Get a sample of the blue stain at a local store and start messing around! I know that Sherwin Williams carries at least one line of colored stains.

For what it's worth, you might also want to look into milk paint, which will give a very "country old" feeling to wood.

Wishing you well. If I were married to someone more receptive to this, I would also have a kitchen like that! I drool over my "Swedish Style" books and hanker after beat-up thrift shop pieces which I could turn into Gustavian treasures.

Have also given up the dream of staining my oak kitchen with red stain. Again, remember that marriage is a compromise and right now, we're compromising on sedate. Sort of.

Please post your observations once you have followed this line of thinking a little farther. Or a lot farther.

Thanks for the comments. Here's the real kicker -- for a lengthy variety of reasons, this redo is kind of a now-or-never deal. I just found out about this today, and my refinisher is starting on Monday -- yikes! I'm one who agonizes over these sorts of things for years, although a kick-start might be what I need to actually get it done. My only real concern is "color overload" if I use blue/gray on all 28 cabinets, although I'm thinking of taking some doors off along one entire wall, which might help. If I could figure out how to post pics I would....

I also wanted to stain my island cabinets as I was thinking it might wear better than paint (a reaction to a very chipped up white painted kitchen in my past when I had 3 elementary age boys!). As I researched this, I found the following: the guy at BM told me to thin paint 50% with thinner and that would make stain. The lady at HD thought she could mix Olympic stain in any color of their paint. Minwax, sold at SW and big boxes has one blue- too bright for me. Also thought about using exterior stain. Finally decided this was all too complicated considering all the other decisions and have decided to just paint them.

I wonder if Boxerpups has a pic of that color? It's very Swedish and I feel like I have seen something similar. I love that blue/gray color and the whole Swedish style. I feel like it might work. I agree--try it on something and ee what happens.

Hi lceh,

I can not recommend specific stain colors. Cabot is
what I use and love but I have not used indoor colors.
I love the feel and look of the outdoor deck paint-like
stain outdoors. It goes on like paint and has a smooth
flat finish that looks soft. If a deck can be soft.

I love the ideas you are thinking about. Swedish gray blues
with a wood top. I think it is Brillant. This is very
popular in Germany right now. Everyone is loving the muted
blue grays for their homes with lots of painted white
pieces it is minimal elegance.

Firsthousemp, is so sweet to suggest I might have some
image. I do not have specicifally what Lceh is looking
for but here is what I do have. Maybe it can help.

~boxer

Martha Mockford UK

Lion Ville Blue Bell

Pale blue House to Home UK kitchens

Reid Brothers Kitchen

Taylor Creek
(This would look even better with a wood island)

French Gray painted island

Washington Post Magazine kitchen

News Cast Gray paint

Attic Magic

Art Factory

Gray Area Dance Blog

Martha Mockford UK

Designed to be beautiful

Home bug

Oh wow, Boxerpups, thank you SO much for posting those! What a huge help. And I'm so interested to hear that you've used deck stains indoors. I had thought about that, but read somewhere than it's not a good idea to use exterior stains inside (worry about mildewcides or something). Did you use an opaque stain, or a semitransparent one? And is it sealed with a topcoat?

Oh dear that was a lie, miscommunication, fabrication,
illuison, misunderstanding or maybe just poor writing
skills.

I have used deck paint on my enclosed porch. Not kitchen.
But heck if you paint with the windows open a few fans
running it should be fine. Do wear a mask and no martinis
while you paint or you might wind up with a happy kitchen
high. And a kitchen hang over the next day.

~boxer

Oops, sorry Boxer, I read that wrong! It's funny, I keep reading in home decor mags about how great it is to use opaque or solid stains on cabinets, but not a word about how to find them (or if they are actually exterior stains). My kitchen guy's a real pro, though, so I'm going to bring him a couple of those pics and a color chip and say, "Match that!". We'll see what happens.

I carry Medallion and I have a door sample in this new appaloosa finish. I liked it OK, but never REALLY liked it until I saw some photos of this kitchen. It's more grey...not so much blue...but thought I'd post it in case you opt to try something more neutral.

You can see more at the Medallion Facebook Page linked below.
KOMPY

Here is a link that might be useful: Medallion Facebook...see tons of new stuff!!!!

Wow! I hope I'm not hikjacking but this is an incredible thread. I've been wondering about the painted cabinets too - 4 kids, 2 cats and a dog mean they get pretty grimy, particularly the bottom ones. We are in the process of building a new home and the exterior will be cedar shake shingles stained one of cabots paler blue/green colors. I never thought about staining the kitchen cabinets but I'm seriously thinking of it now. And that Medallion Facebook page was total eye candy. I'm swooning over the tupperware storage LOL!

Ha, Chaylabird, I have 4 little kids and a dog too so I know where you're coming from! My current white painted cabs look great when they're clean, but I'm weary of wiping sticky handprints off of them.

I like the idea and had considered color stain for my existing cabinets but there's a big problem with doing that. It's very hard to get all the old finish off and this is not a problem if you are refinishing with a similar stain, but the color stain could end up blotchy and uneven on refinished wood. You need to test the stain on the back of a door before committing.

If you find a color you love and it works for you then it's a great idea.

Just wanted to update for anyone interested. Enough professionals have told me that using outdoor stain for an indoor job is a mistake that I've abandoned that idea. BUT, I played around with mixing tints using the Minwax Water-Based Interior Wood Stain and I think I've achieved a lovely Gustavian gray! I found a mix of 1 part River Stone to 3 parts White Tint Base to give me just the pale bluey-gray I'm looking for. Of course that may change once it goes on my stripped cabinets, depending on the color of the stripped wood, but I'm crossing my fingers....

I'm totally drooling over the pics boxerpups posted! Our kitchen is long finished, but I have fantasies of a vacation home...with blue-grey stained cabinets... Can't wait to see how yours turn out!

lceh, I'm sorry I came late to this thread -- have you looked at the General Finishes dye stains? In terms of quality they're superior to the MinWax products and you might get a longer lasting finish from them?

Then there's also milk paint, which is a fabulous cabinet finish topped with a good sealer. It's gorgeous. For anyone who is trying to "stain" their old cabinets and can't get all the previous coating off, this is a potential option. They make an additive that allows the milk paint to seal to previously-finished surfaces. Done this way, it's more opaque but has lots of natural tonal shadings that are the next best thing to a translucent stain.

{{!gwi}}

This is an old unfinished oak dresser I did, it's milkpainted white with gray stencils, but gives you the idea. (Driftwood plus Snow White and a little Slate gives you a perfect Gustavian Grey...)

Whichever product you choose, they'll all look good -- have fun mixing!

Here is a link that might be useful: Milk Paint

I realize it is a year later, but I TOO want to stain my cabinets blue/grey....HOW DID YOURS TURN OUT???

thanks