Steps for Painting Kitchen Cabinets (Without Sanding)
Buy a cabinet painting kit and get the paint tinted to your preference. Good commercial kits contain a de-glosser to remove any older coats of paint on existing cabinetry. The de-glosser eliminates the need to sand or prime surfaces that are already finished.
Nowadays oak cabinets are making a comeback in the kitchen. In some cases, homeowners are refacing their old honey oak cabinets to give them fresh new life. They're replacing dated cabinet doors with new Shaker style cabinet doors.
If your goal is to update the look of your existing cabinets, the cheapest route is to simply reface them. This process involves either stripping the stain or paint from the existing cabinets and adding new stain, varnish or paint; in some cases, you might even want to refinish the cabinets with a stick-on veneer.
With a modern design, you want to keep it simple and pair oak cabinets with basic white or dark countertops. Another option is to install waterfall countertops. It's the best way to feature oak cabinets with modern finesse and create a great focal point.
After cleaning, you may notice that your oak cabinets have lost some of their original color or finish. To restore the natural beauty of your oak cabinets, you can re-oil or re-stain them. If you choose to re-oil, use a natural oil such as tung oil or linseed oil.
If you look at a color wheel (google it)… the color on the opposite side is the “neutralizer”. So by painting the walls with a gray that had a purple undertone, it reflects onto the cabinets neutralizing the orange on them. Try it. You will be amazed.
Wood cabinets are back in a big way in 2023, continuing the trend we've been seeing over the past couple of years. These aren't your honey oak cabinets from the 1980's…
Update Hardware and Fixtures
Replacing outdated hardware goes a long way to make a space feel more modern. Hardware and fixtures are like the jewelry of a kitchen, after all! Look for warm metals like bronze, copper, gold, and brass. They'll look stunning against the warmth of your oak cabinets.
So yellow toned beiges, orange toned beiges and grays with a warm, creamy beige undertone will work well. Avoid the green toned beiges as they start to look flat against the warmth of the cabinets. If you surround the warm oak with another warm color, it's going to blend in and look purposeful.
However, those dated, honey oak cabinets you have from the 1980's and 90's are not coming back into fashion… sorry. Today's wood cabinets have clean, modern lines and more muted tones. They are also used in combination with other cabinet colors, like creamy whites, off-blacks, sage greens, and smoky blues.
Oak cabinets with a light gray stain brings out the natural beauty of the wood~ Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry. Gray-brown stain for cabinets!
If you want to downplay the honey oak, stay away from colors on the opposite side of the color wheel - blues & greens (and grey too). They will make the honey oak "pop". As Debbi said, stick to warm tones of cream. I would paint the walls, replace the flooring, and update the pulls and ceiling fixture.
Pair Oak Cabinets with Light Tones
Use white or light-colored walls, flooring, and countertops to brighten a space. Shiny surfaces, including glass tile and stainless-steel appliances, can also reflect light and give the room a visual lift.
If you're in search of a clean, modern look, paint your cabinets. Painted cabinets appear very smooth, hiding the grain of the wood. If you prefer a more natural, classic look, you should stain your cabinets. Staining your cabinets highlights the natural grain of the wood and offers a more traditional aesthetic.
Warm backsplash colors like beige, cream, and brown make honey oak cabinets look cozy and modern. An earth-tone backsplash will create a harmonious atmosphere when paired with honey oak countertops. The pairing isn't as stark as choosing black backsplash, and it's not as simple as going with white tile.
It is cheaper to paint kitchen cabinets than it is to replace them. On average, you'll spend $775 to paint your kitchen cabinets, but replacing them can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $25,000.
While painting tends to be the cheaper of the two, painted cabinets build up grease and dust more easily than refaced cabinets, so they'll require more maintenance.
"Replacing your cabinets is a huge cost that is not completely necessary if the cabinets are less than ten years old and made from a high-quality wood like cherry, maple, ash, hickory, or oak," Ballard says. Refinishing these hardy cabinets, instead of replacing them, can both conserve wood and money.