Try using a gel stain on those dated orange-yellow honey oak cabinets to give your kitchen a new look. There are a lot of good reasons to gel stain cabinets when you want to refresh the color of wood cabinetry. It's an easy way to give your kitchen or bathroom a new look without sanding or stripping.
The most important part of painting your walls is to choose the right color -- one that will complement your oak cabinets. Colors with warm undertones like cream, beige, and warm greens will minimize the orange in the oak. Cool colors such as gray, blue, or purple will actually make the orange stand out.
If natural oak is a bit too warm for your taste, you can try a stain colour that neutralizes the warmth a bit. One that our custom kitchen designers use often is the stain colour “Loft”.
It may seem counterintuitive, but you should choose colors with warm undertones. The warmth in the wall color will complement – not compete – with the cabinetry, making it feel more cohesive and less orange.
Cool Down Oak Cabinets
Oak cabinetry often features an orange finish, making your kitchen appear outdated. To tone down the warmth and create a modern kitchen with oak cabinets, outfit the rest of the kitchen in cool, refreshing tones such as blues or greens.
If you're looking to tone things down a notch, grays are your go-to. Gray, with its cool undertones, can mellow the boldness of orange wood without diminishing its charm. It's like putting on a stylish pair of glasses—it adds sophistication to the look without stealing the show.
Probably a water based top coat as oils based will add more orange/yellow tones over time. Once you have a plan, decide if it's worth sanding everything. It will be a large job. Also understand that removing the base stain might make the wood look worse.
Sand down surfaces to start removing orange hues. Then use white wax, thinned white paint or pale-tinted sealant.
In the '80s and '90s, this honey-toned wood finish was all the rage, and people put it evvverywhere. Flooring, railings, doors, trim, baseboards, cabinets… you name it. Here in the 21st century, golden oak is no longer in demand, and it can immediately make a home feel tired and dated.
Contrasting colors will make the new hardware stand out and give some visual breaks in the monotony of overwhelming golden oak (this is the magic power of distraction) - black, dark oil-rubbed bronze and bright chrome offer the best contrast.
This is because of the dust that is sitting there. And you instantly think that you've achieved a 'white-wash' look or just achieved a lighter shade. This is the misconception. And when you go to apply your top coat you'll notice it will go orange, or darker, or in fact back to its original shade.
You could put glass fronts in several of the upper cabinets so it is not so much honey oak. paint and new hardware! I put glass fronts on some of my cabinets and also had the back of them tiled to match the backsplash. Painting them would also work, but I had the same cabinetry throughout the house.
To neutralize these tones, apply a wash, stain, or paint in its complementary color. First and foremost, apply a stain, wash, or even very light color paint that's opposite on the color wheel. You can always sand down the wood until it's bare, then apply an ashy, neutral stain or repaint the wood.
An orange-red base primary color scheme will tone it down as its the same undertones so the orange undertones in the wood does not stand out. Think terracottas, brick reds, eggplant purple, copper. A very saturated primary color opposite like slate blue very much offsets and tones down the warmth with its coolness.
Honey oak cabinets and quartz countertops are a combination that rivals all others. The look of multicolored quartz binds with the natural glow of wood cabinets and gives a flattering and cohesive look.
Gel staining, lacquering and painting are the options we offer. Painting will show the least amount of grain, gel staining highlights the grain. Lacquer is as durable as paint and happens to be my favorite option.
Try using a gel stain on those dated orange-yellow honey oak cabinets to give your kitchen a new look. There are a lot of good reasons to gel stain cabinets when you want to refresh the color of wood cabinetry. It's an easy way to give your kitchen or bathroom a new look without sanding or stripping.
I mix together water and white chalk paint. in a 2 to 1 ratio. Simply wipe it onto the wood and wipe it off. Water base Poly will darken the wood a little bit.
The key to fixing orange hair is usually to neutralise the orange with its opposite colour – blue.
Temper orange with neutrals such as white, cream, brown, or gray. Cool shades of blue or green can also add contrast that will calm down the warmth of orange.