Save your money to do the whole project. Not just locking the old cabinets into a permanent installation under stone.

I, also, recommend quartz. Look for something in the same tone as your floor, but find a "veining" that has a bit of the cabinet color and a color for wall paint. Add antiqued pewter to the cabinets.

I am currently putting quartz counters on my 18 year old oak cabinets. Picture of current kitchen is in my idea book. Hopefully the new counters will be on in about a month. A "marble look" quarts that leans on the creamy side would look nice. In the olden days, marble was often put on the top of wooden (often oak) washstands, so the two work together. Real marble is beautiful, but it needs a great deal of care, so a marble look quartz - a creamy, less white one, is a good alternative.

I did not go with a really marble look, though friends that have seen the sample sometimes ask me if it is. I chose Flaked Pearl, which is also LG White Pearl. There is a hint of beige in it - but there are many other choices. Keep the backsplash simple if you do one. Like karemore said, you don't want to have too many surfaces with "movement". I am going with simple subway tile in either white or cream. I will wait till the counters are i to make the final choice.

I've heard so many problems with Quartz chipping that I'm going with granite

If you like them and they are in good shape you might consider having your cabinets professionally painted or stained. I would never suggest someone doing that themselves after having done it. That will open up your design choices without a huge expense. I agree with some of the others on quartz over granite it's easier to keep up. If you want something unique however you might want to consider zinc or copper. Zinc especially has many finishes and applications. It can go from traditional to contemporary. Have fun.

jhmarie, I love the Flaked Pearl pattern you are going with. It's going to look gorgeous, I bet!

I'm curious to know what others think about the whole issue of replacing oak cabinets in order to stay current.......I don't know what it is about those older oak cabinets, but they do seem to last forever lol. It seems a shame to rip them out and toss them into the landfill. Painting seems like a good option, but you have to wonder - is everyone going to just get finished covering up all that oak, only to have it come back in style again? I'm as guilty as the next person for (trying) to keep up with changes, but there have been a few times when I've questioned my - or others' - sanity in this regard!

I would caution you on one thing: be careful not to spend a ton of money on quartz counters and end up with a space that says: 'new counters, old cabinets and old floor'. That happens too many times and people get disappointed. The first thing I would look at (and if you have pictures then please post) is how well does your floor relate to your cabinets. If the flooring doesn't really work with the cabinets, I would not waste money on new counters.

I would like to sincerely thank you all for your excellent advice. You just saved me from making a costly do it your selfer mistake!

@karemore - I think to some degree there may be a geographical aspect. I live in the Midwest, but in a college town which throws things off because many people aren't from the Midwest in my particular city. Certainly many are into the white cabinets and the Parade Homes last year had several (very expensive) homes with the white shaker cabinets. However, The Remodelers' Parade Homes had more wood. Oak cabinet still sell. I stopped by a cabinet maker I know to ask about some help with a cabinet. He had a whole large truck filled with a new kitchen of oak cathedral arch cabinets about to be delivered. They were darker stained than golden oak - the only nod to "on trend."

I stopped at a local kitchen place (still trying to solve my cabinet question) and the sales person said the plain arched cabinets were still a good seller. There are many more wood kitchen displays than white at the kitchen and bath stores.

The people born here tend to be very practical. They thought of ripping out perfectly good cabinets because of "style" is considered almost mentally unsound. Anyone who did so would be considered "uppity" unless they truly needed a new kitchen. Also, many here give more than lip service to the environment. Throwing good cabinets into the landfill could get a person shunned - well maybe not quite that bad, but like I said, a very strong streak of practicality and a strong sense of saving for the kids' college fund and retirement before prettying up the kitchen.

Oak is not a paint grade wood because the texture of the grain shows through. Of course people still paint it and many do not mind the texture thing, but some do. Wood also moves with changes in temp and humidity, and that cracks the paint at the joints, so some up keep is involved. Factory painted cabinets are usually made of MDF type materials or MDF mixed with wood parts, even high end ones, because it is more stable and takes paint well. Paint can be a great way to get new life out of worn cabinets, but it has its drawbacks. I painted some of my original 1970's wood cabinets and put them in the laundry room and I like the way they turned out. I refinished (total strip and refinish) my 1997 oak cabinets last summer and I like the way they turned out too:)

A funny take on the whole subject:

http://victoriaelizabethbarnes.com/a-manifesto-against-the-tyranny-of-luxury-kitchens/

@jhmarie....great link. I am currently embracing my oak 90's kitchen. Since most of my house has oak, I guess I must be having some kind of passionate affair with it ;)

(although I am hesitant to post my own design dilemmas here...)

op: same problem here. I went with a granite that is mostly gray with some beige in it)

Ahahahaha - well, Victoria Elizabeth Barnes does make a good point! I suppose one way to look at it is that all this renovating helps keep the economy going? Lol

Interesting point about the demographics of your college town...this is probably true, in general, of smaller centres. Somehow, I think the big cities get more caught up in the "staying current" game.

kjbjw - I know the feeling about posting a dilemma:) I try to let people know that that oak is not "dated" it may be "vintage" (as in my case). But for some "vintage" is as bad as "dated", but I think "vintage" has charm. I used to post some pics of my own kitchen to help others working with oak, but now I just say to check my idea book. One thing I like to do on this forum is tell people having oak cabinets is OK. Oak is a beautiful natural surface and if it was pretty a decade ago, then it is still pretty. The doors are often a half inch thick or more compared with a quarter inch shaker panel. I hate that people have been made to feel bad about their cabinetry. As I have said here before, can you imagine Olivia Walton complaining that her cabinets are sooo 1930's?

Thank you! I do appreciate your input.

We have 15 year old good condition honey oak cabinets and chose a Verde Butterfly granite (subtle teal butterfly wings, gold flecks and cream flecks against verde backrground). It looks beautiful.

Bought an older home a few months ago. Help me decide what updates to do in my kitchen!

Definitely doing: floor tile will be replaced with a rich hardwood. Backsplash replaced with a white wide subway tile in a herringbone pattern. Hardware updated to brushed nickel, possibly light fixtures and faucets.

Granite is a mixture of black, white, gray and warm gold. I do not plan to change that.

Up for debate:

Grout for backsplash, light gray or white?

Keep the oak cabinets as they currently are. Paint the walls a warm white and embrace all the wood trim.

Paint the cabinets white. Walls are currently a light gray color.

I really appreciate any input. My gut says paint the walls first and see if that can make me happy. I worry about the success of painting oak cabinets due to other posts I've seen about it not going well. I figure wall paint is easiest to change if I decide it's not what I want but once I paint the cabinets that's it.

The entire house has the same rich warm trim. I want to love it.

I've attached several inspiration photos of white walls and wood trim.

Kenda - you will get more help if you start your own dilemma thread:)

Also, to get good help, please post some clear pictures of your kitchen. Cream / white are paint colors that I am seeing a lot of now. Either cream or white subway tile - depending on which looks good with your wood tone and countertop - looks pretty with wood cabinets.

My own cottage /vintage style oak kitchen is in my "my pics" idea book. I also have a "wood kitchens" idea book and some of those are refreshed oak kitchens.

I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I was commenting, thought I was making a new thread. I'm going to start a new one now.