I recall looking into stainless counters and they were incredibly expensive. Having cabinets painted is expensive too, and it is hard to do them really well yourself. Your kitchen looks far better than I was anticipating. If you are seeking a change, I'd just paint the orange wall in the dining area and get a new throw rug. The rest is far nicer than what I usually see on here.

I don’t think you need to paint the cabinets.
I’d look for a white countertop and paint the orange wall.
Change the backsplash if you still have the budget.

The cabinets look better in the pics than in person they are discolored, (greenish yellow toned) unevenly stained and the wood doesnt match there are even different types of wood around the windows pine and birch. The trim was originally spec’d to be painted. SS from a countertop place is expensive; but, we used a sheet metal company for a dry bar in our basement and it is great and was reasonable. The issue for stainless is whether it can be installed over the existing countertops. if we keep the granite i dont think the blue will work for the cabinets hence my what color paint cabinets if keep the existing granite question. Ideas?

Start with the quick, less expensive fixes than can lighten up and update the kitchen to make more acceptable even likable for you.. Paint the walls lighter, maybe a color from backsplash. New light fixtures, hardware in black, bronze, or just more interesting than plain knobs. The knobs everywhere may make it much harder if not impracticable to replace with handles. Wood cabinets back in style and yours are shaker style, a bonus.. A new sink faucet if old one tired.? Then can wait awhile until new counters and backsplash are the budget.

absolutely no to the SS countertop. You don't have the right style for that.

Here are a lot of pictures giving you diff options. Key work, " Options". lots o pics!

There are some DIY videos of how to do a concrete overlay that type of countertop. it's cheap, not too difficult. it would look better than stainless steel.

(this one shows how. and, you'll see I posted the same blog for help on removing that 4" piece of backsplash)

https://www.younghouselove.com/trying-our-hand-at-ardex-concrete-counters/

tinted black:

So, lets Start with demoing the backsplash tile and that 4" piece of countertop up the back. It can be carefully pried off, along w/the tile on the wall. (look at "how to DIY granite backsplash and tile removal". lots of how-to's You'll save about 1,000 doing this yourself)

this is a how to showing a bathroom removal, but it's the same for your kitchen bacsplash.

https://www.younghouselove.com/take-it-away/

As a bonus, you'll find a ton of DIY projects on this particular blog.

Here's another how to and how they did the backsplash w/this:

https://www.grecodesigncompany.com/home-inprovement/how-to-remove-a-granite-backsplash-install-sticktiles/

they removed the 4" piece up the back and did stic on tiles.

(If you plan on painting the cabs, you'll want to do that first. This link is the best DIY guide for painting oak cabs. follow every single step and they'll look great.

https://www.evolutionofstyleblog.com/how-to-paint-your-kitchen-cabinets-like)

Here is just one of her many kitchen redos

another option after you get the backsplash removed, is removing those coutnertops and replacing them w/butcher block. Home depot and floor and decor have many diff inexpensive options.

Here are some examples:

IFyou don't want wood, have you ever heard of Pre-fab countertops?

they look like this (prefabricated into countertop depth w/a finished edge, and come in 6',8' and 9' lengths. Average price for one of these is $500. You can get granite,marble or quartz

Floor and decor usually carries some, or maybe those builder surplus places,

But stone yards carry the biggest selection.

You would hire a fabricator/installer who would bring it to your home and cut it for you on site. I see that your kitchen has a simple countertop install. just a straight shot w/a small peninsula. wouldn't cost that much to have done. you could prob get pre fab countertops done for your kitchen for less than $1700, depending on what you pick and hwere you are.

You could do a simple white quartz, paint the cabs, simple tile splash and have this type of redo:

Here's a nice before and after, using the countertops she already had. (granite)

You could do something like this w/yours IF you could do a large portion of DIY. Can you?. You'll save thousands. With DIY and pre fab countertops, you could make your kitchen look like this for less than 3K. Those shelves can be made for less than $60. Hardware-Koofizo on Amazon. Tile the backsplash yourself. quartz countertops. cheap pendants.

