Look into adding some more lighting and go with the espresso stain - it will hold up well on the oak cabinets. Although the idea of warm white uppers and dark lowers is great too! I would also look into undercabinet lighting to show off that cool backsplash and add some molding to the cabinets to give it a more finished look. I would also look into changing the hardware - you can easily change the knobs on the doors to pulls, but you will have to keep knobs on the drawers or go for a cup pull that would cover a filled in hole.

Good luck and have fun!!

Here's some pics from Google.... ( the 3rd is someone's kitchen where they said they used Java colored Gel stain over oak )

Espresso is already a very dated look and IMO a white kitchen is timeless and allows for real freedom with decorating.

Thank you all very much for the input. I had always thought I wanted espresso cabinet. I was drawn to the elegance of the dark finish. I do agree that it would be too dark for my space. At this point I think I will embark on doing white/off white (some sort of shade of white) cabinets. I would like some advice with the following please:

1) Choosing a paint type/manufacturer and color (shades of white)

2) Hire a professional or do it myself? . I am pretty handy and I have had some experience with painting wood. I am also a chemist so I know few things when it comes to coatings.

3) I have run into posts using milk paint to redo cabinets. Any thoughts on that or other methods to do this?

Thanks you again for your input and help with my project :)

I will take additional photos of my kitchen. I think the pictures I posted make it look darker than it is. I do have plenty of natural like in that area and YES to adding under cabinet lights. I will also look into upgrading my light fixture to provide more light in the kitchen.

if you already know what you like, you don't need our permission! go for it. sounded like you weren't sure which way to go.

I totally recommend you do it yourself unless you just don't have the time and/or work space. I used Sherwin Williams Cabinet Pro paint on my own cabinets and was very pleased with it. (None of the tackiness I've always hated about painted cabinets.) Check out their color "Westhighland White", but also bring home a number of chips to compare with your existing white trim behind the sink. Don't feel like you have to paint the cabinet interiors unless you are going to have glass fronts.

Begin by thoroughly cleaning all cabinet surfaces to be painted with a good degreasing cleaner. Then scour surfaces using liquid sander. I recommend priming with an oil-based stainblocking primer to eliminate bleed-through. Sherwin Williams sells one I used when nothing else was working. For your paint topcoats, using a sprayer is definitely the fastest way to go. But if you're like me and don't have one, this method also results in a great finish: roll paint on with a foam roller then lightly smooth with a high quality brush such as Purdy.

I look forward to seeing the end result! (And my apologies if I've included "duh" info, as you did say you've has some experience painting wood ;-)

TC, I was going to say always hire a professional to paint your cabinets but you laid out all the steps (which many people skip) and provided a lot of information about the products and the process. After reading that, I wouldn't be afraid of painting my own cabinets, if I thought I had the time!

TC Hudson, thank you so much for for the detailed advice! That's very helpful and it's not "duh" info to me. Repainting kitchen cabinets is a much bigger and more involved task compared to painting a table or a chair!

I don't necessarily have to match the color with the trim around the sink area. It's a small area and I can redo that as well.

My first instinct was to go with white to lighten it up. A very soft ivory would be nice as well and keeping with the the warmer tone of the counter tops as you don't want to replace that too beautiful and expensive to replace!! I do love the back splash,but too busy together! paint first and see how you like the color all done! don't for get to paint the walls a lighter color and some crown moulding at the top will finish it off nicely. It's amazing a little moulding will do?!! Good luck and post the finish project would love to see! I'm on my way to get ideas for my small kitchen too!! thanks for the painting tips I wrote down and on my way to the store!!

P.S I love Debbi's ideas just didn't no how much you wanted to spend?

loujebb, I decided basically sort of out of nowhere, to paint mine. My 24 year old dishwasher died, and then when thinking about a replacement, and the color, it hit me that it was time to bite the bullet and do something about my 80's kitchen. I have hated it for sometime, but the job was so immense I was just too intimidated to even know where to start. Think old yellowing country wallpaper with rose hearts, everywhere in the kitchen and the dining room. Knotty pine cabinets and trim. Chair rail. Crown. OY! But I did it. I spent my entire spring break vacation, plus a day, and the next 3 nights, just to finish the cabinets. I researched well, and did the proper prep (and that is the MOST important part!!). I have completed everything now. All the trim, stairwell, doors, repainting of a shelf, new outlets...etc. This is my before and after. (Pardon the mess I am still in the process of finishing a few small things!)

I will be getting new countertops in the next few weeks, and then new floors. :-)

I started this whole project in mid April, and just really got to where I would call it basically done, a couple of days ago. The cabs were done over a little over a week, and then the rest was done on nights after work. Many many late nights. Only a few weekends did I spend as I have a BF that can be a bit demanding of my time, LOL. He did put in my new range and dishwasher, and the range hood, but I did everything else. It was a HELLUVA lot of work. Don't think it isn't. You can surely do it with fewer steps and less time, but it won't hold up.

