Wow, they really turned out nice! What color and brand did you use and was it a paint or stain?

Thanks!

I used General Finishes gel stain in Java. Super easy...and that means a lot coming from me because I am NOT a DIYer!

Ah, wow, that did really work out fabulously. So inspiring! I'm thinking of doing this exact thing in the powder room rather than buy a new vanity (I may make a new counter for it, though). Would you please share details of how you went about it? Did you sand first? Liquid sand? scuff up? How many coats? etc....thanks so much for anything you can share.

They both turned out really nice...great economical upgrade!!!

I had my Hickory bathroom cabinet painted black - Benjamin Moore Satin Impervo. The painter sanded them putting on several coats of paint. I added new hardware. Turned out like new.

Thanks everyone!

So here's what I did. Very little prep involved. I removed all the doors, drawers, and hardware. Washed everything down with some soap & water with a sponge and dried well with a towel. Then I did VERY little sanding. I mean, less than 60 seconds per door/drawer. Just roughen it up a little. The sides of my cabinets are fake wood veneer, so I sanded those even lighter. Then I rubbed everything down with a tack cloth. Finally I rubbed everything down with mineral spirits.

I used 2 coats of Java gel stain and 2 coats of poly (both by General Finishes). I brushed the stain on with a sponge brush and did NOT wipe off. I just made sure there weren't any globs anywhere. I set up a ladder in my garage and hung the cabinet doors so I could do both sides. (I'm pretty impatient!) The first coat of stain took the longest to dry. I applied it sunday afternoon and waited until Tuesday after work to apply the second coat. After that I only needed 24 hours between coats. I applied the 2 coats of poly with an old t-shirt just wiping it on.

And that's it folks. Let me know if you have any questions. Here are some threads I used to get the instructions. There are also more pics from different people.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0109393919706.html

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0112173522421.html

This looks great, and the door pulls and hardware changes look updated too. I'm researching the General Finishes product selection for gel stains for our bath vanity redo also.