Please Help!!! Stain or Paint Kitchen Cabinets?

9 years ago

Please help! I moved into my boyfriend's house about a year ago and I am (slowly) putting a "woman's touch" on the house.
As you will see in some of my before and after pictures I will post later, the house was very bare and white. The previous owners of the home updated the kitchen before he bought the house, and while the finishes are nice, they are not our style. We are working with a tight budget since we are spending money in other parts of the house that need it more, but I am thinking I would like to paint the cabinets and the walls and add a backsplash sometime soon (can't afford new countertops). The problem I see is the granite. Its a gold/rose/black/brown combination that, I feel, limits our choices for colors. Please help me with some ideas about what we can do. Our home is a combination of rustic, contemporary, and traditional. I love a white kitchen, my boyfriend prefers black, but I am not sure what to do. I love the look of the 2-tone cabinets (one color on the bottom and another on top) but I am still stumped. The colors we have in the adjacent living room and dining room are tans, grays, whites, mustard yellow, and a deep blue. I am open to all suggestions!
Thank you for your help!

Featured Answer

PRO

Pyramid Design Group Architects

9 years ago

I would leave the cabinets as they are - but color is a personal choice. Refinishing the cabinets is a lotof oirk to get it right and if painted if the preperation is not done right they will peel. Remove the paper towel holder.

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Comments (12)

Sheri
9 years ago
I like the cabinets. The only thing I would paint would be the island if you want and then add a backsplash.
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greenyogini
9 years ago
I don't mind the paper towel holder ;) , but it does look to me as if your island is already a different color (maybe an additional piece?), so that could be a place to try out color changes in the room without worrying about how to reverse the changes on the cabinets if you don't like the new color/s.

I'm with you on the cabinets. I've seen lots of spaces with dark cabinets that are beautiful - but they don't work in every space. If you don't love them, it will be hard to enjoy your kitchen every day. Regarding the color selection, you're right that the granite will limit you a little, but I could see a cream or grey working with it nicely.

What you might try (being mindful of the finishing issues Pyramid Design Group mentioned!) is a two-tone cabinet look, something along these lines:

Eclectic Kitchen · More Info

Midcentury Kitchen · More Info

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Meeker Kitchen 4 · More Info
PRO
ísARK Studio
9 years ago
Changing the backsplash and the island color would be much simpler and I believe would add much more impact than changing the entire cabinet color.
PRO
Creative Visual Concepts, Kevin Strader
9 years ago
First of all let me say I'm not a fan of painting nice wood cabinets and the finish on your cabinets looks beautiful. If they were ugly, dirty out of date then maybe paint them but yours . . . I definitely wouldn't paint them. You could change the hardware, put in a different backsplash to add more of a "pop", change the paint colors and some different accessories to put your personal stamp on the space. These changes will make more of a difference than you would think and would be a lot less trouble and expense than painting them.

In fact your cabinets remind me a lot of ours. We used ORB hardware and a mosaic backsplash.
PRO
DirectBuy of Fort Worth
9 years ago
Those cabinets look to be in really good shape. New countertops and a new backsplash can easily refresh that. Painting or restaining cabinets is not as easy and it seems. To get a smooth finish you a more controlled enviroment and use a spray system. Otherwise it could severly affect the quality of the look.
clw1187
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you very much for everyones input! I do feel horrible painting or staining nice wood cabinets, and I know how much work it entails as I have done it many times before, but I just can't stand this color wood. It bothers me and bores me every time I walk into my kitchen. I don't mind the color of granite, I just know it will limit what I can do, so I don't necessarily want to replace it. I do plan to add a nice backsplash and build an actual island to match (not have a generic out-of-the-box one like we have now temporarily).
greenyogini - I do like some of those options, it does change the look of the space. Maybe just working with the uppers and leaving the lowers as is will do it for me! Thank you.
Thank you again everyone! Much appreciation!
PRO
Property Serv, LLC
9 years ago
This is a nice kitchen, i tend to agree with these guys, a nice back splash would be very effective.
Terre Rushton
9 years ago
Paint the cabinets! The eclectic kitchen or midcentury look suggested by greenyogini would be great with the rest of your house. You can do the black and white, leave some of the wood if you wish, and accent with colors in the backsplash that reflect your countertop and maybe pickup another color In the house
PRO
So Chic Home Design & Styling llc
9 years ago
Agree with greenyogini's colour options (cream or light grey).

What's important is that you are happy at the end of all this. I do agree with an earlier comment: make sure that you prep the cabinets so that you don't get the peeling effect. Good luck!
~So Chic
PRO
McNICHOLS CO.
9 years ago
How about a grille in the place of the cabinet glass? Perhaps that could add the personal touch you’re seeking. McNICHOLS’ line of Designer Metals is available on our website www.mcnichols.com.
BRIGID
9 years ago
I redid my kitchen - added a new island and one new stack of cabinets. Remaining cabinets were and still are oak in a fruitwood stain. Just could not put money into all new when they function fine. Despite being tired of all wood look. I also have fears of painting wood in high use areas. So - new island andcabinets are painted a dark espresso - switched out the hardware on all cabinets. Tore out the formica countertops and put in porcelain tile 18 x 18( LOVE IT) and added backsplash of subway tile. It is a hardworking kitchen and I don't feel guilty about painting over good wood. Good luck with yours.