Why not refinish them with a new stain color ?

I would consider that!!! I am wanting to lighten the room a bit, I have little natural light and my kitchen is narrow...with a large island. I would like to restain the island and then do a white paint on the perimeter cabinets. I will try to post some photos in the morning. Thank you for responding. How hard is it to have someone re stain them?

Still hoping for more comments....any painters out here?? I got a bid today to replace the doors and drawer fronts with maple painted...however I am worried about the oak bases showing the grain or chipping...thoughts?? I would have the bases sanded, filled, then painted...The room is dark and the rest of my trim is painted white in the house. I am thinking of re staining the island an expresso or painting it black. I see both you Curtis and Rockin Fine Finish show white Kitchens on your websites...Do you feel the white kitchens are really trending in...thoughts on that???

I painted my oak cupboards at my last two houses. I would recommend removing cupboard doors and sanding them to prepare the surface. Try to leave little or none of the original stain...take the shine off. I applied a coat of B.I.N as a primer. After it dried, I proceeded to paint cupboard doors with a brush and a small roller. Usually takes at least two coats of paint. *use a high quality paint. In both of my experiences, I could still see wood grain...which was ideal...kept cupboards looking like high quality. I also painted my oak stairs and railing. I have noticed very little wear. I found I needed to touch up small Knicks maybe once a year and very minimal...the touch ups were not noticeable. I highly recommend painting ok for a cost effective way of updating your kitchen!

*oak

Here are some photos of what we have done before tackling the kitchen.

This is kitchen with oak.

This is hall looking back to kitchen and our office

White kitchens are classic they will always be in style as for grain showing you can achieve no grain showing its lots of work and time consuming as for products that will be more durable ill start with the best and most expensive fine paints of Europe excellent stuff also Benjamin Moore's advance is also another great product make sure proper prep is done and a oil base primer is used

Another shot of hall info kitchen

We just bought a new house and the people who sold it painted The bathroom and kitchen cabinets. They used rustoleum cabinet transformations. I have no idea how long it took them or if they would do it again but we think the final product looks great.

Your home looks great update the cabinets paint them!

We painted our oak laundry cabinets and bathroom vanity gray, and they look great. I was so worried about having them painted, but I think it was a great, cost-effective update. People say not to paint oak, but I can't understand why based on my experience. Our painters took off the doors and sprayed them. I didn't watch, but I'd be surprised to learn if much prep work was performed.

Living room. (All the woodwork was oak before we painted with Ben Moore Advance). We also already painted upstairs cabinets but they are chipping some. So question is what did we do wrong?? We sanded, primed with Ben Moore Primer and used advance self leveling we had a respected pro painter do the work. We are still getting chips. I love the look so not worried about that. I just want to know if anyone out there has a better success story with kitchen?? House is 20 years old and we live in an area with no appreciation so I can not put in new cabinets. Paint is my best friend!!

Were they cleaned that is very key you need to clean them with tsp first before sanding especially in kitchens and baths kitchen cabinet will have grease and dirt and baths will have build up of hand oils and hair spray and makeup

Rocking fine finish..what European paints do you recommend ? Do you feel durability is better than Ben Moore advance?? What about a top coat finish?? Have you painted cabinets?? Thank you for you comments and help.

They were lightly sanded and then primed, a coat of paint then sanded and a second coat of paint. I don't think tsp was used. Good to know!!

Fine paints of Europe is the best finish I have worked with I have painted dozens of over the years cabinets. Like mentioned they need to be cleaned before sanding I've never used clears over my cabinets I suppose you can use a clear not to throw you off another option is a tinted conversion varnish its as tough as nails I have used it on bar tops it needs to be sprayed on

I use Tsp and scrub with scotch brite green pads

Interesting. Pics?? What do you think of replacing doors only and then painting base? My cabinets are nice with clean lines so if I don't have to replace them I am not going to. I guess I could start out with paint and then replace the doors later if it does not hold up!!

Awesome advice!! What is your thought on primer??

Do you spray the doors or roll? Fine Finish??

Fresh start oil base primer from Benjamin 024 is a great one or there long dry oil primer is excellent

You can do either with fine paints

I do a lot of kitchen and bath remodels and have had my cab guy re-stain cabs in quite a few of the projects. In general, the simpler the cabinet door the easier the prep and stain. Both are very important to the finished look. The more detailed the door the harder to strip off the existing color. If you do decide to re-stain you should go with a cooler color as your counter tops lean cooler. Chipping is always going to be an issue with paint but it that's what you decide again the prep is really important. I have also re-stained the cab boxes and replaced the doors. It normally has better results because you're not fighting existing stain but it is more costly.

So long dry oil primer is preferred?? I can't buy new cabinets but I can buy good paint and products. Thanks again for all your comments and pro advice. I hope our Convo helps others who are going to paint oak. I will post again if we move forward with before and afters!! IN the mean time any other commenters or advice from others I will appreciate!! More pics of painted oak DIY or Pro!! Thank you!!

Ddesign studio... Is it possible for me to order my own doors online?? What do you think of mixing a maple painted door on top of an oak base?? (Painting it not staining) I am concerned the grain will look odd behind the maple door. (Look at my kitchen photo at top). Thanks for joining my discussion!!

Generally maple doesn't have a grain. Are you ordering it painted already? Or are you ordering paint ready? It you layer enough paint then the oak graining may not be an issue but I agree that the oak face might be a problem if the grain shows through.

Oh I forgot to comment on the doors online. I go through by cab guy for doors so I'm not the one to ask about online ordering.

I refinished my oak cabinets with a filler from fine paints of europe. Its hard to use and smells but it gives a great smooth finish on oak. I then sprayed them with BM in advance - They are much nicer than i expected!

Design..no have not ordered anything yet. I have had some bids.. Each pro has a different process so I am curious what others have done and what has worked or not worked. We have painted a lot of our wood out already. (I posted pics of my house so far)

Ojaijo...thanks for the tip!!

Sounds like you're good with the painted cabs and are just worried about the longevity. I'd take the advice of the people who painted theirs with the European paint. Appears they had the best results.

Yes design studio you've got it. I am really looking for how to rather than should I?? Maybe I should have posted on a different website since it is not really a design issue!! So appreciate the comments though and I am curious to see how others projects turned out. Thanks to all my commenters!!!