Wow, what a transformation! You do very nice work.

I'm impressed! I know that was a lot of work. It really looks beautiful!
Barb

Looks fantastic!!! Great job!!

Wow! They look very professional, excellent job there. Can you tell me, does the Valspar glaze come premixed and all...you just used it straight out of the can? Does Lowes sell it? What kind of brush did you use? I much more like the subtle highlighting you've done versus the all-over glazing which does in fact look "dirty" most of the time, at least in pics.

It looks very professional!!

mycatz: Yes the Valspar Glaze is premixed so you use it straight out of the bottle. I purchased it from Lowes. I used a small paint brush & painted the glaze only on the areas that I wanted it. Then I wiped with a paper towel. To get glaze of areas that it got onto that I didn't want it on I used a water dampened sponge brush to wipe over it then used a dry paper towel to wipe. Sometimes i took too much glaze off but just added more...it's just about trial & error till you get the look you want.

Thank you everyone for the compliments! It helps to know I'm on the right track.

They look soooo good!!
What a big difference!!

OMG!!!

You are putting professional cabinet finishers to shame! Those are beautiful!

I think now that you've worked the kinks out, it will probably go much faster. Isn't that always the way with DIY? By the time you've gotten really good at it, there's nothing left to do?

Do you need to put any kind of protective coat over the glaze? Or is it a type of varathane?

Are you going to add hardware?

raehelen: Thank you for your kind words! Well I wish it would go faster but due to our busy schedules the working on the kitchen is the last on our list. It will probably take us 2-3 months to get the kitchen done. Once we have all the upper cabs done, we will have to take the tile off the counters so we can do the lower cabinets, install an undermount sink, new faucet, and add uba tuba granite. Once that is done we will probably install tumbled marble backsplash.
We will be putting a satin clear coat protector on the cabinets. Before we had the exposed hinges but now we are going to have hidden hinges. We will have probably an orb knob on the cabinets...haven't chosen those yet.

ideamom, thanks for the info, I'm so glad you posted this. I've looked for glaze in different paint stores, will look again in Lowes. Please post another pic when you get all done, bet it will look beautiful!

Beautiful job! We considered a "vanilla bean" glaze on Kraftmaid cabinets bc we wanted the look you have obtained, but decided that KM put too much glaze on the cabinets for our taste. If I were refinshing existing cabinets yours are exactly how I would want mine to look. Best wishes for the rest of the project!

What color of paint did you end up using. It looks like the perfect creamy white.

Laurie

Wow! That's amazing! What a wonderful labor of love. Looking forward to seeing the finished kitchen.

Melinda

I am speechless! You and hubby did a fantastic job, I am totally impressed! They are just beautiful..professional for sure! Can't wait to see your kitchen when it's finished.
Ree

Look good??? They look FANTASTIC! I am so impressed that you had the talent and patience to do your own doors. You could go into the cabinet refacing business for sure. Good for you!

Absolutely beautiful! We had very similar cabinets, and painted them Bayleaf. Ours don't look nearly as smooth and professional as yours, but we love the new look! New hardware is fun, too.

The color of the glaze is Mocha by Valspar. I wish it was a darker brown but don't really want to start all over

Actually no need to start all over - if you want to go darker, you should be able to simply apply darker glaze to those you already completed. No need to re-sand / paint / etc

You should be so proud of yourself (and DH)!
That is amazing. I would never have guessed that it wasn't professional. I just finished my cabs (with gel stain) and it took me about two months while working ofcourse so I know what you are going through. Keep it up. When you're finished it will be a breath of fresh air every time you walk into your kitchen!

What color white/cream paint did you use? I love it! Was it oil based or latex? My dad is a retired painter and hates glazes and faux finishing. He said he would paint my cabinets in oil based only and not to ask him to paint them again if I didn't like the glaze after a few years. I am still determined to glaze!

We used the same cream paint (water based) that we used on our moulding throughout our house. It was custom tinted at Lowes. I can probably get the formula off the can if you want it. To me it looks like the color of melted vanilla ice cream. The glaze is water based too. The primer was oil based. I figure if I get tired of the glazing or it goes out of style I can always just cover it up with cream paint.

Thanks for the advice. I plan to start my cabinet project soon!

Magnificent!! It looks like it was done by professionals. Personally I think they are perfect just as they are, but if your vision is to go darker then do so. I'll be awaiting photos!

Thank you everyone for the compliments! You all have gave me the confidence to keep going forward with the glazing. I knew I could count on you all for an honest opinion.

Fabulous work! It looks awesome!

tell more about the hidden hinges. which did you install, was it hard to get the cup holes in the right place?

we would love to do that to our "oakies", but Im afraid the big cup (35mm) required is too big for the stile our cabinets have, it's less than 2".

thanx

Fantastic results. Looks like high-end cabinetry, for sure!

It looks awesome! What a GREAT job you did. So professional. What a difference. You should be very proud of your beautiful work. Congrats! I love it!

They look great!

Looks great! I would have never known it wasn't a brand new custom cabinet. Congrats!
Crystal

Amazing transformation! I have heard that oak with its strong grain was very difficult to paint over. Is that why you did so many coats and can you see the grain now? We have some cabinet doors in our living room that are oak veneer and I would love to do them cream with a glaze but unfortunately as they are flat faced I don't think the glaze would show much but I am curious as to whether the oak is hard to paint.

IdeaMom, I just did a search because I want to glaze my cabinets. Your cabinets are beautiful!! The Valspar product you used looks much easier to use instead of mixing. Do you think it can be used over oil based painted cabinets. I painted mine about 5 years ago with Ben Moore oil based paint and don't know what to use to glaze them now.

If anybody else know, please chime in. Much appreciated.

Wow, you did a fabulous job.