Lastly, as a really cheap option, Epoxy countertop kit. I have not done this or seen it, so I don't know what's it's like. but I've seen videos that don't look half bad. You could do this to hold you over while you save up your money for new countertops .

https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/how-to-pour-epoxy-countertop/

Part II.

Are you sure your oak cabs aren't good enough to be refreshed and not painted? It would save you a lot of time IF you were going to do it yourself. If you planned on having them professionally painted, it would easily save you 6K or more.

I can't see the rest of the kitchen, but is the wood trim everywhere? Lighten things up by giving the walls a fresh coat of paint and bringin in some diff lighting and decor.

have you tried a good cleaning of the wood? Or maybe they need a fine grit sanding and a new clear coat?

If you can do that, here are some design ideas that would go w/the wood. All of these entail removing the countertop and tile splash. if you get a new counter, no 4" piece up the back.

Look at the diff in this before shot of oak cabs. they replaced the tile and countertop

freshed the wood, black hardware and black accents. new countertop/tile

Here's a shot showing oak cabs w/leathered Steel Gray granite (you could find this granite in a pre-fab for about $500 or so). I don't care for the size of the white tile (too small) and I also don't like this style hardware. but the granite is nice w/the wood tones. and you have nicer floors.

Next shot, simple white quartz, a new runner, white tile, new hardware. Paint out the wood trim white, lighter wall color. this blue gray is a nice color w/wood

If you like the dark color, this midnight blue is also very pretty w/the wood

Here's your kitchen shot.

similar cabinet layout around the window like you have. This is Repose Gray and some natural wood shelves, White trim, quartz counter

Want really bright? All white

That blue you selected leans towards teal and not in a good way.

Here is your blue which just gobbles up any light in the room.

These are colors SW Paints think are close to your swatch. Lots of green in the blue.

Here are kitchens with blue cabinets.

I went diy crazy to change up our place while we wait and save up for a real remodel. Lessons learned: It really is hard to do a great paint job on cabinets. But I don't care as my dark teal cabinets make me happy every day. I did the cement skim coat in the kitchen and the self pour epoxy counter thing in the bathrooms. My epoxy yellowed quickly over time. Skim coated concrete was a PIA to sand. I'd do home depot butcher block counters sealed with milk company tung oil instead if I could start from the beginning on the diy temporary counters. More $$ but our "island" countertop has help up amazingly and looks great. We will repurpose the butcher block when we upgrade. We are 2 years in for our custom printed peel and stick wall paper from etsy as a backslash. It cleans well and looks great. Better than the peel and stick tiles in the bathroom. Best of luck!

If you want the blue then I think that the existing counters will not look terrible. I think that the blue on the lowers & a shade of white or off white on the uppers will work better in the space. I would also keep the walls a light color, maybe a shade or two darker then the upper cabinet color.

Thanks im not stuck on blue would a different color be better? charcoal grey, black?

I think that a warm gray might work better but others might have a better idea.

I think your blue works well with your granite, but doesn't work with the terra-cotta colored walls. Will you paint all that to a neutral white? That's what I'd do first.

I like the idea of blue lowers with white uppers, and can see that your cabinets aren't in great shape so what do you have to lose, doing it yourself. At the least, you'll get a good idea of how to proceed when/if you do a larger remodel.

My prediction: in another few years, regular grained granite will come back in style, the marble-swirly look will be out. So you might be pleased to hold on to your current counters.

If you want to keep the existing counters, I'd consider a light taupe/gray for the cabinets.

Pacific Heights Family Home · More Info

Note they have brown counters here, similar in tone to your granite. They used satin nickel hardware here, but you could also do matte black. I'd then remove the 4" granite backsplash and find a textured solid ceramic tile in a creamy tone.

well so much for all my inexpensive ideas!

ok, so no one likes the blue because it does not work w/the countertop. Hence all of the examples to change it.

