I would not do either of those colors. do you want to stain them or paint? a medium walnut if stain, nothing darker, unless you go to an ebony (oak stained ebony is beautiful!)

or you could stain a type of weathered gray color

this is what an espresso gel stain would look like

do you plan on getting new countertops? you could get a pre-fab granite or quartz top for about 800-1400, installed. pre fab comes in set colors (about 3-40), already counter depth at 22" and 8' long. a fabricator comes and fits them for you dimensions and cuts a hole for a sink. A countertop, backsplash and nice hardware would go a long way for updating those cabinets. Down the road you could paint them yourself later to save some money

pre-fab

I love the oak stained ebony!

I never knew one could buy pre fab countertops. We have a pretty large kitchen and island so thx!

In general I like wood cabinets and do not jump on the "paint them" train, but the center panels appear to be oak veneered plywood and I understand wanting to change the look. I have concerns that going darker with stain could increase the look of the grain, but I think you are referring to gel stain on top of the old finish so it does not actually get into the grain. I've seen blogs that have done that but I don't now how it holds up - probably similar to a paint job.

White is usually a safe paint color, but with white counters it would need to be the right white. I like the green / gray in this pic below because it is warm and prettier than most cool grays. If you paint, look for ways to bring the warmth of wood back into the room.

Professional photos published of Olive Green Kitchen · More Info

If you decide to keep the cabinets the natural oak (and even if you don't) you could have the center panel in some of the cabinets removed and replaced with glass. If you don't want to be able to see thru, you could choose a frosted glass, or for a country / farmhouse look, shirr fabric across the back.

I did keep my oak the natural tone. If you do that you could spend your money on new counters and backsplash. Mine is a vintage / French Country style:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~58830325

Yes I like your ideas a lot. I have thought about removing the panels and replacing with glass . I will consider your suggestions I especially like the kitchen pic ( swoon ) :)

From your remarks, am I right that you are looking to have this professional done? If so, I would get a professional in to give you a quote before you start selecting colors as your few thousand dollar budget may not do it. And does the "few thousand" include your counter tops?

Check out IKEA cabinet pricing they will probably cost the same or less then a professional refinish. In the end you wind up with better cabs and layout.

Since you are spending the money to get new countertops, I would at least get pricing on new cabinets before you decide to keep the old ones. Even if you paint them, the fronts will still have the outdated arch design, and you have the opportunity to get taller cabinets for more storage space.

what kind of countertop are you doing? and did you want to redo the cabs yourself or have someone else do them?

and the pre-fabs also come in island sizes. 4'x6', for about 600 bucks.

Well , I was going to go with granite as it is more affordable than quartz. The cabinet re do we were going to hire professionals do "N- Hance wood refinishing - done right " thru our local big box store. I don't know what I should do first - so I thought cabinets should be first before I pick out countertops and floor. We r also putting in tile in kitchen - thru the rest of the house.

instead of paying the big box store to be the middleman (and besides, lot of complaints with the people they hire out), why don't you call out your own cabinet refinishers and get an estimate? you will save money for sure. You are paying HD or Lowes the finders fee and they don't always hire the best. they hire the cheapest.

Here is an article that you might be able to glean some questions to ask

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/renovation/tips/a31753/painting-cabinet-mistakes/

Yes, I think you all have some valid points. Thank u for taking the time to help. I will research this process and ask for references etc. I will go directly to the professional and not the store with the blue vests. I actually had never heard of this type of refinishing until I read something about it in store. thx again

No I actually have about 14,000 for entire home update this will include floors ( tile ) ( new carpet in bedrooms ) we already have free labor with those as friends of my husbands do it already however we need help with countertops. I mean I WAS going to leave them this yucky oak but why not update ? I thought about changing the wall color an olive or sage green to compliment the oak ( I read that on this site ) but I thought i would rather update the look

14 is enough to get the cabs done, get a new splash, flooring and countertops, if you know how to shop. just do everything yourself instead of the blue vest people! keep us posted w/your choices.

You can't stain cabinets that have a finish on them. Stain has to soak into the wood, which can't happen with a finish.

N-hance is just a tinted varnish. And it's just a franchise operation that Home Depot is marketing; you're paying three markups: Home Depot's, the franchisee's (who does the work), and the franchise company (to whom the franchisee pays a fee). That's an awful lot of people profiting off your kitchen doors.

Plus, no matter what you do you'll still have those '90s arches on the cabinet tops. If the cabinet boxes are solid, I'd replace the doors & drawer fronts. That's easy and not expensive.

It is unlikely that the cabinets can be traditionally refinished because the center panel is probably a piece of veneered plywood - why the grain looks the way it does compared to a solid panel oak door. It is very difficult to strip and refinish veneer and you run the risk of the darker stain producing a zebra stripe effect where the darker stain absorbs deeply into the grain making it stand our more than it already does.

I looked into a professional painter ( angies list, yelp) I will get him here and ask his opinion. He is local and has pictures of the steps (a lot) needed to paint these types of cabinets. May be an option but it IS better than going with NHance which you are right is through the Orange aprons not blue vests and will mark up like crazy and probably produce less than par results. I have thought about re facing the doors as well...its just so hard. Thx for ALL you help. I appreciate all of you~

I had a professional painter come out and he is going to paint my cabinets white! I am thrilled: $3,000, Great price. I am wondering about countertops now. I don't want to spend over 6,000 for the countertops (with install) is this too much to ask? I live in the Modesto Ca area and have zero idea who to contact. I heard from someone on this feed about pre fab countertops? Any idea where I should start? Thanks

$6000 will get you almost any countertop you want installed. Have fun shopping!

If you are going to tile most of the house, I would have a look at find a tile that works throughout the space. Find 2-3 samples that you like and then go shopping for a slab. Take the tile pieces with you and a paint chip of the colour of your cabs. It is a nice, simple way to get a kitchen to work together: flooring compliments counters.

Go ahead and go shopping with floor tiles that you like. The white cabs will make it pretty easy to get a fresh new look and a new counter/floor combo.

Have fun. You've made a great start.