Sorry, missed the questions (and the compliments, thanks!) Pleased with the outcome, but that is a job I shall not likely tackle again in this lifetime. Well, maybe wait a few more years and I might change my tune... Pardon the length, I have answered your questions and also point out mistakes I made, so you won't make the same, not worth it ; ) I did this job (all twelve days of it) in a state of total burnout and aching muscles from repainting the entire house, and staining/poly coating stairs/railing that DH had installed after he installed our hardwood floors. House was in total disarray. It's been 2 years I still find things in boxes I didn't know I had. So a job like cabinets in that frame of mind led me to mistakes and shortcuts and I knew better. Weariness clouded my judgment. So if you're doing an overhaul, save the a cabinet job for when it is your sole focus and you've got lots of stamina. First, clean well. Really well. Think of the years of built up oil-based polishes, airborne stuff from cooking, etc. Oils absorb into woods, and a half-hearted wipe with a rag and Dirtex doesn't cut it. My first mistake, should have scrubbed the dickens out of them with Dirtex and #0000 steel wool. Second mistake: I did not scuff sand to get even more gunk off outer surface of wood and prepare for better adhesion of primer/paint. Third mistake: I did not use oil-based primer. I love Bullseye 123, has served me well on all types of jobs. But because of mistakes 1 and 2 above, an oil-based primer probably would have covered my tracks. I have a couple chips here and there where something has bumped the paint, the tiny chips go right down to the old finish. That tells me my primer is not adhering well which tells me my prep was too lame. (I am not in any frame of mind to tackle fixing this at the moment, but will be forced to this year, so plan to turn to Michael for his infinite wisdom if he's willing ;) The reason I know I failed in several areas with prep on the cabs is because the interior room doors pictured above (new and pre-primed) are still pristine. No pin head size chips, nada. bud_wi, my hinges were a nightmare. Somehow, we got The Most Unique Hinges Known To Mankind. I shopped everywhere for replacements, none to be found (even online). I could easily have replaced them with like kind by myself (stick to the existing holes, go easy with the drill so screws don't strip). However, I did not want to remove and replace with a totally new style, which as Michael suggests is best choice (and I agree). The reason I did not switch hinge styles is because it would involve a bit more work and DH's participation. He was equally burned out, and my request to add yet another job would have been met with his favored 'have you lost your mind' look. Now I am married to one of the handiest guys, and he is a perfectionist. Trick is to get him motivated. Because he is also the last great procrastinator. So when he's burned out but says 'I'll get to it next weekend', that means I could be facing months and months of cabinets with no doors. Couldn't bear the thought. So I painted 'em. Mistake number four (I am up to four now, right?). Two years, four months later hinges are flaking (I primed with Bulsseye 123 first) primarily where hinges rub. That really accelerated just in very recent past to where it's noticeable, and will only get worse. I cannot put off addressing this development much longer, as old brass peeking through bright white is not attractive. Oddly enough, back when I was doing this job, someone suggested auto touch up paint. (Comes in a 3" tall bottle ala nail polish.) Unfortunately, I had already painted all but a few hinges when I got that tip. The hinges with auto touch up paint (in a white I picked that closely matched CC) are holding up well. For now. For anyone who needs to remove paint from hinges, I just saw a tip on This Old House: get a cheapy crock pot (not ever meant for food), put water in, turn it on low, let hinges soak for 12 hours (or overnight) and paint will fall off in a big glob. (Not sure if that applies to oil-based.) Whether I go that route and buff them out (I don't like brass) or ask DH for new is a nasty toss up. Replacing our deck is pending this spring, so for new hinges I might as well ask him to hang the moon ;) I left the doors up. I did not paint the insides of the cabinets (good condition = no need). I used a Purdy XL Dale 1 1/2' angle brush (my favorite) for tight nooks, small areas. I applied paint to doors with a 4" foam roller (speedier and better control) and followed up with a final single stroke, top to bottom, with a half-loaded brush (Purdy XL Dale 3" flat). I say half-loaded because fully loaded brush with CC would only create excess paint which then runs everywhere as it seeks it's level. Dry would drag through existing paint leaving a gummy trail. So half loaded pulls out any bubbles from the foam roller, keeps the work surface sufficiently wet but not drowning in paint, and paint will then level well. Learn from my mistakes, so that you do not stand in your kitchen 2 1/2 years from now and see what I am beginning to see.

Thanks, jbrig and californiagirl (I'm in California too!) I'll check ebay also. I would like to install hardware now because I've been wanting to do this for years but have been waiting to paint the cabinets, which just hasn't happened yet. I don't like having to touch the drawers and doors in order to open them and they do get dirty faster. I also thought it might look better to have hardware. We just replaced the old, hard water damaged faucet to a nice new Hansgrohe faucet and even that improvement, though small, makes me happy :) As jbrig mentioned, I'm now back to wondering whether we should paint the cabinets if we're going to sell the house. I have posted on this before and still keep going back and forth as to whether it's a good idea to spend time and money painting and/or replacing the appliances if a new buyer might just want to tear it all out anyway! Besides painting, I priced appliances over the weekend and it would probably be around $7,000 to replace the Kitchenaid appliances with new stainless steel (if I buy them at Sears Outlet as they become available - would be over $10,000 if I just purchase them all at once from regular appliance store). I'm going to follow up with the agent on this to get more advice. If changing the kitchen won't help us sell or increase our selling price, then I might want to put that money towards my next kitchen instead :) If I do paint, it's a great idea to try out different colors on poster boards and then ask for input on GW. I'll definitely do that! JessHS - we used Sherwin Williams Antique White throughout our whole house on all the doors and trim (pillars, windows, crown, baseboard, etc.). It's a very pretty creamy white in our house, not too yellow or drab, and works well with our walnut stained floors and warm neutrals. I'm just not sure if it will work with the counters. I love bright white kitchens, but I think that might look out of place in our house. I do like Edgecomb Gray though. This post was edited by juddgirl2 on Tue, Apr 8, 14 at 1:10

Not sure I should step back into these waters but after a lot of time, decision making, holdups with other parts of my house-my Ikea cabinets are currently being installed. They should measure for the (non Ikea) countertops later this week so we are close. The delay did allow me to take advantage of the Spring sale and save about $1000. Because I'm far from a store and had problems using the design software. I used a local service to design and deliver which has been horrible. Rude, missing pieces, wrong things ordered. But my contractor and I are slowly figuring out. We've removed EVERYTHING from the backsplash which will be slab marble-all of the lighting will be under cabinet and the outlets, plug mold. We also ended up removing the window as it was small and would have needed to be rebuilt because of leaks. The only decision I have left concerns a peninsula overhang which I'm leaning away from. Hopefully I will be able to post a picture of the completed soon.

I am looking at glass warehouse too. There is a pic online… can’t find it at the moment that shows Vigo to have a perfect match, and from what some say, the Glass Warehouse is the same. I am unsure, but I see where you’re thinking is going. The glass warehouse has frameless ones too which are a bump up in looks some might thunk too. Bit of a conundrum for sure. It would be great if someone posted about this if they’ve already taken the leap.