I'm kind of wondering the same thing. I'm going with Shiloh cabinets and they offer the glazing free, but I'm not sure if I'll like it long term. I don't plan on getting new cabinets for a looong time after this so I need to make the right decision. Any feedback?

I struggled with the same decision and went without. I ordered a cream colored cabinet and the mocha glaze looks beautiful on it.... today. I did not order it for concern that it would look dated in a few years. Just my opinion! :~)

I must say, as someone completely out of the loop of kitchen design and the latest fashions, that I personally don't find glazing very attractive and don't understand the recent fad. To me, it looks like dirt rubbed in the corners. Real antiques don't age that way, either [if you want really old-looking cabinets, get really old cabinets! ;-) ]. It reminds me of the cheap and awful faux-colonial, faux-aged painted dresser sets I grew up with in the 1970's.

But I know there are instances where the glazing is very well done -- just one woman's opinion here.

I agree with Circuspeanut. 'Glazing' is just a new marketing name for the 'Antiquing Kits' that were all the rage in the 70's.

I think glazing is beautiful but I do think it's a trend. I think a trend is anything that has become super-popular in more recent years and isn't necessary cyclical like a classic.

Also, I generally don't like anything that tries to simulate something that it's not. Glaze is a faux-finish to make something look more antique, which I never understood as it's not old!!

Again, I have to say that glazing can be really pretty. But is it a trend? My answer to that is yes. You can purchase trendy clothes or purses and you toss them or put them aside when they go out of a style. But with a kitchen, not so easy.

With classics you don't need to worry.

Something must be wrong with the search function because I posted a thread not too long ago regarding glaze, and it was titled "To glaze, or not to glaze, maple cabinets". Its a shame I can't find it because we had a great discussion about glazing and there were many "fans" who posted in favor of glazing.

Personally, I decided that glaze was the way to go. It gives a worn antique feel to cabinets and in my opinion, it went really well the feel and the style I would like to create in my home.

Here is a picture of the cabinet finish (w/ glaze) that I chose for my cabinets (due by the end of May!)

{{!gwi}}

Good luck.

Its a tough decision because cabinets are such an investment, you really want something that will stand the test of time. I figure, in 15 years, my cabinets are going to show age anyways, so I decided to go for the glaze, and I am very excited about it!

You all are definitely keeping me grounded. As I mentioned, I love glaze on some stains, but the added expense coupled with the idea it might fall out of favor. . .I'm really leaning toward going with classic stained cherry now.

There's still that part of me that says, hey, this is your kitchen, get what you want, but practicality will probably win out. *sigh* Sometimes being practical is painful.

WE went through the same decision process-
These are the decisions that we made in terms of price add ons
1. beaded inset doors- added
2. alder vs. upgrade to cherry upgraded
3. glaze on cherry cabinets- passed- for med/dark stained cabinets, kitchen designer recommended that there was no need to add glaze. Minimal change for the $$$

I too was concerned that glaze will fall out of favor for a traditional cherry kitchen,.

I went through the exact same question (before finding GW, alas) -- my KD assured me that glazing was not a trend but I continued to have my doubts. Now that my cabinets are in, I will give a very qualified "yes" to glazing, at least in my situation. First, it's pretty subtle on my cabinets (which are almost Shaker-style but with a little extra detail), and the glazing accentuates the extra detail nicely. Second, my cab co (Showplace) does not upcharge for glazing, which does make a difference for those of us who worry about how much it costs. Last, the cabs are light maple with a "caramel" (warm medium brown) glaze; the floor in the LR and DR is light maple; I now need hdwd (long story, see other posts) and the light maple had been discontinued, but I was able to get the same floor in "amaretto" color (warm medium brown), which really will make my cabinets look good.

So I will say yes to glazing if it's going to make the cabinet detail look good, help pick up other colors such as the floor, and isn't a ridiculous upcharge. I still think it's a trend and better for some kitchens than others (Tuscany, old world, not Shaker, not contemporary).

This pic doesn't show the glazing too terribly well. I think the wood sample in the far right bottom is the wrong one (again, not showing up too well). Once my granite is in I'll want to take more pix.

well, i'm biased since i've never cared for the glazed look. they always seem to be overstating themselves; relying more on the finish rather than the beauty of the form of the cabinet. i don't think i'm in the majority though as a lot of people love the glazed look. again, jmo, i think they already appear somewhat dated but if you really love the look you should go with it. you should be happy in your kitchen and have what you like, not what is in fashion now or later.

