I tried using a dark gel stain on orangish finished wood trim and it didn't make much of a difference. Same with a finished cabinet in the gameroom. But it worked great on some un-finished doors. Hope it works better for you than what I experienced.

@benjesbride Thank you for your input. I have considered what you said about the cathedral style, but thought it would most likely be out of budget to have the doors redone.

If I did not stain the cabinets- would you suggest a dark heavy cabinet pull?

I only like dark pulls with dark counters. and I think your counter looks nice with your cabinets.

My first thought regarding new hardware is nickel finish. And just embrace and echo the curve of the cathedral doors with cup pulls on the drawers.

Look at general finishes gel stain.

Continuing with the General Finishes recommendation here's a video on the process. They have others on their site. I highly recommend this product over Minwax.

On my monitor, the color of your cabinets is not as orangey as some, but if you decide to use a gel stain, use General Finishes or Old Masters, never Minwax. Don't be heavy handed with it or it just looks bad. Several thin layers is better than one or two thick layers, so it takes some patience. Remember, without stripping down to bare wood, you can only go darker. You can experiment on the inside of one of the doors, to see if you will like it.

New hardware will make a difference, as well.

you cannot skip the stripping part unless there is absolutely no clear coat finish on your cabs. And never use minwax. it's the cheapest of the cheap and will look like it.

and no. you do not use two coats. if you want darker, use a darker stain. the wood will only absorb so much stain and any subsequent coats will just sit on top like nail polish on nails. not what you want.

this is a good gel stain.

gel is supposed to penetrate the wood. if you cabs have a clear coat, then how is the gel supposed to penetrate? it can't. hence the stripping, degreasing and sanding. staining cabs is a big job IF you want it to look decent. It's actually more work than painting.

Gel stain is used over stain because it doesn't have to penetrate the wood. It is more like paint, in that it sits on the surface, instead of being absorbed. You can absolutely do two, three, even four coats, if you want, to get the look you want. They should be thin coats and be allowed to thoroughly dry in between coats.

I"ve been staining wood a very long time. Don't tell me gel stains don't penetrate and that you should do 4 coats. you are not supposed to do 4 coats. gel stains do get lightly absorbed into the wood with also sitting on the surface. But It's not nail polish christinero.

GF has enough pigments to 'stain' the wood w/one coat. putting on additional coats results in a tacky, gummy finish, and could also result in cabinets w/a poor finish, especially for a kitchen.

this is from GF website on applying gel stain:

Optional: apply a second coat to deepen the color. Apply no more than 2 coats

https://generalfinishes.com/wood-finishes-retail/oil-based-wood-stains-sealers/oil-based-gel-stains

I have worked w/ GF stains on many, many wood projects. one coat is fine. Like I said, if you want a darker color, then go with a darker shade. there is no need to do 4 coats! good lord. why create more work for yourself? Gel stains act more like a paint and tend to hide the grain of the wood. I would never use a gel stain on a beautiful piece of walnut, tiger oak or bridseye maple. it would cover the beautiful wood details.

If you want to use 3-4 coats of a gel stain, then you might as well use an espresso paint. you will get similar results with a lot less work.

you will need at least 3 coats of a clear top coat after the stain dries. please read the above link for the complete how-to's in staining your cabs. especially this part Preparation for Projects with an Existing Finish

and Christinero,,,,,there are dyes, stains and gels. all three penetrate, but at different levels. gels are the lightest and don't bring out the depth of the wood grain like the stain or even the dye would. (I've used all three). but gel stains still penetrate. gels have a heavier ratio of pigments and tend to give off more even looking coloring.

Gel stain can be used as a stain or as a translucent "paint" over a finish to give a darker tone. Like beth, I prefer to strip the finish off and then stain and refinish - it is a much prettier and durable finish. Those that use gel stain over a finish report mixed results. Some say it starts to chip off - much like a poorly prepped paint job. Others say it works. Like I said, I think a strip and refinish gives a better quality look.

This person on this thread used the General Finishes gel stain over finished cabinets and list her steps - you need to scroll down a bit to get to that part. Her cabinets can out very well.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/is-this-oak-dsvw-vd~5320742

I would calculate the budget....go and look for a great hardwood floor that will work with cabinets in current state and be likeable to you so that if cabinets get painted or stained the floor can remain. I would try to work with cabinets as they are...in changing floor and counter and backsplash you will have a new palette. Leave cabinets and do the other things.....it will be quite different....You must approve of your layout as these activities will cost you some and then you are sitting with kitchen as is laid out now. Can you show an entire picture of the space? Older oak kitchens get lots of tweaks and modifications that people have experience with.

following

We used GF stain over our 100 year old fir doors and trim. Also on our stairs to the attic room. It covered really well. We used black over the orangey fir. We probably should have clear coated it but didn’t. After two years there are a couple of knicks and scratches but mostly looks good.

I went to lee valley and talked to a pro there. He seemed to know everything about GF

Please post photos of the entire kitchen. What you propose looks like unnecessary work for an unknown outcome. Why don't you put together an Ideabook or Pinterest board for "golden oak cabinets" and see what others have done with existing oak cabinets before you take the plunge. We don't see enough of the kitchen to make meaningful suggestions.

Artisan Kitchen Remodel · More Info

I did keep my mid tone oak cabinets and I did not darken them. Since my cabinets are older, I decided to work with a "vintage" style to combine new and older surfaces. Pics are in my "my pics" idea book if you want some "refresh" ideas. Also, I have a "wood kitchens" idea book that includes some older cabinets done differently.

@JHmarie your kitchen refresh is awesome! Way to rock it!

Thanks everyone! I think I am going to start with new hardware and backsplash and then move on from there.

Just a thought about backsplash. If you have any intention of changing your countertops (you don't need to - they are fine) then wait on backsplash, or do something easily removable - wallpaper, beadboard, stencil or a peel and stick subway tile - not mosaic - mosaic backsplash are too busy with oak. If you change countertops in a few years, there will likely be a gap between the new counter and the older backsplash. Then you may need to redo the backsplash again. There is nothing wrong with a pretty painted backsplash. Also, tile does not look as good on top of a 4" splash as it does when it starts from the counter.