If you're refacing, I'd paint the insides. You won't believe how much brighter they'll look. It is a pain, but definitely worth it. AND it's something that can be done one cabinet at a time. I have painted lots of insides of cupboards, depending on condition, you may need to prime first with KILZ if you have stains under sink, etc. Just finished doing the insides of my closets- what a lot of work for something no one else but me will see/notice, but oh how rewarding- you have no idea how much brighter/whiter it is repainted! Did I mention that it will look SO much brighter? :>)

Oy vey...I'd have to pull up a ton of contact paper then. What do you think of buying, say, white laminate veneer and just veneering the insides? I'm getting pretty good at veneering, and when you use water-based contact cement as a bonding agent on the cabinets instead of just the raw wood, you get a good tight bond. What do you think?

Shelf liner....the ribbed, lifetime warranty stuff available at Bed, Bath & Beyond is what everyone is using.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's a picture of the stuff

Try Cushy Cupboard liners. I'm really happy with mine.

That life liner looks interesting. (I've added the link to my bookmarks)

But, I would still paint the insides, ie the walls and back and top a nice fresh white.

hackwriter, I'm not sure if you meant to veneer all of the inside of the cupboards, or just the bottom? If you've already got the contact paper on there, I'd wash it with TSP, and then try the life liner for the bottoms. (But, I'm guessing it may be pricey???)

I put peel-and-stick in a previous kitchen, but just in the cupboard under the sink, as it's prone to moisture and leakage from cleaning supplies. It works great and is easy to wipe up any spills. I just can't yet bring myself to do it in my new kitchen since everything's new.

Our garage apartment was recently completed and I struggled with the same issue in the painted cabinets. I ended up installing a CORK LINER that I got at The Container Store. Although it has a peel and stick back, I only peeled back and stuck a very small area at each of the four corners of each shelf. That was enough to keep it in place. I love the look, and an unexpected benefit is the sound-deadening quality of cork. Can't remember what it cost (fairly pricey, I think), but it should last a long time. After I finished the project, I saw rolls of cork sheeting at a craft store, so you might check there to see if it's less expensive there.

Martha Stewart put tin in her cabinet drawers. Peal and stick tile is an option. It's very easy to keep clean and looks great.