You have a beautiful piece that I would recommend refinishing rather than painting (it would be a shame to cover up something that gorgeous!). While you can definitely refinish yourself, I would recommend looking into local companies that refinish, as such a large built in piece might not be the best piece to get your feet wet. If having a professional do it isn't in your budget, you can get a lot of great information and help at your local paint/stain store about what finish/stain to use, necessary prep, etc.

Thanks. What do you think a professional refinishing would cost?

Because my kitchen is old and well probably renovate in the next few years, figured I would do it myself :). For fun.

Cost can vary quite a bit depending on a lot of different things. Some places will give you a free quote if you look around for pros in your area, that would probably be the best way to get a good idea of cost. And like I said, you could absolutely do it yourself, just know that this will be a big project. Good luck!

One more thing-although it looks beautiful in the full pic closer examination shows that this is not a superlative piece of workmanship. I think one of the original owners of my 1920s home Built it. It has stuck on moldings and the finish is not very smooth. The stain is uneven. So maybe painting is the right way to go.

If you paint it, Annie Sloan could be your best friend. If you are near a Lowe's they sell a Valspar equivalent cheaper. It is about $28 a quart but that is all you will need. This paint goes a long way and paints on so easy. Google Annie Sloan and watch some Utube tutorials. I painted some MCM dressers in one afternoon. Happy painting;))

Painting would work! I can't see what else is going on in the kitchen, but a strong accent color might be fun!

Oh please do not paint it. It is beautiful. Get some Formsbys & follow directions to the 'T'. This would be just for cleaning the lovely wood. I would love to have a piece such as this built into my kitchen. Embrace it & let it be the star that it should be.

I never thought of just cleaning it! Maybe I'll do it first and see if it helps. Which formsby product did you have in mind?

I should probably send a photo of he rest of my kitchen, but it's downhill from here:-)

I'm more of a decorator than a cook so focusing my energies and money elsewhere in my house until now

Hutch is in a small breakfast nook with half plaster walls painted BM barley and bottom half beaten up wood paneling same color as the hutch. Floor is oak (see pic). The main kitchen has circa 1970 oak cabinets with blue (think crayola blue) Formica counters and pine floor. Black appliances. No backsplash. Walls and backsplash are also BM barley.

If you are leaning towards refinishing, start with the small drawers first. It is not hard, but it is very time consuming and patience and attention to detail is needed. If your experience with the drawers seems too time consuming once you get to the sanding stage, you can always prime and paint instead. The work of refinishing will pay off in a beautiful piece. I would suggest you get a small, old piece of solid wood furniture from a thrift store and practice first.

First, be sure you are working with solid wood and not a veneer. A veneer usually cannot be refinished. If not sure, take the drawer to a reputable paint store and ask.

Remove hardware, take off the doors and remove drawers and do them in a basement or garage. Protect adjoining surfaces to the cabinet - wood paneling, floors etc by taping off with plastic. If possible remove the decorative pieces and work on them separately.

Start with Zinsser Citrus stripper or the orange citrus stripper. These are very gentle strippers - not like the older harsh strippers. However, the citrus strippers are slower and take more time to work. When I did my kitchen cabinets, I applied the stripper and left it over night - but I don't think you would need that long for this old of finish. Follow directions on the label. Although gentle, wear gloves (nitrile gloves work well.) Use a putty knife to scrape off the old finish. It is very messy. Have something like a foil pie tin or disposable plastic like a margarine tub or bigger to to dump the gunk (varnish stripper mix) into as you strip it off. Most of the old finish should come off with one application. If needed do a second. Take a 3M final stripping pad (I cut each pad into thirds), dip in the stripper and scrub gently to remove any leftover finish. Wipe down with mineral spirits - get all the stripper off. I do the back of the doors first and then the front. Let dry - it could take a day or two. Now sand with 150 grit. I use a plastic sanding block to hold the sand paper. I have very gently sanded with an electric detail sander, but be careful you don't push too hard on the wood and cause sanding scratches. Then do a final light sanding with 220 grit. Dust and do a final dusting with a tack cloth. Do a final wipe down with mineral spirits. Let dry.

If the wood is pine or fir, you will want to use a pre-stain to prevent blotchy staining. Test different stains on the back of a door to see what you like. Stain the back, flip when dry and stain the front. Use as many coats as necessary to get the look you want. If an area gets too dark, mineral spirits can help remove some stain, or if you use a gel stain it can be sanded off. I use cheese cloth to apply stain because it is lint free. (I like gel stain, but it takes 12 to 24 hours to dry, and 24 hours before you can apply poly, so it can slow you down.)

I prefer water based polyurethane (not polyacrylic) to oil based just due to keeping odor down - some asthma in the family. Two coats of oil based - several hours apart or 4 to 5 coats of water based, 2 hours apart. The water based goes on best in light quickly applied coats - looks not so great when it goes on but dries beautifully. I like Rustoleum or Varathane- which are the same company. Use the right brush as oil based and water based use different types of brushes. Wipe gently with tack cloth before applying additional coats to remove dust.

I do doors on saw horses with clean rag cloths on top to protect the door. Keep lots of clean cloth rags and paper towels around. Discard rags with mineral spirits properly - spread out to dry or throw in a bucket of water.

Watch youtube videos, read articles and ask local friendly paint store guy/ gal if you need help.

Try a good rub with lots of Old English Lemon Oil Scratch Cover.

Will get formby today. I'll send a pic when
It's cleaned and I'll take it from there