If you must keep it, than try one of these colors on the cabinets.

if you really want blue, you could see how this one looks. or, put it on the wall instead of the orange coloe

Are you painting yourself or hiring out? I ask because all of that wood needs some serious prep work prior to painting or the paint is going to look like poo. every inch of that wood needs to be sanded and smoothed, nicks filled in, smoothed again, primer, sanded AGAIN. The prep work will be at least 75% of the work on those things. Painting will be the easy part.

wxample, this is a peeling top coat and old finish. it all needs to be taken down to bare wood. if not, what ever you put on top will peel. A good primer on the bare wood, even a shellac, then an oil base primer, would give you the best base for coverage

If DIY, at least look at the painting link I posted. It will give you the proper steps.

If hiring out, expect to pay some serious coin to have it done properly. If someone quotes you 2K, You're going to have the worst looking paint job on the planet. (which would be a shame, because those are actually some nice looking wood cabs. they just need a serious clean up and refinishing. A COMPLETE refinishing.)

Oh, and I'd seriously repaint the walls from that terracotta to a lighter color if you want to paint the cabs.

Definitely hiring painting out, painting walls cream or white and all trim. If went with something like urban bronze Any suggestions for tile, and hardware Maybe somekind of subway tile ??

our painter knows what to do for all the painting cabinet issues

Fireclay Tile just came out with a new "Satin Essentials" line. Beautiful colors similar to the ones Beth shows above with a matte, not glossy finish. Check them out. Much less expensive than their other tile.

if hiring out, please please get a detailed report of what they do. and what they're charging you. I've painted 3 sets of kitchen cabs and also had mine done professionally.

will they be removing the doors/drawers and taking them back to their shop? sanding, priming, sanding THEN painting? taping off everything in your home to spray the base cabs after sanding and priming? filling in all the holes, scratches w/wood bondo?

What paint are they using? spraying? brushing?

You say "our painter knows what to do". I wish I had a nickel for every person that wrote into this site w/poor quality jobs stating, "but he said he knew what to do. he's a professional".

Tell me this, what is your painter estimating your cabinet cost (everything i've mentioned) to come in at? under 5? more than 7k?

has he mentioned the grain of the wood? do you like it 'showing' through the paint? or would you rather have the grain filled?

does he offer a guarantee against chipping and peeling? how long? free touch-ups?

as for the tile choice, wait until they are painted before choosing something. much easier to match up that way.

Sabrina's fireclay tile is a nice choice. (but freight shipping can be expensive) Places like wayfair, tilebar, HD have a set rate.

just make sure to pull off that one piece before you tile

@Beth H. : just a note to say how generous you are with your time and expertise on here - it often goes unremarked ♥

@Beth H. :yes to all questions paragraph 2 i dont remember the type of paint but at the time he told me it corresponded to the best paint for cabinet painting in all my research and i do recall oil was included spray application I have seen his cabinet work its amazing

thanks for your great concern and detailed advice

we will do final contract once the other decisions arre made rough estimate $6-8k

1. Your granite is very nice. It is the real, HARD granite that was first used. It is FINE!

2. Paint your walls a soft off white. I like SW Antique White. I prefer Behr paint, so I had Home Depot copy that shade in their paint. Pull off the backsplash, but leave the small 4 " that matches the granite.

3. You can paint the cabinets yourself, I did and they look great. It is a lot of work. I used flat on the ceiling and walls not in the kitchen. Eggshell on the kitchen walls, and semigloss on the cabinets. Take the doors off. Remove all hardware. Clean and sand. You can put the doors back up after they feel very dry, but do not let close for a month to let the paint cure.

If you have the money to rip out and get rid of fine, but not everyone does. We seem to have got away from DIY on here. Sometimes that is the only way to go, and really it is fine. I have enjoyed my kitchen since the eighties with only one repaint.

I did change in the early part of this century from wallpaper to paint on the kitchen walls, but the cabinets have stayed the same off white color throughout.

I'm suggesting nothing dark for wall or cabinets. You have a dark counter top and a dark floor, thinking whites with off whites will work and lighten and brighten.

