you will get more responses if you post a picture.

With nothing more to go on than your sentence above, my recommendation is, NO! Do not paint real hardwood cabinets! They are worth more as good wood.

wow, it looks great......which white paint did you choose?

@Cathi Thomas What kind of paint was used, did a company do it that just specializes in cabinet painting, and how has it held up? I see so many before and after pics but most are taken right after the job was done. I'm always curious about the longevity of the paint.

It looks nice. I love your rounded cabinets.

Nice job Cathi! Love the backsplash, counter, and the rounded cabinets.

Cherry cabinets are never improved by painting. They are classic. Always change your lighting first, to better see everything in the room. And then think about what it is that makes you feel that it's dated, when it likely is not. Wood cabinets and light warm counters are back in style.

I have natural cherry cabinets with brazilian hardwood floors. I love cherry, but the red tones on the floors and cabinets were too much of a good thing for me.

I painted the island a sage green and I really like it.

The paint though does not hold up as well as the natural cherry. It was professionally painted.

You didn't post any pictures of your current kitchen, so who knows? Can't give advice in a vacuum here.

The painting on ours was done by a professional cabinet painting company, not just a painter. The color is Sherwin-Williams Extra White and the island is Aquaverde. Almost 4 years later it is holding up quite well, a few small nicks on the trash pullout but that is really it.

Yeah, paint doesn't hold up as well as the stained finish no matter how good the paint job is. I recently bought a house where fortunately they didn't paint the beautiful kitchen cabinets. However they did unfortunately feel the need to paint the master bathroom vanities that were previously the same as the kitchen. I long for the stained vanities with every new chip and ding in the paint. I would never paint stained cabinets unless the finish was in very bad condition.

Trash pull-outs get…..trashed. I’ve seen plenty of wood ones dinged and sticky and worn looking.

I had a beautiful kitchen with cherrywood cabinets. I just couldn't paint them--I love the look of cherry but I needed a change. I had the cabinets carefully removed and donated them to someone who absolutely loves them. Then I bought new painted cabinets. But that being said, I also changed the layout, added windows and new doors, so it was a large expense. If I couldn't afford the renovation, I would probably have changed the counter top and backsplash rather than paint the cabinets.

Can we see your kitchen? Depending on the condition of the wood doors and drawer fronts (and your budget), I would vote for Diana’s idea first. If the kitchen is looking weary, consider how long even a pro paint job will last.

We wait for pictures that is how you get help here .Post the pics here in comments

I will send kitchen pictures tonight. However with the above comments I’m thinking it best to start with new counter tops, backs backsplash and hardware.

Kitchen photos…..what does it need to update it? we will be getting new appliances as they are 20+ years old.

Oh my goodness--your cabinets look EXACTLY like mine did--with the arched tops and the same exact brass hardware! Why not try to update the counter tops and backsplash before you paint the cabinets?

Some ideas:

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Any suggestions on counter tops and backsplash? All creative suggestions welcome! 😁

If you want light counter tops, either white quartz, white Corian, or white marble. Natural marble veining is beautiful, but if you go with quartz or Corian, get plain white.

If you want dark counter tops, soapstone or Jet Mist granite would be nice.

Go for it! i had cherry cabinets, great condition, had them professionally refinished BM chantilly lace. no regrets after 2 years. any little chips / dings can be touched up with paint. love Cathi Thomas before and after below ! looks great!

So you have dated cabinets and now you want to paint them to be white dated cabinets at a huge expense for no real improvement . The same goes for new counters and backsplash why? IMO fresh start is anew kitchen and spending a ton of money on the same old space is a waste. How are the new appliances going to be installed in his space . IMO the cooktop with the oven below is not ideal WQaht type of cook top are you planning ? Quartz is IMO a down grade from granite so what is the plan there ?Sorry but the kitchens Diana posted are dated too so before you spend a huge $$$$$$$ think about what you love and what you dislike about what you have for function then you do changes .

White or painted cabinets are trendy because they are made with cheap wood. Why paint beautiful and high end cabinets to make them look like cheaper one, just because cherry has become too expensive and people can't afford it any more?

White kitchen cabientrt is a classic; nothing trendy about it if the poster is wanting a fresh change , so be it I got a lot of push back on here as well when i said i wanted to refinish my cherry cabinets. I have zero regret and love the way it looks. change is good !

