Paint oak kitchen cabinets - what color to paint the kitchen walls?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oak cabinets (I have them) are very hard to paint well b/c the grain from the oak shows through. There are people who will sand or fill the grain before they paint them (professional kitchen cabinet painters, I'm talking about here).

Most likely, you will not be happy with just painting them yourself. And it's a lot of work to do all the details (inside, watching for the hinges, etc.).

You might want to look at re-facing. I'm looking into that now myself. Hate to replace the entire kitchen... but also considering that.

Refacing will run you around $9K for a typical full size kitchen.

If you are going to pay $9k for new doors, make sure you are not throwing good money after bad. You might be better off saving that money for a full remodel down the road.

the question is whether $9K will last me another 10 yrs. or so in this house. I'd consider that a decent price for not having to see those orangy oak cabinets for another 10 years! Full remodel is what?? --- $30-50K?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oak cabinets (I have them) are very hard to paint well b/c the grain from the oak shows through. There are people who will sand or fill the grain before they paint them (professional kitchen cabinet painters, I'm talking about here).

Most likely, you will not be happy with just painting them yourself. And it's a lot of work to do all the details (inside, watching for the hinges, etc.).

You might want to look at re-facing. I'm looking into that now myself. Hate to replace the entire kitchen... but also considering that.

Refacing will run you around $9K for a typical full size kitchen.

If you are going to pay $9k for new doors, make sure you are not throwing good money after bad. You might be better off saving that money for a full remodel down the road.

the question is whether $9K will last me another 10 yrs. or so in this house. I'd consider that a decent price for not having to see those orangy oak cabinets for another 10 years! Full remodel is what?? --- $30-50K?

This just totally depends on the quality of the existing cabinets. You don't want to have them collapse in a few years with beautiful new doors. Cost of total remodel varies widely based on size of kitchen, quality of finishes, and whether you have to do major structural work. You want to keep in mind the value of your house and the neighborhood and not over-improve or totally cheap out. There are many DCUM threads on this issue. You might also try the gardenweb forums, which I think have now merged into houzz.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a white kitchen - white cabinets with gray walls and quartz counters. Love it! I've also seen gray cabinets with off white walls that look really nice. Go to Pinterest or Houzz and search gray kitchen cabinets to get some visuals. I have a medium dark Gary bathroom cabinet paired with blue walls (darker than royal but lighter than navy). Also looks great but probably too dark for a kitchen.

What color counters?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oak cabinets (I have them) are very hard to paint well b/c the grain from the oak shows through. There are people who will sand or fill the grain before they paint them (professional kitchen cabinet painters, I'm talking about here).

Most likely, you will not be happy with just painting them yourself. And it's a lot of work to do all the details (inside, watching for the hinges, etc.).

You might want to look at re-facing. I'm looking into that now myself. Hate to replace the entire kitchen... but also considering that.

Refacing will run you around $9K for a typical full size kitchen.

If you are going to pay $9k for new doors, make sure you are not throwing good money after bad. You might be better off saving that money for a full remodel down the road.

the question is whether $9K will last me another 10 yrs. or so in this house. I'd consider that a decent price for not having to see those orangy oak cabinets for another 10 years! Full remodel is what?? --- $30-50K?

This just totally depends on the quality of the existing cabinets. You don't want to have them collapse in a few years with beautiful new doors. Cost of total remodel varies widely based on size of kitchen, quality of finishes, and whether you have to do major structural work. You want to keep in mind the value of your house and the neighborhood and not over-improve or totally cheap out. There are many DCUM threads on this issue. You might also try the gardenweb forums, which I think have now merged into houzz.

how do you know the quality of the cabinets? mine seem like decent cabinets... but what would cause them to "collapse"? I haven't heard of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did a Google image search and all the kitchens with gray cabinets had off white walls.

I am wondering if gray and gray would be too gloomy.

Perhaps you could try a dark gray on the cabinets with a lighter gray on the walls. See this page from Farrow and Ball for Downpipie. The third picture shows it on the baseboard of a room with I believe Manor Gray above it. (Look further down on page for suggested color schemes.)

http://us.farrow-ball.com/down-pipe/colours/farrow-ball/fcp-product/100026

OP-= here Thanks! The gray on gray being too gloomy was actually my primary concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a white kitchen - white cabinets with gray walls and quartz counters. Love it! I've also seen gray cabinets with off white walls that look really nice. Go to Pinterest or Houzz and search gray kitchen cabinets to get some visuals. I have a medium dark Gary bathroom cabinet paired with blue walls (darker than royal but lighter than navy). Also looks great but probably too dark for a kitchen.

Op here- I'll take a look at Houzz. I've actually never heard of that site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a white kitchen - white cabinets with gray walls and quartz counters. Love it! I've also seen gray cabinets with off white walls that look really nice. Go to Pinterest or Houzz and search gray kitchen cabinets to get some visuals. I have a medium dark Gary bathroom cabinet paired with blue walls (darker than royal but lighter than navy). Also looks great but probably too dark for a kitchen.

