I would paint them. I think it would look very nice with your dark counters and the tile floor (which I like, BTW!).

Are you going to paint them yourself, or hire it out? I had some bids on painting my oak cabinetry, and I was really surprised at how low all the bids came back. (and I have a lot more cabinetry than you do). So it may not be all that much!

I'd paint them, too. Creamy white would look great in your kitchen.

first try this. Paint or find darker stools...ebony stained, painted black or matching the finish of your dining chairs and find a runner that's dark with gray, black and warm reds. Run it along the side of the penisula ending at the fridge. you could maybe find a coordinating rug for under the sink.

I'm with you...I would want to paint the cabs white (but not me...only a painter with excellent cabinet experience) but I would do the small changes first and live with it awhile. Looks like you have a toddler. The tile floor will be much easier to clean!

I would also go back to your cabinet source and ask for an end panel (basically a door without hinges) to put on the end of you pennisula before you paint

I would paint. I agree with the others -- will look nice with floors and countertops. Use very reputable painters and watch them.

No, I would not paint them--esp. because it looks like you have young children. With white, it will be a constant battle to keep them looking nice--cleaning up PB&J and touching up nicks from walkers & hurled toys. With stained wood, PB & J will kinda' blend in until you have the energy to give them a good scrub.

I do think I would add some pulls & knobs though, just to satisfy the urge to change things. Lighten up the floor with some light colored throw rugs that are easy to launder or change it out for an easy care vinyl--something a little more forgiving on the little ones when they take a spill.

Mine look just like yours and I am getting ready to bite the bullet and paint them! I think I have this forum to blame for it since every thread I see with newly painted cabinets just kept pushing me to get over it and do it! I'm not thinking about the work...just the finished product!

Without hesitation! My house is only 6 years old, and I have solid oak cabinets and I loathe them. Only thing that has been holding me back is that I have white appliances. Your kitchen with white cabinets would be a dream come true to me!!

Oh, and I've decided to bite the bullet and paint mine. Well, paint the boxes. Hired out the door. But, we're not going white.

I may be way off here, but ...
Guessing DH thinks they are great so why spend the money? Kind of where many people find themselves these days if they aren't one of the other ends of the spectrum, like jobless or very wealthy. Let him know that this is something you want to do in the future, whenever it is feasible. Find out how much it would cost, what color you want, who would do the painting, and present it to him as you are fine with waiting, but this is something you want to do to decorate your cozy home together! Bring in a few extra $$ and let DH know you will not take it away from the budget or some dream he has in mind!

I love white and off-white kitchens. I would paint and bring the hardwood floors into your kitchen. You will love the end result.

I know you hate your floors, but once you paint your cabinets, they might not bother you as much. The floors can always be a separate project down the road.

I'd get a bid for having the cabinets painted with a spray lacquer finish. They can take the doors/drawers out to a remote location and spray the boxes in place. It is pretty precise and you shouldn't have a problem with overspray if they cover everything properly. The lacquer finish makes them much more washable. I've had regular paint and the lacquer and the lacquer is definitely worth the additional expense.

I'd add some oil-rubbed bronze hardware to tie in with your new lighting fixtures. Voila. You will feel like you have a brand new kitchen. And, it will be so much brighter if that is something you are interested in.

Good luck!

Let's face it. Red oak cabinets are not trendy right now. My guess is that many who have them want to change them to update the look or are just tired of looking at them. Paint is so inexpensive, so a dramatic way to get an entirely new "feel" without breaking the bank. That said, oak is oak. The wood was beautiful long before they became trendy. And it's still beautiful, even though we don't see them in design magazines anymore. But everything old, eventually, is new again. Follow your heart. If you want the paint, go for it. But only because you really want it, not because you think your kitchen is dated.

Go stepwise. Add some hardware that looks good with the oak and would look good with a painted cabinet. Change the floor to match the others anyway...

If thats not enough of a change, consider painting them. The cabinets are 25 years old and the finish is still photogenic, anyway. A good paint job doesnt last nearly that long, thats one thing a stained finish has going for it.

Yes. How about painting the top cabinets the creamy white you want and the bottom cabinets (because of the young children) a contrasting color...maybe a soft charcoal?

Paint or do nothing.

Do nothing, and your bargaining position is better in 5 years - particularly if you start saving for it now.

Paint - but maybe consider a blended concept of dark brown on the base and white on top. Possibly cut the panels out of two of the uppers and insert glass.

Did you write for first draft?

Theres a way to go about this-first start complaining about how darn hard those floors are and how much easier on your back and feet it would be if you had wood floors in the kitchen. Also, you could mention how things shatter when they hit that hard floor. Next, when he agrees to the wood floors(men are partial to wood), you make the point about how the toe kick area under the cabs will be too tight with the added floor thickness after the wood is installed. Now, the cabs have to come out to put the floors under the cabs. From there, the rest is pretty easy. :-)

this is how my reno got going. i had brick pavers and ash cabinets in a kitchen from 1982. i'm loving my new white cabinets now.