Thanks all. I love hearing the arguments for and against. I'm still undecided, so I'm open for any pro's and con's on the matter.

gardenwebber--That was the thread I remembered and what prompted my search for to glaze or not. . .Oh well, I'm glad you gave your input here anyway.

I think it really depends on the glaze. We are mixing natural cherry, with no glaze, with white with a light glaze.

After we made our choice, I saw lots of kitchens with a very heavy glaze, and I panicked. I didn't want my cabinets to look like that. They looked totally faux finished, fake old ick. Thank goodness, when we saw one of our actual doors, the glazing is very subtle, very light. It just warms the cabients up, accents the details very subtly. I never thought of it as something to make the cabinets look older. It doesn't make the cabinets look older. It just tones down the white a bit.

sdionne - I found the thread we were looking for cached on the Google server (I think). I tried bumping it, but it is not showing on this forum for some reason.

Here is a link to the thread:

Here is a link that might be useful: Glaze, or not to glaze, maple cabinets

I agree it really depends on the door style, wood, glaze and who does it - we have Kraftmaid Ginger Glaze and I absolutely love it and would have regretted it NOT getting it.

I think it's just like everything else. If it's done well, is priced appropriately for you and enhances the aesthetics of the piece then it's worth it. If it doesn't it's not.

Honestly, I'd never heard of glazing cabinets before hitting this forum. But you know what? If I thought we could do it to our newly restained cabs with little fuss I'd probably do it as the stain didn't come out to be the color I had wanted. (Provided, of course, that I could find a glaze that would do what I want that Hubby liked as well.) Hubby did such a good job with the sealant, though that I don't think it would work.

Originally I had wanted my white cabinets to be glazed but when I saw the actual samples up close I changed my mind; the "antiquing" just looked like dirt smudged into the corners. I hated it upon close inspection.

I have, however, seen some glazes that are beautifully subtle - rather than trying to "age" the cabinet, the glazing accentuates the "bones" of the cabinet. Very lovely, only, alas, it wasn't available in the cabs that I chose, so I ended up choosing a cream (that I love:)

LOL - because of the $$$ investment, I, too, did not want to choose "trendy" materials that would date quickly. But then I went ahead with a dark stained island and cream perimeter cabinets - I'm sure it will be screaming 2008!

I had all the same concerns as you and finally decided that the magazine pictures that I kept drooling over all had one thing in common -- whitish glazed cabinets. Just go with what you like. If you go with a glaze, just make sure you're happy about the amount of "hang up," the evenness of strokes, the consistency from one cabinet to the next, and the quality of the "baking" process. We have decided to go with a brushed glaze (on half our cabinets) that is so subtle that you don't notice it beyond about 4 feet. Yet, those cabinets look much different than the same finish with no glaze. BTW, the other half of our cabinets are going to be a dark stained cherry. Maybe because I, like you, couldn't decide?? Or maybe I wanted the best of both worlds :) Good luck and go with your gut.

In last minute I omitted glazing on off white cabinets and I am very glad i did. I saved 10% ($3,000)& like the clean, crisp timeless look of my off white. My cherry stained island is glazed & it was unnecessary.

our newly-installed cabinets are shiloh, so we didn't pay anything extra for paint/glaze/wear, which was one of the reasons we went with shiloh.

i love the glaze. we wanted to emulate the look of an older kitchen and after looking at about a gajillion cabinets, i just think plain stained or painted cabinets just look too uniform. the right glaze really helps to make the finish and detail pop out, and can serve to tie the cabinets together with other elements in the room.

our main 'L' is painted green cabs with 'pewter' glaze. we first were going to get a 'coffee' glaze, but didn't like the sample we saw, which made the green color look very dark. the pewter lightens it up considerably and ties the cabinets together with the SS appliances and our tin ceiling.

we did our island and a buffet area in our adjacent eating area in cherry cabinets with red stain and black glaze. we were going for a 'furniture' type look with these and i'm pretty happy with how they turned out. they'll look even better once they get their oil-rubbed bronze hardware on them.

