Wow! Beautiful - that backsplash/countertop combo is gorgeous!

Unbelievable. Beautiful!! enjoy!

Love your stunning granite! (I know I commented in your other thread, but I just love it so much! I'm going to go clean the drool off of my keyboard now....)

Wow, everything looks amazing! The dark stain turned out so well on the cabinets. Of course, love the counters and backsplash!

Awesome transformation! Congratulations!

Wow is right! I love how your cabinets with the dark stain came out-beautiful. Also, your counter tops, backsplash....well done!

You made some great choices. Looks awesome!

Beautiful kitchen.

Do you mind sharing exactly what Minwax product you used, meaning did you strip and then stain, or did you use a gel stain over existing stain??

TIA
Tuesday

Wonderful transformation! I really like the look of dark stained oak cabinets. Their grain adds great texture. Nice job blending new b/s and counters with your existing floor tile.

Any other changes up your sleeve?

Wow! I love the color of you cabinets and the backsplash goes with it great. what a dramatic transformation.

Nice transformation. I like how the cabinets, counter, and backsplash play so well together.

Which sink did you put in? I like the proportions.

Wow! It's beautiful- congratulations, I love the backsplash and counter with the black cabinets. Great job!

Thank you all for your kind words. All the inspiration came from this forum and my family is very pleased with the outcome.

The cabinets have an interesting story. I first talked to a few contractors who claimed they have stained cabinets before. I picked one, call his references and they were good. However the positive reference was on a furniture job, not cabinets. Anyhow, I pulled off a small door and asked him to work on the back of the door as a sample. Two days later he shows up, with horrible results! Really horrible! Weak stain, excessive top-coat and a poor finish. The guy basically says that's the best he, and probably anyone else, can do. At that point I got disappointed and started reading up GW threads on staining. There are some amazing threads on using Generals gel stains and such. I follow the directions on the thread and rework the back of the door myself. The results were much better, but still a 7/10. While I'm mulling the stress of having to do all this myself (22 doors, 13 drawers), I come across a contractor who says he can do a good job. He has 25 years of experience doing this, but charges almost double. So I ask for a sample and all I could say was WOW. 10/10, machine-like perfection.

So this guy won the job and took over 3 weeks to do it. Here is what he does:

Sand 150 (Sander)
Sand 180 (hand)
Stain 1 (sprayed on by compressed air gun), Minwax Oil based Jacobean 2750
Seal 1 (sprayed on)
Stain 2
Seal 2
Final Stain 3 (by hand using a rag cloth)
Seal 3
Sand 220 by Hand
Polyurethane/lacquer 1, 2, 3 (10 mils) (sprayed on)

Each stain step requires 6-8 hours of drying time. The rest require 1-2 hours of drying. The process was very time consuming, but the doors and drawer fronts were all done at his shop.

wow, it looks beautiful! I love the combo of cab color, backsplash and counter. Very nice.

And cudos for using your existing cabs!

Lovely, absolutely lovely. The cabinets...wow, just POP in the space!

Enjoy!

It shows how a thoughful update of finishes can have a huge impact.

Wow, it seems like you were just asking which granite to choose and here your kitchen is, all finished! Truly gorgeous, too. Great that you found such a craftsman to take care of the cabinets in just the way you wanted, and the backsplash is breathtaking with the cabinet color. Very cool. Enjoy!

What a transformation - your kitchen looks beautiful!!! Are those oak cabinets? I have oak cabinets that I would like to refinish because they're in excellent condition. Did you refinish them yourself and was it easy?

Fabulous!!!

Looks wonderful!!!

wow! what an amazing transformation! the backsplash/countertop combo is fabulous!

Stunning!

I remember your first post with your before pics - and wow! What a great job in what feels like a short time. (Maybe not to you.) Everything looks great. I'm sure people will want to know about that awesome backsplash (and everything else.) The cabinets turned out beautifully and I love the really long pulls, too.

This is one of he most pleasing combination of counters, backslash and cabinets that I have ever seen. Flawless!

It looks wonderful! What pretty granite and backsplash. The cabinets look new, too. I think a new paper towel holder is in order, maybe something sleek in stainless.

So, so beautiful! I love your granite and tiles -- everything coordinates so wonderfully for a very peaceful look. I love it that even with dark cabinets your kitchen manages to feel so light and airy. (I still love the potrack in front of the window.)

I hardly ever comment on finished kitchen threads, but I just have to say I love your kitchen! The cabinets are amazing and look wonderful. I'm not a granite person, but I think yours could convert me. Similarly, I'm generally a 'plain white' backsplash person, but again, yours is just fabulous!

Really, congratulations on a wonderful transformation into a really elegant yet friendly place.

I love your granite and the color of the cabs. You did one thing that I liked that I hadn't thought about and that is changing the direction of the flow of the granite. How nice!

I love the changes to the kitchen! That River White granite is gorgeous! The staining the cabinets with the new hardware made the kitchen into a wow kitchen!

Very beautifully done and good for you for reusing the cabinets. The transformation is very striking!! We went the opposite directing with a creamy color over our oak. I love both the extremes. Congrats and enjoy!!

The word that comes to mind is "spiffy"! I love the way you've used the light walls and counters, and natural light coming in, to counter the dark cabinets. Very spiffy!

Fabulous redo of a basic kitchen - your choice to go dark made a world of difference and the backsplash added to the sophistication.

But why do you have a towel dispenser hanging near the stove?

Beautiful transformation. It all came together so well.

WOW! I love your new kitchen - that backsplash is delicious! And your cabs look amazing.

Congrats and enjoy!
Eliz

What a great transformation - your kitchen is beautiful!!!

Ooooh - I love it and I'm always happy when people don't throw away perfectly functional cabinets!! It's really beautiful - you did a fantastic job!

What a splendid update! I just love seeing kitchens where people make sensible use of they have that works already, and this is one of the best I've seen here. Lovely job all round.

very well put together. Everything compliments everything else. Love how you used what you had and just made it better and more updated. Impressive!!! Great before and after! beautiful granite/backsplash combo.

Wow...you really pulled that together well...it is beautiful. Love the blend of materials...have fun accessorizing. :-)

Wow that looks wonderful!

It is so rich and sophisticated and sleek looking.

You did a fabulous job! Enjoy!

Wow, that's an amazing update, kudos on using your cabinets and coordinating such a wonderful backsplash and granite. That is one beautiful space.

Enjoy!
cj

Love the combinations... awesome transformation!

ditto what everyone says!

I remember not long ago you were asking for opinions...boy do you move fast!

Excellent work!

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to see that countertop backsplash combination, I bought that slab a few weeks ago and have searched until my head aches to find a suitable backsplash. I want to thank you for having such great taste and ending my search , now can you please tell me where to get it.
Thanks