All kidding aside, i would definitely atleast try to get him to agree to painting them.

Scoutfinch,
Paint and you might discover you are in love with your
kitchen. Paint is inexpensive and a great way to make
a change. I think I voted paint the last time this subject
came up. Or maybe I am just lost in GW memories.

I say paint it yourself. I know it will be a pain to take
down the cabs. But DIY and your DH will see you working
so hard to make the kitchen pretty he will join you in
the project. Don't complain or whine just work hard steady
and if you have to slowly. Focus on a pretty white or
cream kitchen and little by little it will get painted and
your DH will be so proud of you.
You will be proud of yourself too.

I speak from experience. My DH pooh poohed the idea that we
needed a fresh coat of paint. He flatly refused to paint.
So, I chose a color, bought the primer, paint, brushes,
plastic tarp and began. I took down the cabinets and
worked away.

My DH was shocked and surprised.
I kept working steady. He never picked up a paint brush
but he cheered me on and kept saying how great they looked.
He was proud and amazed. I must say I am slow and steady
worker. Turtle-ish in work style.

You won't regret it.
~boxerpups

Here are some ideas...

From Durationpainting before and after

Sheeshamungablogspot before and after

This is before and after from younghouse love

Here is a link that might be useful: Anyone paint oak cabinets...and regret it??

Paint 'em. I am almost done painting mine. It was a huge PIA especially since DH and I had a disagreement over the techniques. But, I think they look a lot better. It does take patience. I would agree that with little ones, I would paint the lowers a darker color and the uppers a lighter one or white.

Link to my recent progress post:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg011504038650.html

I painted my old cabinets. I painted them a few years ago figuring that however they turned out, it couldn't be worse than the old honey-colored finish. I went with cream uppers and deep blue-black lowers. They're now gone as we're in the middle of a remodel (new cabinets), and I am really *hoping* that the painted finish on the new cabinets is as durable as the finish on the old! I have little kids and my painted cabinets stood up really well -- we used 409 to wipe them down.

Here's what we did: 1. Removed hardware, removed doors and lightly sanded (with orbital sander & 150 grit paper) the doors front & back and the frames (did not paint inside the cabinets). 2. Used a primer by Sherwin Williams "PrepRite bonding primer" (this was key; the first cabinet we painted without the primer and you could peel the paint off the surface in one big sheet -- the prep rite bonding made a huge difference). 3. Apply 3 coats of Behr (yup, Behr) semi-gloss latex interior paint.

4 years later, no peeling or chipping in the paint.

Mind you, I may not have tried this if my old cabinets were in better shape -- I figured that no matter how disasterous the painting project turned out, anything was better than the old finish, and I knew we'd redo the kitchen within a few years. I ended up pleasantly suprised by how well they turned out.

Just be patient -- take plenty of time to let each coat dry, and lightly sand between coats. We used foam rollers to apply the paint.

Paint, Paint, Paint!!! Live for today and enjoy your kitchen. 5 years is a long time to live with a kitchen your not happy with. I have seen so many amazing transformations going oak to creamy white.

Don't worry about young kids and cleaning either. I have creamy white cabs and wood floors. THe floors are a breeze to keep clean. I found tile much more labor intensive to keep looking good. And wood is so much warmer. As for light cabs, I just wipe down with a damp microfiber every now and then. You see the dirt and wipe away, where as with wood it just sits there and gets a film on it. At least my old cabs did.

Good luck and present your case well to DH. Maybe print out some before and after shots to show him what it could look like. Your happiness is so important!

Good luck

I think the reason you can't "let it rest" is because you've done the hard work of making your kitchen more functional and beautiful: the backsplash, removing wallpaper, removing a cabinet. And now all that stands between you and your dream of creamy cabinets is a can of paint plus some time. Paint is a wonderful tool, and so environmentally friendly and fiscally responsible, too!. Just think, you may be buying a lot more than 5 years worth of being really happy with these cabinets.

After reading these boards for a while, it often seems like tearing out and starting over is the most common way of updating a kitchen. I don't think that's how it really is, even among posters on this board, because of the wealth of information on products, I think this is a board that draws a lot of information-hungry people who are at the point of being ready to tear out and start new, but most of us didn't start there, many of us made the middle stage changes before coming here.

Personally, I think it's a a great idea to paint a well-functioning cabinet set to see if that's what it takes to make it "fit". I did that on my 30 year old cabinets, not once but twice (first creamy white, then jet black) in the ten year span between when we moved in and when we finally were ready to undertake the "big" stuff -- in our case the cabinet doors wouldn't close anymore, so as pretty as they were, they had to go. I was very happy that I'd taken the time to spruce them up, it made the interim period so much nicer. I'd advise talking to your DH (at the right time), show him pictures of the look you're going for, maybe he has skills that would be brought to this last step. My DH added beautiful crown moulding and an undercabinet light rail prior to painting, it was the details like that that made people think we'd put in new cabinets (and also why they didn't understand why we were remodeling recently, but oh well...) The advantage of painting is the ability to add cabinets/trim/whatever that you couldn't have found a match to in the original stain. Just looking at your set up, which is beautiful, by the way, I'd be tempted to change out the over the fridge cabinet for a full depth one, and add a plywood side panel to give that beautiful fd fridge a built-in look before I started painting. I think I'd also look into adding a glass door cabinet where the plate shelf currently is Paint lets you do all kinds of things that wouldn't be possible otherwise.