Op here- I'll take a look at Houzz. I've actually never heard of that site.

...And OP disappears for days and days into the kitchen redecorating abyss...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You didn't ask about this, but I am going to butt in and offer my $.02. You might want to think the Rustoleum kit and hire a professional. Or maybe if you have a spare door, try it on that first before you commit. I used the kit to refinish some bathroom cabinets. They went from the original light "pickled" oak to one of the darker Rustoleum shades. I followed the directions to a T, took my time, sanded between coats, and when I put everything back together, it just looked like I had slapped some cheap brown paint on it. We will remodel the bathroom eventually, but I wish I had left well enough alone.

.......

Anonymous wrote: Oak cabinets (I have them) are very hard to paint well b/c the grain from the oak shows through. There are people who will sand or fill the grain before they paint them (professional kitchen cabinet painters, I'm talking about here).

Most likely, you will not be happy with just painting them yourself. And it's a lot of work to do all the details (inside, watching for the hinges, etc.).

You might want to look at re-facing. I'm looking into that now myself. Hate to replace the entire kitchen... but also considering that.

Refacing will run you around $9K for a typical full size kitchen.

By professional, you just mean someone that does only cabinets or anyone general contractor could probably do it? Would painting be easier for someone to do (not me- a contractor) than Rustoleaum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oak cabinets (I have them) are very hard to paint well b/c the grain from the oak shows through. There are people who will sand or fill the grain before they paint them (professional kitchen cabinet painters, I'm talking about here).

Most likely, you will not be happy with just painting them yourself. And it's a lot of work to do all the details (inside, watching for the hinges, etc.).

You might want to look at re-facing. I'm looking into that now myself. Hate to replace the entire kitchen... but also considering that.

Refacing will run you around $9K for a typical full size kitchen.

If you are going to pay $9k for new doors, make sure you are not throwing good money after bad. You might be better off saving that money for a full remodel down the road.

the question is whether $9K will last me another 10 yrs. or so in this house. I'd consider that a decent price for not having to see those orangy oak cabinets for another 10 years! Full remodel is what?? --- $30-50K?

This just totally depends on the quality of the existing cabinets. You don't want to have them collapse in a few years with beautiful new doors. Cost of total remodel varies widely based on size of kitchen, quality of finishes, and whether you have to do major structural work. You want to keep in mind the value of your house and the neighborhood and not over-improve or totally cheap out. There are many DCUM threads on this issue. You might also try the gardenweb forums, which I think have now merged into houzz.

Op here- The cabinets are builder grade. Nothing special but they are the original ones that came with the house. They are in good condition now but I wonder how long they will last. This is a townhouse too so I can't imagine spedning 30-50k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You didn't ask about this, but I am going to butt in and offer my $.02. You might want to think the Rustoleum kit and hire a professional. Or maybe if you have a spare door, try it on that first before you commit. I used the kit to refinish some bathroom cabinets. They went from the original light "pickled" oak to one of the darker Rustoleum shades. I followed the directions to a T, took my time, sanded between coats, and when I put everything back together, it just looked like I had slapped some cheap brown paint on it. We will remodel the bathroom eventually, but I wish I had left well enough alone.

.......

Anonymous wrote: Oak cabinets (I have them) are very hard to paint well b/c the grain from the oak shows through. There are people who will sand or fill the grain before they paint them (professional kitchen cabinet painters, I'm talking about here).

Most likely, you will not be happy with just painting them yourself. And it's a lot of work to do all the details (inside, watching for the hinges, etc.).

You might want to look at re-facing. I'm looking into that now myself. Hate to replace the entire kitchen... but also considering that.

Refacing will run you around $9K for a typical full size kitchen.

By professional, you just mean someone that does only cabinets or anyone general contractor could probably do it? Would painting be easier for someone to do (not me- a contractor) than Rustoleaum?

I mean someone who specializes in re-finishing/painting kitchen cabinets. I had a guy give me an estimate once. I think it was pretty pricey, but he explained by painting over oak without filling the grain turns out bad. I also asked another kitchen refacer/painter person about it and she said they wouldn't even do paint on oak b/c clients weren't going to be happy with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You didn't ask about this, but I am going to butt in and offer my $.02. You might want to think the Rustoleum kit and hire a professional. Or maybe if you have a spare door, try it on that first before you commit. I used the kit to refinish some bathroom cabinets. They went from the original light "pickled" oak to one of the darker Rustoleum shades. I followed the directions to a T, took my time, sanded between coats, and when I put everything back together, it just looked like I had slapped some cheap brown paint on it. We will remodel the bathroom eventually, but I wish I had left well enough alone.

.......

