Maybe feisty's threads on using Monocoat can inspire you. However, it sounded like a lot of work.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2618293/part-ii-take-a-peek-at-my-soft-modern-small-kitchen-design?n=137

Another thread:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2664762/cabinet-finish-white-stain-vs-white-paint

Or just use Monocoat in a colored stain.

Thanks nosoccer mom. fiesty's thread about her kitchen cabinets was a nail-biting read! I hate the way water based finishes raise the grain and can warp things. I love the color she used, though, and the grayish tones could be a great way to deal with the pinkish nature of maple and end up with a nice light ash brown. I notice Minwax has a gray oil based stain so maybe I could strip and start with that and possibly layer in something else if it's too grey. My mind is now heading in the right direction :)

I'm in the process of finishing maple cabinets for my kitchen. We bough the cabinets unfinished. I've used pre-stain to avoid blotching, but maple is very dense and it barely took the stain, it came out much lighter than planned. Actually really like the color, even thought it came out as a happy accident. I'm planning to use dark granite counter tops. You can make your cabinets darker by applying wipe on stain to tone the color darker, and change out the counter-top, that would make your colors pop. I would not paint my maple cabinets, as you said you can always paint it later. Either way use oil based stain or paint, the finish will come out much much nicer.

myhaz, that is a gorgeous color! What stain did you use? Is pre-stain recommended for maple? I wouldn't have thought you'd need it but I've never stained maple before.

I've used the above brand. I did research on stain, and many professionals recommended Old Masters. I have a little bit of an experience of staining and re finishing, but this was the first time that I took on such a big project of staining brand new kitchen cabinets. I've used two colors, the one on the left is dark walnut, the one on the right is special walnut. Wipe on stain is easier to apply but won't be as dark. Gel stain will be darker, but much harder to apply evenly. I've used the above wood conditioner, it really worked, almost too good. :)

Thanks myhas and lucas--looks like I need to investigate Old Masters. I have another bathroom with the same cabinets that are in really rough shape and do need to be stripped, so I'll experiment there before tampering with my master bath ones that are in good shape but in need of a facelift. I'm intrigued by the idea of gel staining right over the existing finish. That sounds like a huge time saver.

gel stained cabinets --- lowers, scroll down

I have used General Finishes gel stain several times (See above thread). Works great, even though last time I actually sanded the cabinets a bit more. They have a color called White Mist, but no idea what it would look like on maple.

Jen In Fl, experiment on the back side of a door to get the feel for the color. I would sand the finish very lightly with a fine steel 0000 wool pad to to apply the gel stain. In my opinion the gel stain needs to be rubbed out evenly. Let it dry a day, and add more coats as desired.

Thanks nosoccermom--loved reading your reno. It looks great (and I used to have one of those IKEA carts, LOL)

Thanks myhaz--I like the idea of a light sanding to make the finish adhere better. It would be nice not to have to go all the way to bare wood.

On the other hand, stripping wood is pretty fun :-D

That gel stain is addictive :)

General Finishes also has a milk paint, which is supposedly even more forgiving in terms of not sanding. Not sure how durable it is, though.