White in semi-gloss finish for cabinets. Ceiling is white of the cabinets in but in flat finish. Trim, use the white of cabinets in the semi-gloss finish.

Paint the walls the off white of the backsplash.

You would have to judge the color of the backsplash, as I don't trust monitors to be absolute.

Guessing :

Hopefully I have not steered you wrong and the kitchen looks something like this. White ceiling, off white walls, white cabinets and brown countertops and your brown floor.

Change out the hardware for brass. It will look good with the browns.

In this kitchen there is an eating area as do you. Love the lighter, good sized art and there is a wall by your table waiting for a great piece. Keep it light.

You can also save a bit of money, by painting the backsplash. I think, everything white, is a bit too much. You can get a sample of the blue you like, and put it on poster paper and tape that over the lower cabinet, to see how you like it. White on the top would be fine. If you are going to do them yourselfs, preparation is very important. Clean them, with a very good cleaner. Sand them, if any nicks, or dents, or holes, then fill those, and sand again. Wipe them down really well, and use a top quality sealing bonding type primer on the cabinets. Follow the directions on the can for dry time, paint coating time, and if that primer needs a very light sanding. Then wipe them down again, and start painting. Some can be done with a small foam (white) roller that says, for cabinets on it. Also, make sure the paint you are putting on, is an actual cabinet paint. It will take 2 to three coats. Follow the directions on the can for drying time, before recoating. Let sit a couple of days, before trying to hang the cabinets, and like above, do not close them, for 30 days. Primer the backsplash with sealing bonding primer. Use decent quality satin or semi gloss paint to paint them. Make sure they are squeaky clean, before doing anything to them. Trim, could be satin or semi gloss white. A nice light color on the walls and you will have a fresh clean kitchen. Do not rush any of these steps. Take your time, and do it right. It is time consuming to paint cabinets, and do a decent job. There are NO shortcuts.

wislawcat, great. sounds like you found a good painter.

btw, is your countertop the manufactured stone that looks like granite? Doesn't look like acutal granite. I have seen some manufactured stone like this that resembles granite that they used 20+ years ago.

Definitely consider BM Swiss Coffee in the mix. Many of the suggested colors can be bought from Samplize, which saves you the expense of buying small amounts of paint you now have to dispose of. Only try "real" paint with the last 3 of your favorites.

Going dark with Urbane Bronze is a winner. Lots of good light colors from Beth. Alabaster and Accessible Beige look best to me.

I have an entire house painted SW Antique. It's a really soft ivory. Try that one too.

Houzzers will try to talk you out of painting since a PROFESSIONAL job is thousands of dollars. But you sound like you have a great painter, know what to ask of him and expect the right type of paint and preparation to be done. I think this is an excellent idea. Removing the backsplash and just painting the new dry wall is perfectly fine. No tile expense! You can DIY that in a year. Just get the kitchen cabinets done, remove the existing 4" backsplash and tiles and see how much you appreciate your granite countertop.

I think your "new" kitchen will be great. You'll figure out the new wall color later. Priming the walls now will help your eyes to "see" what colors will complement the new cabinets.

@Beth H. : yes they are definitely granite im a big cook /baker and i would never have a counter i cant put pots and pans on. i make sour dough in cast iron pots at 500 F and put the pots straight on counter with no issues ever

i know some stone experts say thermal shock is a risk but never had issue

great. I used to have granite and did the same thing.

if you're wanting to keep that granite, try one of those colors on a sample board to see what you think

(and if you ever want to switch, look into the pre fab granite countertops. you could redo it for less than 2K easy. and, that one w/the hutch on top? not a big deal. I have the same thing on mine. when I switched out the tops it only took them 10 mins to take it off

see the desk area? we were able to get the granite up in one piece.

here's the plywood base after taking off the hutch

and how it all looks afterward.

or, you could always leave the hutch are as is and just do the other countertops. maybe have them cut a piece that would fit the hutch area. if and when you ever redo it, you'll have the cut piece that fits on top of the lower portion