Anonymous wrote: Oak cabinets (I have them) are very hard to paint well b/c the grain from the oak shows through. There are people who will sand or fill the grain before they paint them (professional kitchen cabinet painters, I'm talking about here).

Most likely, you will not be happy with just painting them yourself. And it's a lot of work to do all the details (inside, watching for the hinges, etc.).

You might want to look at re-facing. I'm looking into that now myself. Hate to replace the entire kitchen... but also considering that.

Refacing will run you around $9K for a typical full size kitchen.

By professional, you just mean someone that does only cabinets or anyone general contractor could probably do it? Would painting be easier for someone to do (not me- a contractor) than Rustoleaum?

I mean someone who specializes in re-finishing/painting kitchen cabinets. I had a guy give me an estimate once. I think it was pretty pricey, but he explained by painting over oak without filling the grain turns out bad. I also asked another kitchen refacer/painter person about it and she said they wouldn't even do paint on oak b/c clients weren't going to be happy with it.

This is what our painter told us. He does a great job and family members have used him for over 20 years. I asked him about painting over oak cabinets in our new house and he told me they just don't turn out well and get worse over time. He said if I really wanted them painted white he would do it but he wouldn't recommend it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a white kitchen - white cabinets with gray walls and quartz counters. Love it! I've also seen gray cabinets with off white walls that look really nice. Go to Pinterest or Houzz and search gray kitchen cabinets to get some visuals. I have a medium dark Gary bathroom cabinet paired with blue walls (darker than royal but lighter than navy). Also looks great but probably too dark for a kitchen.

What color counters?

We have Atlantic Salt quartz by Caesarstone, white cabinets, polished nickel pulls, and gray walls (Behr Gentle Rain)

[Anonymous]

I am wondering if you could just use Annie Sloan chalk paint. I think the grain would not be noticeable after two coats. Also, chalk paint is way more forgiving than latex.

You do have to either polyurethane (water based) or wax after applying chalk paint. There is a product from another company (can't remember the name) called Revax, which has some advantages over regular wax. Am still experimenting with Revax so can't yet give an opinion.

Chalk paint tends to give a vintage look and may not work well if you are into sleek and contemporary. They are ways to make it sleeker--use a roller for flat surfaces, sand before painting and between coats (sanding and priming typically are not needed for chalk paint, which often is just applied with a brush). Perhaps you could get a couple of panels similar to the cabinets you have from Lowes or HD and experiment with chalk paint to see how you like the look.

Paris Gray is quite lovely in the Annie Sloan collection:

http://www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/United_Kingdom.html

Here is a blog entry from someone who painted her cabinets Paris Gray:

http://shabbysweettea.com/2013/02/tutorial-how-to-paint-your-kitchen.html

Google Images will gives you lots of pictures of other items painted Paris Gray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You didn't ask about this, but I am going to butt in and offer my $.02. You might want to think the Rustoleum kit and hire a professional. Or maybe if you have a spare door, try it on that first before you commit. I used the kit to refinish some bathroom cabinets. They went from the original light "pickled" oak to one of the darker Rustoleum shades. I followed the directions to a T, took my time, sanded between coats, and when I put everything back together, it just looked like I had slapped some cheap brown paint on it. We will remodel the bathroom eventually, but I wish I had left well enough alone.

.......

Anonymous wrote: Oak cabinets (I have them) are very hard to paint well b/c the grain from the oak shows through. There are people who will sand or fill the grain before they paint them (professional kitchen cabinet painters, I'm talking about here).

Most likely, you will not be happy with just painting them yourself. And it's a lot of work to do all the details (inside, watching for the hinges, etc.).

You might want to look at re-facing. I'm looking into that now myself. Hate to replace the entire kitchen... but also considering that.

Refacing will run you around $9K for a typical full size kitchen.

By professional, you just mean someone that does only cabinets or anyone general contractor could probably do it? Would painting be easier for someone to do (not me- a contractor) than Rustoleaum?

I mean someone who specializes in re-finishing/painting kitchen cabinets. I had a guy give me an estimate once. I think it was pretty pricey, but he explained by painting over oak without filling the grain turns out bad. I also asked another kitchen refacer/painter person about it and she said they wouldn't even do paint on oak b/c clients weren't going to be happy with it.

This is what our painter told us. He does a great job and family members have used him for over 20 years. I asked him about painting over oak cabinets in our new house and he told me they just don't turn out well and get worse over time. He said if I really wanted them painted white he would do it but he wouldn't recommend it.

so it sounds like saving up for a kitchen remodel is really the best choice

[Anonymous]

OP, you may still wish to consider chalk paint. I found another blog where the author had chalk painted builder grade oak cabinets and the results look pretty good. She gives very good instructions on the steps.

https://simplyrooms.wordpress.com/2012/09/04/using-chalk-paint-for-oak-kitchen-cabinets-test-door/

Click on the links as well for more information.

It is a fair amount of work, but very DIY friendly. With a google search I think you'll find many more references to doing this.