I suspect that getting a great result would require a professional paint job - not cheap! As Patricia said, the result is a kitchen that is not dated by its color but by its sub-optimal function. The angled corner cabinet, lack of drawers, microwave location will still be problems with a fresh coat of paint.

Personally, I would not spend a lot of money on changes to a kitchen unless I got an improvement in function.

Wow - those are beautiful cabinets and white has been popular for so long it's time has come and gone for now. There is no way in he!! I would paint those gorgeous cabinets. Just update the counters and backsplash and maybe get some more interesting cabinet hardware. Those things alone will make a world of difference. Presumably you'll get stainless appliances which will give it a very different look as well.

There are ways to update your cherry cabinets. As other have said you can replace your existing countertops with white quartz. You can also update your backsplash. You could consider painting your upper cabinets only and leaving the base cabinets a cherry finish. If you have an island you could consider painting that alone and might suggest a pale sage green to compliment the cherry finish. You could also consider painting your walls a color that would tone down the red of the cabinetry.

One reason @Cathi Thomas ’ painted cabinets looks so great is because she also got new counters and a new splash that look good with her white paint selection AND are a more updated look. PLUS she already had stainless appliances. These factors are important - you cannot just look at cabimet color as an isolated choice. It is all in context.

Your appliances are black. Fine with cherry, but might look very dated with white cabinets, which would usualy be paired with stainless. I think if you paint the cabinets white you will be disappinted with your counter. so, the arched door details are a bit dated. They don’t bother me in cherry but will look more prominent painted white. Find examples to see if you like them white.

A very quality paint job, appliance appliance, counters, and splash - is this all in your budget? If not, I’d instead look into keeping your cherry and adding new counters and splash. I believe the cost would not be much more than a quality paint job.

There’s a current before and after thread on houzz and I really like what they have done. Note, they have stainless appliances.

Arches are appearing everywhere. So is natural wood. So, the cabinets should stay, as is. The #1 thing that needs to be addressed is the lighting. You need better lighting, and under cabinet lighting. And stainless appliances, to reflect the light around the room, instead of absorbing it. The #1 thing dating the kitchen is the OTR. You need a real hood. Both for function, and appearance. You could do a nice pro look stainless hood, that will work better for switching to an induction cooktop. And, of course, new counters and splash. But ONLY after you address the electrical needs of the room.

Creamy white counters and backsplash, remove the sink arch and curtain, take down any uppers you can possibly spare (although it looks like a very small kitchen, but even one will help freshen it/make it airier & more current looking). Stainless appliances. And you absolutely must remove the microwave vent for an actual hood of some sort.

Thank you everyone for the helpful hints. yes, i plan to get stainless steel appliance, add more lighting, new backsplash and countertops. what is everyones opinion on subway tile as a backsplash……dated? suggestion are always accepted.

I adore subway splash. (Though many think they are boring.) They never go out of style, are classic but can transition to most any style room. I just got a condo with an old splash and will be replacing with subway because they are neutral enough and non-trendy enough for resale when the time comes.

Subway tile is great and while some are bored with it, I firmly believe it is a solid option, forever. The chubbier shape (3x6, 4x8) is the traditional kind.

If you end up painting maybe you can get new door fronts for the uppers and remove the arches.

Another fan of subway tile. Classic, works with everything,can be installed more ways than any other shape and is your kitchen’s best Greek Chorus.

Yes just do it!

What everyone calls "subway tile" is just rectangular tile. Real subway tile is a very plain white 3x6 rectangle, which is genuinely what is found in NYC subways. Perhaps you think that's boring, but I think it's classic.

Or it can be another size rectangle--4x8, 2x6, 2x10, 2 x 12, in a wild variety of colors, matte, glazed, crackled. A totally flat surface or an undulating wavy surface. With rectified edges, beveled edges, irregular edges. Porcelain, ceramic, marble, limestone. The possibilities are endless. It depends on the look you want.

@Cathi Thomas, Wow! It looks very fresh and expensive.

Hi, I have another suggestion: maybe you can put the wallpapers on instead of painting, and you may change the wallpapers every 3 years if you want. You can have a lot of choices of wallpapers for yourkitchen and dinning room here:

@cmm1964 May I suggest you start your own, new thread, to get better answers and suggestiona.