Wow! great job! It looks so much brighter. Please share photos once you install new counter tops and flooring!

You are right, doing research and having a detailed step-by-step process is crucial.

I have found a lot of helpful information online but one of the things I am not sure about is using a liquid sander versus mechanical sanding. Which method did you use?

I cleaned first with liquid TSP. It is better than TSP in that you don't have to worry about wiping it off. (TSP leaves a white film so it must be wiped completely off).

After cleaning, I sanded. Mostly used the sanding sponge blocks, and also sandpaper depending on the surface. Those blocks are great - and you can wash them and reuse, unlike sandpaper. After sanding, I wiped down to remove all the dust, and then I wiped down with deglosser. Deglosser (also called liquid sander) does not actually sand anything. It penetrates the surface just a bit, to soften it, so that paint will ahere better. For surfaces that have any imperfections at all, (and boy my stained/varnished cabinets and trim were a lesson in how well a wood finish works to hide imperfections - every drip and scratch is virtually invisible, until you sand and find it!). Maybe your wood won't be as bad as mine was. But there were old varnish drips and knots and gouges that I had never even noticed. Deglosser does nothing for those things. So unless your wood surface is in perfect shape, I would strongly advise you to sand, and degloss both. Varnish is a very difficult surface for paint to adhere to, so you really have to take a lot of pains to ensure good bonding.

I read a This Old House article once that suggested drilling small holes in the bottom edges of the cabinet doors, screwing cup hooks in and then hanging each door on a hanger and hang the hanger on a line or pole to paint them. That seems like a whole lot of work!

One more step to add.... you must fill in every scratch dent ding gouge.... with a painted finish they will show up alot more

If you are planing to keep the same backsplash and counters, we would say white to make an open feel and larger room.

Yes, of course you will need to fill any holes and large gouges in the wood. Dents, though, unless they are huge, I would not worry about. I painted WAY too much wood to worry about every little scratch nick and dent. It's wood - not plastic. It's unrealistic to think that there won't be some imperfections. There are plenty in mine, believe me, and the paint job still looks beautiful. :-)

Thank you all for the input.
The cabinets are in very good shape. So they wouldn't require too much work in terms of cleaning and sanding.
Yes, the countertops and backsplash are staying. I actually installed those! :) i realize that i should have picked a less busy one but i couldn't resist the shiny and unique design.
You should have seen the green Formica that I had as a countertop!

While that counter/backsplash is too busy for me personally, I think I see some mother-of-pearl tile in there (which I love), and white cabinets should look really nice with that. It will definitely lessen the busy look of it as well. Good luck, and have fun with this project! :-)

Backsplash is eye-numbingly busy. Leave the lowers, but lighten the uppers and the space above them.

Carolina K&B, bless you for your kind words- it means a lot to me coming from a Pro!

:) TC, is the SW cabinet paint oil-based or latex? The brush finish at the end, is that with a china bristle brush or a nylon brush?

I would assume latex paint. I rarely hear of people using oil based there days. Oil based paint can be more durable and provide higher gloss for certain applications but they are tough to handle and clean. Latex paints are water-based and have come a long way in terms of providing the same performance as oil based.

It is latex. I've only had nylon brushes, so I don't know if there is an advantage of one over the other. Also, a tip when washing your brushes: after thoroughly cleaning with a little dishsoap, rub hair conditioner into the bristles and give a final rinse. This really preserves the softness of the bristles.

TC Hudson, I love your all your little tips.

I used a paint that is made specifically for painting cabinets and trim - BM Advance. It is "self leveling", meaning that it smooths itself out. I painted the cabinet doors FLAT. I had a sort of assembly line in my kitchen. First I painted the door laid on a small box (to raise it and to make sure I caught any drips). I used a brush, as I have raised panel doors and it was far easier. (FWIW, I tried a using a small roller on wood trim and it did NOT go well.. The roller left little tiny bubbles behind which I had to resand and repaint so I would not advise a roller).

After I finished each door, and had a good smooth coat, I moved the door over to my peninsula (which was covered with a canvas tarp) and set it on those small triangles, to dry. I had space for about 4 doors there. Once the paint was touch-dry, I moved them to a spot in the living room to finish drying. The Advance paint has a paint/resand dry time of 16 hours, which sounds long, but honestly I had so many doors and drawers to paint that it actually did not hold me up at all. But the finish is really nice, very hard and smooth.

The Advance paint is what is called "waterborne", meaning that it has properties of oil finishes, but is water-based so easy cleanup that was critical for me. And even thought the paint is fully dry and sandable in 16 hours, they say that the full hardening time is 30 days,, meaning that is how long until you have a tough durable finish. So if you have a bunch of kiddies running around, this is probably not the paint for you. There are lots of other great choices out there.

Chess is exactly right. do not use a straight latex on cabinets. (Sorry TCHudson. hopefully with all of your great prep work, the latex will last, but it's really not meant for wood).

