Natwerk Designs

Renovating Oak Cabinets?

We have oak cabinets in the bathroom and kitchen (small kitchen). I always see on HGTV where the designers paint oak cabinets to quickly update a kitchen/bathroom. I like those bathroom sink vanities that look like dark furniture with brushed chrome handles (usually they have those nifty bowl or farm sinks too) but if I restained the oak, won't it just look like my old cabinets in a darker stain (no updated at all)? And what is the general feeling about painting oak cabinets in the kitchen--seems like a waste of money (the oak was expensive) but I can't afford to buy new cupboards (and I hate the kitchen anyway).

Public Comments

1. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, whoops, would i put paint on a beautiful piece of oak wood. there is more work involved with re-staining but its a small price to pay for beautiful cabinets. paint some cheap pine if you have to.
2. To my way of thinking, painting oak is a mistake unless it is so badly damaged it can't be repaired. The udates you see on tv usually include a new countertop/vanilty top and often a new sink and faucet. You could add to the furniture look by adding legs to the cabinet if it is low enough. You might also add drawers if you are handy. Changing the mirror to one with a frame to match the vanity and painting the room are also usually included in the makeover as well as updating the lighting. The same is true for the kitchen. It isn't one feature that changes, but the whole room - hardware, backsplash, paint, cabinets, floor and countertop. One way for a quick new look in the kitchen would be to remove the panel from one or more upper doors and replace with glass. That is very in right now. (Save the panels for when styles revert back or you get tired of keeping perfectly neat cabinets.)
3. I generally don't paint them unless the client absolutely insists on it. I have updated the oak look by changing the color, however, and it isn't that difficult to do. You can re-glaze them or restain them, though the latter definitely is more work and takes more effort. Most people simply cannot look at a piece of wood and tell its species. They don't know that the grain tells a story, so if the color says mahogany, cherry, or rosewood, they think it is so. If you want to change the color to say a burgandy based wood tone, here is how you do it. First, remove the gloss by either sanding or using Paseo deglosser. The deglosser is fine if you are going to use glaze, but if you want to use stain, degloss and then sand anywhere you still see shine. If you still see shine after the first application of Paseo and are going to paint, then use another application until all of the surfaces are no longer shiny. Be certain to remove cabinet doors, hardware and drawers to treat all of the sides and the backs of the drawers as well as the inside rim of the base cabinet. If you want to glaze, here is the basic formula, one part paint, one part floetrol one part or less of water. Experiement with your color combinations to get an exact formula. You can use either acyrlic or latex paint, but the floetrol gives you extended time for manipulation. If you are going for that HGTV look, a blue based burgandy mixed with burnt umber gives that dark mahogany cherry look. I never apply the color with a brush, I use a rag and multiple layers of color until I get the saturation desired. I suggest practicing on another piece of oak or wood until you get the color you want and determine the amount of coats. Usually, it takes me 3-5 coats. Let each coat cure thoroughly betweeen applications. Seal the finished product with a non yellowing, matte, UVB/UVA protecting polyurethane for ease of cleaning. If you want to restain, I prefer to use the gel stains and again, several coats to build the color. Sometimes I use two colors of stain mixed until I get the desired tone. Again, seal the finished product with poly. If you do not like the oak color the cabinets are and want that look, why not? I've even had to correct realtors who have seen my work telling prospective buyers that the cabinets are cherry when they are oak with a cherry finish. Do what makes you happy in your environment.