!!

Thanks Mrs.Shayne and I do love yours a lot. What is the name of your granite? Everything just blends so beautifully!!! Four months seems fast for all of the work involved. Again, very nice!!!!

If you're going to strip the finish to do the stain, how about iron acetate with gold (or other) colored filling the grain? I just saw this video yesterday, and now I want to try it on something.

Andy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Coloring with Iron Acetate, Filling the Grain