Advance is a hybrid acrylic paint, w/the qualities of both water/oil based, as chess stated. Sherwin Williamns Pro Classic is another, as is Fine Paints of Europe Eco line. I would also use a satin or gloss finish. the glossier the paint, the easier it is to clean.

the primer used should be an oil based. I like Zinsser in the spray can. you pay more but the ease of use is so worth it.

Yes, waterborne alkyds is another option. You will find that there are pros and cons to each type of paint. It all depends on what you are coating and the demands for the paint. Advance from BM is a waterbased alkyd not a hybrid as far as I know. SW makes a hybrid alkyd/acrylic paint. another thing to consider when using alkyd or hybrid alkyd/acrylic is the dry/cure time.

yes, it's a 100% waterborne alkyd. but it's qualities are like a hybrid of oil and water base. dry time isn't bad,,,about 4 hours to touch,,,and another 10-16 for next coat. (humidity/temp is obviously a factor here)

• ADVANCE offers the application and performance of traditional oil paint in a waterborne formula that cleans up with soap and water. It is a 100% alkyd formula water-dispersible alkyd developed with proprietary new resins that keep VOCs low even after tinting. It flows and levels like a traditional alkyd with the extended open-time required to achieve high-end finishes.
• Semi Gloss
• FEATURES :

• • * * <i>Exceptional application and feel</i>
• Outstanding coverage and hide
• Cures to a hard, furniture-quality finish
• Tinted with Benjamin Moore’s proprietary waterborne colorants
• Low VOC even after tinting
• Available in over 3,500 colors

Definitely pay attention to the primer. Since I was having to deal with knotty pine, I really had no choice. I used Zinnser B.I.N. shellac-based primer. That stuff is amazing. It's sort of the "holy grail" of primers. :-) It is a bit of a pain to clean the brush, but I learned all about lacquer thinner too - and that is the way to go. Wow does it clean off a brush in a hurry. Also, if you are going to be painting again in the next day or 2 or 3, you can wrap your brush in plastic wrap, (no matter what the paint) and stick it in the fridge. It will be fine to paint with (take it out and let it warm up a bit before using it) and you can save some brush cleaning time. I did this MANY times - it worked great.

Beth H, Sherwin Williams Pro Classic is actually what I used on my cabinets. I was incorrectly remembering the name. (It's been a couple of years, a move halfway across the U.S., and two more remodels.) Because it's water cleanup I referred to it as latex. Thanks for the clarification!

Pro Classic is a good paint. I've read several good things about it as well.

With the dark tops and back splash i would go with white. will help open up the space.

What's the verdict on adding crown molding? yea or nay?

I am not a fan of that gap between the ceiling and cabinets but I also don't want to spend too much on adding additional shelving. So looking for budget friendly solutions.

Thanks again.

gap is too large for crown. you could have boxes made and paint them to match cabs. Any DIY skills?

thriftydecorchick

Some lighter cabinets would be nice! Maybe an off white!

I vote no on the crown.

@ Southern Spruce, that's the plan! As you mentioned, it would be the best choice for the space. I would have done Espresso if I had a lighter scheme in the kitchen.

I don't like the idea of doing some sort of covering plus crown on that empty space. A bit too much!

Adding additional storage boxes on top is a nice idea and I have seen variations of them where they are just open some add glass doors, but that would be beyond my budge.t I have some DIY skills but not for wood work.

Adding just a simple crown molding would be simple but I am not a huge fan of the formal look of crown molding in general. What to do, what to do?!!!!!!

You don't have to do a crown that projects out or is very curved... there are angled crowns or coved crowns that area much simpler.

You can also consider just doing a sort of "cap" on top and on the bottom to finish it - this would certainly be a bit easier to install if you are going to try to do it yourself...

It just adds an element of finishing to the cabinets...

Debbi Washburn, I will look at more examples of that. Thank you!

White. Will be beautiful.

That second pic above, of the white cabs, they are a more "European" style, full overlay doors. So that look is very different from the OP's cabs. I do like the caps on the top of the gray cabinets, more of a finished look.

A full view of the kitchen. I didn't bother to clear the dishes! ;)

If you would like to keep the counter top as it looks like granite,paint the cupboards ivory softer than white and just change the back splash less expensive and up to date!! even the staining I believe it's called tea staining and check out kitchen places and tile places ask for suggestions the sales people do this all the time a better insight and it's free!!

Hey, loujebb, did you ever finish your project? We'd love to see some updated pictures!

use lighter cabinet and shaker style with under cabinet light

Hello all,
Just wanted to post an update. It took a while to get around to completing the project. I Went ahead with white. Used SW pure white and added a little trim on top to give it a more finished look. Still working on adding under cabinet lighting and changing the ugly light fixture :)
I’d appreciate any ideas of lighting and light fixture styles.
Thank you

a light that gives you some light! (cabs look good)

Use a paint color which matches the same color found in both the counter and the backsplash. I would choose a light color, not espresso.