We also have Kraftmaid Maple with ginger glaze and I am so glad I went with the glaze.

It's just enough to give the cabinets some depth and interest.

I previously had white raised panel cabinets in my kitchen which I liked a lot. When we decided to remodel I wanted a completely different look...from bright and cheery and airy to warm and inviting and homey.

I would have not liked my white cabinets glazed but I love the maple glazed cabinets, so for me I guess it all depends on the wood, the style of the room and the cabinet.

If there is one thing I have learned, it is to go with what YOU love. I glazed my own cabinets, not because the look is "in", but because I wanted to take the edge off of new looking cabinets because I personally love a look of antiquity and age. My cabinets do not resemble the "antiqued" look of the 70's. But if that was the look I liked, it would have suited me fine. I am just amazed at how many people come over and do not want to leave my kitchen. I had a gathering a couple of weeks ago, and had about 30 people crammed into my kitchen while we were preparing dinner. I kept telling them to go into the living room and make themselves comfy, but they just preferred to stand around in the kitchen. Oh well, I want my guests to be happy. They all said my kitchen felt so warm and inviting. THAT is what I was aiming for, so I guess mission accomplished!

In planning our kitchen remodel I knew the look was going to be white painted cabs, rubbed down, with a distressed look and then with a glaze or ? over. In my other life, I used to paint and sell this type of inventory for many years, but on a smaller scale.

I did have the advantage of knowing exactly what I wanted and everyone was very good natured. My cabs are custom and were painted here, when the guys started sanding I was right beside them, same with the glazing which just looks like a shear coat over the white paint and emphasizes the rub down on the edges and moulding.

The perimeter cabs are not heavily distressed. I decided to contentrate on my black island and when they were sanding this piece, asked if I could have the sanding cloth and went to town distressing it even more. The guys were great and didn't seem to mind at all.

I really like the way everything turned out, but then I'm partial to a little primitive here and there.

Haven't posted pictures of the new kitchen yet, but I will.

I chose to have my maple cabinets from Medallion glazed with their hazelnut stain so they would not be so similar to my oak floors. The glaze mainly acentuates the form of the doors, and looks great.

I asked our KD this very question and she said glazing has been around for a long time but if we plan on selling our home anytime soon she suggested just plain cherry cabinets (in her opinion the only "timeless" look). We are going with glazed I just hope I still love them once they are here,go with what you love!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been TKO for over 5 yrs and remodeled 2 kitchens in that time. Our new house has a gorgeous kitchen. This will be the 1st house we've lived in where we don't have to do a thing.
What's the issue? The cabinets are well built and beautiful but they're glazed. They look wonderful, but I do worry they'll get dated very quickly. I painted and glazed cabs in our 1st house over 10 yrs ago. We remodeled our current kitchen in 2004/2005 and I chose a painted finish without a glaze. I like a cleaner, more simple and casual look. Glazed cabs feel more formal to me.

That being said, we're not changing them. If in 3-5 yrs we hate the glaze, we can always have the cabs repainted.
{{!gwi}}

I think glazing is no more a fad than the tons of all white kitchens one sees. Its all about what the individual finds best fro them.

For us, we had no glaze put on our cherry cabinets but did have our painted / distressed cabinets glazed because we wanted them to look like older furniture pieces and we wanted to accentuate the detail of the beaded inset and beadboard look

without the glaze we would never have achieved the look we wanted on these particular cabinets

I have to agree with bluekitobsessed "glazing makes the cab detail look good".
Bluekitobsessed: Can you show a sample of your Amaretto floor? What type of wood are you using on the floor? Did you choose your granite and backsplash? (I'm most likely selecting similar maple cabinets with a light chocolate glaze and would like some help with color selection)
Back to Glaze or not to glaze:
I am also in the process of choosing a cab color and am driving myself (and my family) crazy. Each day I go back and forth between light and dark, glaze and no glaze (parading door samples around the kitchen). I think this post has helped me reach a decision and here is why:
I think if you go with a light maple cabinet, glazing is a good idea because it helps bring out the grain in the maple a bit more. Cherry, unlike maple, typically shows more of the grain and therefore I think you can get away with a cherry stain and no glaze.
If anyone is in the process of finishing a light/medium maple kitchen with a glaze I would appreciate photo sharing and/or ideas.
Thanks Melanie