Be brave, talk to DH, help him understand where you're going with this, and get him on board. Look at what your upcoming schedules look like and choose the right time -- maybe he needs a break from the previous work, looks like it was pretty involved (and fairly recent).

Good luck!

Kris

I painted as an interim step before remodeling. It was a lot of work, but allowed me to survive the ugly oak cabinets while I waited to remodel. Try justifying it this way - when you get around to remodeling you will know whether or not you want painted cabinets.

I have little kids and white appliances - I painted the cabs in my tiny kitchen (SW Dover White) and have loved it from the moment the primer went on! They are easy to clean (it's nice to see where the sticky gunk is IMO) and the appliances totally disappear into the cabinets. About once a year, I walk around with some touch up paint, but that's the extent of the upkeep. I think Boxerpups was right on the money (as always:-) if you can be patient with the prep and go slowly, you will be able to do a great job. It's not rocket science, but you can't rush the job. Good luck!

Absolutely paint them and add some hardware. Your kitchen will look larger and the beautiful counters will stand out. Changing out the floor would be optional to me, although I like hardwood in the kitchen. I've had multiple white kitchens, painted correctly, they are no more upkeep than wood cabinets.

First--I love your username! :)

Second, I would absolutely paint the cabinets. I think white/slightly off white would look fantastic w/ the counters and wall color you have.

After 8 years of living with honey oak cabinetry, I finally painted my cabinets over Labor Day weekend last year. This was no small feat: I did it *myself* and I have a 2 year old son. And an indoor dog! It was a lot of work for a few days, but worth every single second. My only regret is that I did not do it years ago.

Keeping the white cabinets clean is so easy--I actually think it's easier than having the 'plain wood' because the cabs are easier to wipe-down. They brighten and lighten the entire space.

I did all the work myself--prepping, filling holes (b/c we replaced hardware as well), light sanding, priming, painting, and polyacrylic. (Prep work is key!) My husband replaced the hardware when it was all said and done. I spent less than $150 total (maybe $130??) and that includes the brushed nickel hardware which I bought on ebay (little knobs for cabinet doors and bin pulls for the drawers).

I think it would make all the difference in your space, and though it is time-consuming to do it yourself, it's also not hard. You could hire the work out as well--I'm: 1) frugal and 2) a huge perfectionist so I knew I wanted to do it myself, so that there was no one else to blame if it didn't look right. :) But it looks FANTASTIC!

I'm a huge fan of painted kitchen cabinets (white, black, red, gray ... whatever), so if that were my kitchen I'd be painting it. They look like really nice sturdy cabinets and I actually think it's kind of sad when people rip out perfectly good cabinets just because they don't like the color. All that expense and waste.

I don't have kids but I have two giant hairy drooly dogs weighing in at a combined total of about 260 pounds and I've had no problems cleaning our white cabinets. Ours are in need of a paint job ... they are about 25 years old now (from what I know of the renovations of this house) so the paint is getting a little tired, but when we do paint, they'll be white again. Love it.

Good luck ... I think you'd love your kitchen painted.

I'm so glad to see this pop back up to the front page! I've been busy for a while and then couldn't find my old thread.

I sincerely appreciate all of the responses! You guys always make me feel so good about my kitchen even though it's not the fully gutted, totally remodeled one that I might have wanted when we first bought this house. The cabinets *are* really solid. They were custom built for the previous owners when the kitchen addition was built.

I'm definitely going to print out some of the above pics that were posted, as well as some others to show dh. That pic from Durationpaint is amazing Boxerpups, thank you! And, yes we may have had a post about this over a year ago when we first bought the house, lol!

I have a good friend who used someone we both know from work to repaint oak cabs in their old house and was really satisfied with the work. His bid was really reasonable, though he was a bit slow getting things done. We've got so many projects that need to be done inside and out that I don't know if I am going to have time to tackle this myself.

araminty - thanks, it's my favorite book! Reading that you did it all yourself in one weekend gives me some hope, lol!

After considering how much OTHER work we still have to do on other parts of the house (basement bath is gutted, second basement bedroom is still gutted, need new landscaping and fence, new windows, eventually will need new roof and soffit and facsia) I am reasonably sure it will be more than 5 years before a kitchen reno is possible. I think painting is starting to become a more attractive option each day.

I will keep you guys posted about what we end up doing, but in the meantime, this thread is hugely helpful. I'm bookmarking it and will go back and re-read all the responses again.