@vincent - thanks so much! i started getting quotes from diff contractors for replacing the granite. I will also start requesting quotes to paint the cabinets white. I would love to be able to say i did it myself however i know myself, im not as meticulous as i think i should be. do you know how much (ball park) painting cabinets would be? im in the US. :)

On my screen the cabinets look nice. I agree about wrapping the refrigerator-that helps a lot. The granite would not be my pick with the cabinets but what a waste they look in good shape. The island and the backsplash is where 100% of my money would go. Knock it down and start over! You do not need the same counter or cabinets on your island so here is your chance to lighten things up. Backsplash to tie it all together, without the busy detail running throughout. Something simple.

@greenfish - the cabinets def are still good. they arent the best quality though. the builders put in cheap cabinets and installed a cheaper grade of granite but still in good condition.

i am open to suggestions. we did think about:

1. changing countertops to a lighter shade leave cabinets alone

2. paint cabinets white and leave countertop as is, or

3. "redo" the island but when i say redo, i mean just lower to one height (remove breakfast bar) but only change the stone to a lighter shade in on the island only. leave all other as is..

we would def redo the backsplash too.

The island is a goner anyway. Make that the star, and see how it goes. I love islands that don't look like cabinetry, but furniture. I'm kind if liking red for you: http://houzz.com/photos/2762976

http://houzz.com/photos/6629957

Hi there! Your granite seems to be in good shape. We wouldn't change it. Definitely painting the cabinets is an option and you can have some fun with those colors! Feel free to swing by our site for inspiration. Good luck!

@spaces designed, interior design studio - thanks so much! I will swing by and look for some inspiration and "ideas". do u have a general idea on how much painting cabinets would be? i wouldnt make this a DIY job. im not that meticulous. lol

Ok. I don't love this kitchen or island but I am posting the pic to show how clean and bright your kitchen could be-same cabinets same counter, different backsplash, bright island. http://houzz.com/photos/512791

@greenfish- thank you! these cabinets are a tad bit lighter than ours. ours is kinda dark but not that dark. i know that doesnt help. one issue i think we'll run into is that our island has a wall.... thats pretty much building in the house. its built in with the foundation more or less... that's gonna cost alot to remove. im sure for a price, anything is possible

Hi,

I would definitely paint the cabinets white or a light putty color. And change the backsplash to a white subway tile. This would lighten it up and modernize it.

@rcan - thank you! i am reading out all the comments and advice i am getting to my husband as he lays sick on the couch watching tv. he is liking the idea of painting the cabinets white.

any thoughts on the island? we plan on making it one height (counter height)...

http://houzz.com/photos/380677 darker, but still bright and homey w the island. I would have thought the wood counter would be too much but it looks great here. Removing wall is the cost of renting a sawzall. Painting is fine but I think not necessary and spending that money on the island and backsplash could change everything, make it a statement kitchen, not a stock builders kitchen. Every house we looked at recently with a kitchen built in the last 10 years had a sad little obligatory island made of undisguised base cabinets with a bit of granite overhanging for seating. They aren't horrible, they just aren't great. http://houzz.com/photos/380677

I do like an island that is all one height. You could leave the island wood colored or pain it an accent color but keep the granite the same. Or a butcher block island counter would look pretty (only if you painted the island a color)

http://houzz.com/photos/131400

@rcan - did you see the wall behind the island?? i was planning on just leaving that wall there when lowered to one height... any thoughts?

Ugh this is what I mean! Look at this gorgeous kitchen with wimpy little island, no more than a few boxes with granite in top. http://houzz.com/photos/73324

@greenfish -- that looks so nice! the island does surely make a statement. not sure how well that would go with dark counertops and dark cabinets in my kitchen tho....

This is your kitchen! Spend on some lights too. http://houzz.com/photos/2235590

@greenfish-- ah yes , we will definitely add some canned lighting when we lower the height of the island.

I was thinking pendant? http://houzz.com/photos/4558830

@greenfish.. LOL!! yes thats what i meant.. pendant not canned LOL

Don't paint those cabinets! Finish the back of the island with wainscoting and paint light color. Add pendant lights over island and if you must add light granite but cabinets are lovely. I would add hardware to cabinets too. Under cabinet lights too.

You could cover the short wall with beaded board. That would make it look more like an island and less like a wall. Painted white with the corbels painted white as well

@rcan - beaded board? i need to google what the looks like lol

@rcan- oook just looked it up... looks good.

when contractors come.. ill see what it will cost to remove that wall and build some type of island using existing cabinets but im afriad removing that wall, would be more $$ basically like starting from scratch. ive got a budget i want to stick to.

i am bias but how about white subway tiles? although I don't know how well it will work with a countertop that is black.

@ccrickets - i do love the look of subway tiles for sure!

@vanguard development - yes, right now.. what i am leaning towards is.... paint cabinets white. leave granite as is. make island one level.... 32" counter height with maybe subway tiles and pendant lights.

http://backsplash.com/black-countertop-backsplash-ideas/

@ccrickets WOW! love the white/gray tones against the black with white cabinets. looks so bright and clean!

Something like this

@rcan - that does look good! and im sure cheaper than starting from scratch.

It sounds like you are thinking of painting your cabinets - here is some info. It is not meant to either encourage you or discourage you.

Wood moves with temperature and humidity. Cabinets that are factory painted are usually MDF or MDF combined with wood, or sometimes paint grade wood. The MDF adds stability to prevent movement at the joints which can crack the paint. So, painting all wood cabinets can mean that there will be some upkeep overtime if and when this happens. Oak is not a paint grade wood - but it can still be painted. The difficulty is the texture of the grain shows through the paint. Some people are bothered by this and some are not. The first picture below shows a crack at a joint and the grain texture.

