if you want to change colors of the cabinet interiors, then i would paint them and then apply cabinet liners to the horizontal surfaces.

I understand that your family has owned this home for a long time. You indicated that these cabinets are from 1940. However, I would really be surprised if they were original to the house. I could be wrong, but painted cabinetry was more the norm in that era. the back splash in your other images looks like that is from the late 60s or 70s.

Hi Kelley, You are correct. It's possible that the cabinets are not original. We've had the house only since 1979, so I'm not 100% sure what happened between 1940 and 1979, other than that there was only 1 owner who designed and built it for his family.

The "backsplash" that's there now is just some remnant vinyl from the floor that we had between 1979 and 2000, when the current white vinyl was installed. I'm not sure why we/they didn't put the same white material on the walls in 2000. Let's just say that we were thinking of function over form until now :)

Any thoughts on a good interior color for when I paint the insides of these cabinet?

i would go with semi-gloss or glossy white paint for the interior of the cabinets or at least, the paint finish should be washable and easy to dust.

are you doing this interim before you decide on the final kitchen renovation plan.

I will say you will need to seek advise on how to deal with the current finish before you paint the interior. otherwise, the paint not not adhere to the surface very well.

I agree that we should deal with cleaning up the exterior surface first. We're going to try a TSP mixture and see how that goes before deciding whether we need to restain.

From the areas of wear on the doors - especially around the pulls, I think you have degrading finish and will need to re-finish to keep the look of the wood, if that is your preference. It is not hard, but it is time consuming and messy - I am in the middle of refinishing my cabinets. However, for a minimal cost, the results are wonderful. I feel like I have new cabinets. I have probably spent less than $100 - but I had some of the products / equipment on hand.

Also, paint interiors after you refinish - contact paper will eventually look poor and be a hassle to remove and remove the residue.

The exteriors of the cabinets are interesting especially with the unique corner pieces. Cleaning would be a great first step as mentioned above. Are you planning on removing the green flooring on the wall? Removing that and painting the wall would be a great improvement.

Strip them down and have professional finish applied. Stripping is messy but you dont seem to have much finish left anyway.

And if you stip, i would choose something other than subway tile as it is too modern looking. Maybe a cream Italian one.

Hi jhmarie. Thanks for your encouragement. I have plenty of time to work on this (while watching baseball on TV). What products and equipment do you suggest I use for refinishing the degraded areas?

Hi whisterlhouse. Thank you for your feedback. Any chance you have a pic of or link to a cream italian sample?

There are not-quite-so-sticky Contact shelf papers that can be easily removed. Works great for the backs and shelves. Paint shows wear and tear on the shelves more readily.

For the backsplash, try a slightly textured plain ceramic tile. Not travertine or mosaic. Borrow some 4" and 6" samples from the local tile store. The subway tile is both too old (early 1900's) and too modern (2010's) for the cabinetry.

I wouldn't paint the interiors directly- no going back once it's done. Perhaps you can paint lauan sheets and line the cabs? Midnight blue or oxblood would go well with the wood. Silicone lining for the shelves.

Subway tile debut in New York City's underground subway station in 1900 and quickly became an enduring favorite in American kitchens, so since its existence predates this home by 40 years, it would be considered a classic and not modern. Subway would be a perfect choice for this home!

Google 1930 tile. I think a tile that is historically relevant to the age of the house in an otherwise modern kitchen would be beautiful.

1940 tile......personally I like white!

I love a good historical answer!

Thanks everyone! I'm going to get some tile samples tomorrow and put them up next to these cabinets. Hopefully, the Bosch dishwasher will be here Friday, so that will round out the look. I really appreciate all of the great feedback!!

I am using Zinsser Citrus stripper to remove the finish. It is low odor and gentle - but does take time. It goes on thick and stays wet for several hours. My cabinets had a hard factory finish and I often put the stripper on the night before and attack the cabinets the next morning. If you can't get to it and it looks like it is drying, throw some saran wrap over it. I use a putty knife to scrape off the finish - it comes off in gooey strips - have a throw away container to wipe them into. Wear nitrile gloves - buy a few packages. I get 90% off on the first time and then reapply the stripper for a few more hours and do it again. For areas that the putty knife cannot scrape, I use Scotch finishing pads (buy a whole bunch and cut into thirds) - they are green and with the sandpaper in the home center store. I do the stripping in the unfinished part of my basement - have a couple of sawhorses and drop clothes to hold the cabinets and try to contain the mess. I keep a pair of flip flops by the door and wear them in that area only so I don't track any of the goo to the rest of the house. I have two sawhorses in the garage for sanding. The cabinets need to be cleaned off with mineral spirits (garage, because it smells) and let dry. I use a palm sander with 150 sand paper on the flat areas and hand sand the curves and go over the whole thing with 220. If you feel any gooey areas or see any shiny areas, you've missed a spot. Once they are really well sanded, stain and finish. I am using a spar urethane because it's most waterproof. Oil based was recommended, but I am doing that step inside to avoid dust, so I am using the water based - Varathane spar urethane. 5 coats - apply quickly in thin coats - 2 hours apart and don't worry about how it looks when you first apply it because it smooths itself out and looks great. I often have some doors being stripped, some waiting to be sanded and some being finished all at the same time. I use cheese cloth to apply the stain and make sure you get the right brush for the right finish - oil based and water based use different brushes.

Zinsser also makes a faster stripper, but it is more caustic and needs more ventilation. The citrus one doesn't even hurt my hands if I get it on them. There is also an orange citrus stripper that I've used before and it works really well too.

It is hard to see much damage in this first pic. The glass door shows a little wear around the handle, but they were all like that and much damage to the cabinets under the sink - also some discoloration from old finish. The second picture is the new finish.

After - the grain pops a little more - a bit more rustic.

@jhmarie! Wow! I'm very impressed!

jhmarie, you've done some fine work! I don't know that I'm as skilled and patient as you are. But I'll discuss this process with my contractor. Thank you for sharing!

Thanks mia and agentrager:)

If you are working with a contractor, he might know someone who can refinish them for you, or do the stain and finish steps in a shop giving you a nice strong shop sprayed finish. I am pleased with the way mine are coming out and any brush marks are very minimal, but there is nothing quite so strong and "perfect" looking as a shop sprayed finish - if they know what they are doing. However, if you are going for a rustic look, imperfections can be part of that. My own style is country / cottage, so the imperfections are fine with me.

Do start always with the cabinet backs - strip the back, then the front, stain the back, then the front etc... and do less noticeable cabinets first because you will get better as you go on. Test stains out on a cabinet or drawer back. Remove all hardware. Pay attention to cure times. Don't put the doors / drawers back up too soon - you don't want to scratch one when your screw driver slips - I am a bit clumsy sometimes:) Watch some YouTube videos. Water based finishes have a slightly different application than oil. I used a gel stain to decrease the amount the grain would darken. Gel stains don't absorb as much - but my cabinets are oak, so have a lot of grain.

The biggest determiner may be cost and time. I had the sander and saw horses from previous DIY projects - though they are not that expensive as far as equipment goes. I've spent a little on various different stains, but mostly this has been a very inexpensive project.

I was cleaning the cabinets last year when I noticed the finish was coming off:( I'd been planning for new counters and a backsplash, but realized I couldn't put a new counter on failing cabinets, so had to see if I could bring them back to life before I could proceed with the plan. I also am changing out the hood for a wood one and next step is to play around with stains to get new unfinished hood to match cabinets.

Wow, the subway tiles with the wood cabinets will look great! The cabinets fit so well in the space. Don't paint them.