I'll answer first and then read the other posts. Pretty sure that you don't want to hear this, but I wouldn't be so quick to paint the cabinets and rip out the counters, especially not to get another "creamy white with granite or butcher block" (a look which I love, BTW). Once you've painted, there's no return without lots of work, not to mention how much work it'll be to do a decent paint job. I'd paint the walls (probably off white) and add vinyl floor tiles with a checker pattern or some checks n for starters. You have this cool booth, and I'd play that up. I love, love turquoise and would pick more shades of turquoise in accessories and also in that booth (white and a watery aqua, for example, or add a coral to the mix). Oh, and I'd get different window treatments. Lastly, if you remove that one wall cabinet, could you add a hood? Of course, it depends on what you like and what the rest of your house looks like. More info on the link below. Looks like they actually stripped their white cabinets to get the maples back. Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen remodel

Hi Radley, The doors appear to be a mix of original stain and a newer gel coat. I had to paint the half bath and utility doors in the nearby area as they were so badly done. I kept three doors in the badly done wood at the end of the hall along with double doors (just like entry) going into the master bedroom. I will tackle the striping and re-staining down the road. I was told the kitchen cabinets were cherry but I swear they look like Lyptus. The crown molding appeared to be a sort of walnut stain (now painted wall color but in a gloss).. Close-up of door stain on master doors. These are different to the attempt at gel coating on the other bedroom doors to hide a “mom stay out” carving and multiple dog scratches. I don’t have a close-up of front door but these master doors are close. Thank you Kswl, the house has been a lot of work believe it or not to get it to this point. Lots of oddities here! Husband and I have worked our way to the end and have closed this guest bath slider in and added a door with a doggy door. It’s not magazine worthy but will make my life easier. This week we also gutted the master and master bath and will be adding a closet. The fireplace was tweaked as well as it was originally an attention hog the minute you walked in. However, so was the kitchen so we tweaked that a bit and it doesn’t scream as loud. There were no electric outlets beyond the wall cabinets between windows. About that brass thing at fireplace…yes I think I agree and that’s why I haven’t hung it. After I finish the drywall in 2nd bath husband will hang to dining light and we will take it from there. Also, in my mind I would love to find an old but nice black metal cabinet of some sort with brass on it to use as a media cabinet. There does not seem to be any such thing in my searches. In fact I can’t find any of the ideas that are in my head. It just seems like that area needs some brass (a bit) to say it’s part of a certain time. An area I'm doing dual time in. And, some "before" pic's.. Geokid I like that idea and actually looked on Conestoga last night. They didn't have my configuration. It's looking like I need to find a vintage something with brass and tweak it. I'm thinking that although I like the light wood it seems I might need more of an anchor...and brass! This post was edited by jterrilynn on Mon, Apr 14, 14 at 12:29

It's not installed yet (about another 3 weeks or so - woohoo!) but ours are natural maple w/white appliances - that wasn't necessarily my first choice (I prefer "period" style painted white or dark quarter-sawn oak) but 1. we have a tiny space and everybody talked me out of anything too dark 2. we are on the tightest budget imagineable and wound up with a set of excellent condition complete set of 2ndhand KM Mission-style cabinets that I picked up on Craigslist for $1k. I really like natural maple, although I think it does lend itself best to a more modern look - lots of sleek ss and nickel etc which isn't necessarily the route we'll be going in our older house. However, I'm really happy with what we've got style and qualitywise. That said, I recently started considering whether maybe it's worth staining them down a couple of shades darker.... which would also help tie everything together (we had to buy 2 extra cabinets to round out the set and, while they match perfectly on the WRONG side of the old cabinets, the side exposed to sunlight has turned slightly golden - normal for lighter cabinets, I gather). In any case, I'll post pix as soon as there's something to share!! (And, despite all my musings and ruminations, I know full well there's a very good chance that once they're in I'll love them exactly as is since they're beautiful wood in a classic design!)

Hello 2littlefishies, Thats a great question-calcareous stones or any stone that has calcium in its makeup will always etch. It is just a chemical reaction.The calcium neutralizes the acid resulting in a dull spot. However if you compare etching on a highly polished surface to a very matte surface depending on the stone their will be a difference in the look. Also if you knew at what level your surface was finished or honed to or at. It would be possible to use a series of abrasives to remove the etch and match the finish of the existing surface. There are some companies or folks who will use acids to etch stone. In some cases they are going after a particular look.In other cases they are taking a shortcut to produce a honed finsh or reverse a slab that was delivered incorrectly(such as polished and should have been honed). Or a customer changed their mind after the polished slab was delivered and installed. First their are many different types of acids having various strength's and properties. From weaker citric acids up to hydrocholoric acids and beyond. I have seen these types of finishes (using acids)done and they never seem as uniform(blotchy) as when abrasives are used. Because stone will contain various mineral components and depending on the acid used some minerals may be adversely affected . I have seen veins become pitted and or eroded though the use of acids. Acids seem to leave the surface rough and the pores open attracting and holding soils. An example of this would be an etch on your white or light marble countertop or around a commode will if not refinished will turn dark or black overtime as it holds soils. Using progressive grits of diamond abrasives and finishing with an aluminum oxide wet slurry produces one of the most uniform matte finishes I have seen. While honing to a matte finish may make the etching less pronounced it can make the surface more susceptible to staining agents. Using the proper impregnating sealers applied correctly and maintaining with ph neutral no rinse cleaners will extend the life of the sealers and protect the suface from staining. Impregnating sealers will do nothing to protect the surface from etching however. There are some new products on the market to protect marble from etching and staining. They are coatings something I have never felt was appropriate for stone surfaces. In the past these coatings made the stone look like plastic and phony. Have a look at clearstoneusa and drytreat. We all know dry treat as they have been making stone sealers for a long time. They now have a product called vitremela for marble.Both these products are quite different. Because they are new there are pro and cons to each. These type of coatings may not be for everyone. At this time dry treat offers no warranty on their product as it has a life of under 5 years. Clearstone offers a warranty with their product. Both products can be polished or honed. I hope my answer wasnt too long.