Despite these problems many people are very happy with their painted cabinets. They are often people who like a farmhouse or country style and are not bothered by cracks, people who just want to brighten their kitchen on a budget or people who plan to replace their cabinets in a few years and want to extend the life of the cabinets they have and perhaps see how they like a white kitchen.

One disappointment some have with their painted cabinets is that they did not really get the up dated look they were hoping for. They have replaced "wall of wood" with "wall of white" and missed their goal. This is because newer white kitchens often have design elements that are missing from a basic oak kitchen. To update your kitchen, you may want to add some of these element whether you choose to paint or not. These include a nice stove vent - a stainless T vent for a modern look or a pretty wood one for traditional or cottage look. Glass doors are common. You can have the panel in some of the upper doors removed and replaced with glass. Newer kitchens often have narrower doors. A wide door can be removed and replaced with open shelving or made into a display cabinet - or just an open cabinet. Wine racks and plate racks are other elements that can be used to break up the "wall of white" look. In lower cabinets, a door can be removed, shelves installed and baskets for storage.

Live with your painted cabinets a while before getting granite countertops. Once installed, it is hard to move granite without a risk of breaking it. You may not be able to transfer it to new cabinets.

The kitchen at French Country Cottage has examples of many of these elements incorporated into an older kitchen.

This Houzz pic also is an example. The paneling behind the shelves is beadboard.

A simple wood stove hood.

Another idea might be to add a few hanging light fixtures. Bright colorful "fun" maybe? But something to add light and bright color as well. Especially over the bar area. I, personally, have never been a fan of recessed lighting way up high in kitchens.

Even if you paint, do what you can to beef up the island with legs, panels, etc. a bookshelf in back would be different!

@greenfish1234- okay :) thank you for the tips!

@jhmarie - i really like the idea of replacing the upper cabinet doors with clear or semi see through ones... it makes a huge difference. i am calling around today to look for professional painters to get a quote on painting the cabinets white. :-) i think im gonna go for a soft white....... thoughts?

Try LED lighting on top and underneath the cabinets. Also, try Distress or antique look for your cabinets good luck!

@one world construction -- distressed after painting white?

A carpenter or cabinet maker can use a router to remove the panel from the back and a glass company can put the glass in. I did this to a small bathroom cabinet and was really happy with the look. Look at pictures of white kitchens you like and see which cabinets have glass. You could do a whole group - like the four between the fridge and stove, or even just pick a pair. Sometimes the inside of a glass cabinet is painted an accent color.

Try calling your local reputable paint store (not big box store) for the names of some good cabinet painters - try for at least three. Get estimates and references. If you are keeping your backsplash, then look for a color that works well with it. The painter should be able to help you with that.

If you decide to try painting yourself, Zinsser BIN primer and a good alkyd paint topcoat should work well for you. Get the paint from reputable paint store and they should be able to help you with the products and give you advice.

If the painting is more expensive than you thought, do go out and price some cabinets. In my area some of the local cabinet makers are no more than the big box stores for a better quality cabinet. My own cabinets came from a home center 18 years ago and still function fine. However, I will check out local cabinet makers if I ever remodel. Of course new cabinets means labor cost for installation - so the cost add up. As I mentioned, you do not want to put granite on cabinets you are not happy with, so be sure you are happy with the changes you make before new countertops go in.

@jhmarie - thanks so much the awesome info! i am makign some calls today for some good reputable cabinet painters and go from there... i think i do like the white look. our granite is still really good.. i do plan on lowering that island and when i did the dimension.. it will become about 7x4 and that alone for the granite is about $2000 and thats just for the island. i can imagine it being more$$ if i replaced the granite for the entire kitchen. and we also have a side butler's pantry which is about 4x2.5 ish. i had white cabinets in our old condo and just loved the look and feel of it. the black on white is more of my style anyways. im sick of seeing so much browns everywhere. lol. the glass doors on the cabinets though.......i LOVE!!!! and the fact that i can paint the backing of it and change when i want a new color is even better. i love color but its seasonable for me. yay!! i think painting white will be the most economical for me but give me the most of what i am looking for. :-)

You can also do the island with butcher block top if you need to economize on the counter there.

@jhmarie - ill definitely look into that as well :)

anyone know how much painting cabinets are...roughly?? i have my first estimate coming by this afternoon but im just curious...... lol

This is what my current inspiration is.... :-)

Very nice. I would paint your cabinets too. Don't use the lowest bid unless you know that painter well. Prices to paint cabinets can range greatly. Remember you need a high quality finish that won't chip.

@gray & walter -- yes, I am definitely painting my cabinets white. I'm decided between 2 bids.. fairly close in price by about $300. $4600 very $4300 (both excluding taxes). $4600 will be painting only 3 of shelves indoors as i told them i will be putting glass in 3 of the doors in the future. $4300 will actually paint ALL of my inside shelves white. i am def getting more with the lower price in this case but i am feeling iffy because they said they will set up a tent outside to paint the cabinet doors versus bring it back to their shop to have it painted there. IDK why this is making me feel blah. The $4600 bid will bring it back to their shop.. which is 2 miles away from where we live.

The lowest bid i got was 3500... but after speaking on his methods to paint.. i was not impressed. the highest bid i got was 6000 (with tax)

Go with the painter who does the work in the shop. The outside tent business is nonsense. Glass doors are nice but remember you have to keep your cabinet interiors spiffy at all times.

@gray - okay. Yeah the cabinets where I plan on putting glass doors are dishes and always in order thanks to my OCD husband. LOL!

@cabinets4u - yes, eventually i will add some pendant lighting but i want to tackle the paint and the slabs first.