Opinions Please on Cabinets

pattypeep · ‎06-06-2011

My DH and I live in his deceased parents home. We've remodeled quite a bit as it was built in the 60's and was dated. My MIL had new oak cabinets installed maybe in the 80's. They are oak and in beautiful condition. However......I'm so tired of oak, but not foolish enough to have them replaced. We had a new floor put in and I've repainted at least three times, so I'm going in a new direction. I'm wondering how it may look to paint the bottom cabinets a medium gray and leave the top cabinets oak. We have oak floors that abut the new vinyl so thinking it may blend. When we did a little remodeling in the kitchen when we moved in, I had a cabinet man remove the center of the upper cabinet doors and replace with leaded glass. So there is a touch of gray in the upper cabinets. The new kitchen floor is a "marled" mixture of soft grays, oak coloring and cream.

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea-Robert A. Heinlein

Diamonds22 · ‎03-09-2010

@pattypeep wrote:
My DH and I live in his deceased parents home. We've remodeled quite a bit as it was built in the 60's and was dated. My MIL had new oak cabinets installed maybe in the 80's. They are oak and in beautiful condition. However......I'm so tired of oak, but not foolish enough to have them replaced. We had a new floor put in and I've repainted at least three times, so I'm going in a new direction. I'm wondering how it may look to paint the bottom cabinets a medium gray and leave the top cabinets oak. We have oak floors that abut the new vinyl so thinking it may blend. When we did a little remodeling in the kitchen when we moved in, I had a cabinet man remove the center of the upper cabinet doors and replace with leaded glass. So there is a touch of gray in the upper cabinets. The new kitchen floor is a "marled" mixture of soft grays, oak coloring and cream.

Is there anyway you could share some pictures as that would help in trying to give you ideas?

Meowingkitty · ‎06-19-2010

I personally like oak cabinets. Actually any type of wood cabinets. I'm not a fan of doing what's trendy today look. I personally would not paint just the bottom half. It would look unfinished. Like you would eventually get around to doing the top half but just haven't done it yet.

NickNack · ‎03-10-2010

I agree with @Meowingkitty that it would look unfinished to only do the bottom. I've seen cabinets where the bottom only is painted, but the top cabinets aren't oak.

The Bluebird Carries The Sky On His Back"
-Henry David Thoreau

ScrapHappy · ‎03-28-2010

I personally wouldn't paint the bottom and leave uppper cabinets untouched. I don't think the gray and the oak compliments each other. have you considered using a gray stain all all the cabinets? Sand down the oak and re-stain gray.

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

I know its trendy now but I'd never paint anything in my house gray. Its so institutional looking, like prison walls and is very dead. The trend will soon pass.

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Janey2 · ‎06-07-2010

There is an article on this very topic at Kylieminteriors.ca entitled How to Update Your Outdated Wood Cabinets. If you google sanding kitchen cabinets you can get a lot of information.

Scooby Doo · ‎03-14-2010

I have oak cabinets as well. I personally don't like gray and oak together. Could you paint a piece of plywood and stand it up in front of what you want to paint. Leave it there for a while to get an idea of what you like. I don't care for painted oak either. You can still see the movement in the wood and it just looks like painted oak.

Janey2 · ‎06-07-2010

@Kachina624 Obviously just your opinion but I have one wall in my kitchen painted a very light gray and it is very attractive, not at all "cold" or "institutional" looking. To each his own.

itsmagic · ‎08-08-2011

I looked for pictures online and there are several of the top kitchen cabinets painted and the bottom left a wood finish but not vice versa. This is an example of what I found.