I don't quite understand... if you're painting, the underlying red or orange won't matter a whole lot, not if you do a proper job (two coats and or one primer coat and 1-2 finishing ones), so unless you're thinking (instead) of sanding and/or restaining them, why worry - the paint will cover anything.

Yep, that's what I meant -- sorry I wasn't clear (probably went too fast). I am *not* going to paint the cabs, since it will take me less time to repaint the room (it's very small--powder room). I did find the thread from September about the oak kitchen, but all the colors seemed too jarring a difference from the greyed tones we have.

I'm thinking now maybe of a BM AC color called "winter gates"? What do folks think of that? I'm thinking a brownish tone like ashley grey is too bathroomy, iykwim...a greyer tone might work better and bring out the gold vs. the orange in the cabs?

Or is that completely wrong? TIA again :) My DH is asking me to mix together a sample from the literally dozens of samples I have in the garage... but I don't have something black enough or blue enough to move things from a light grey to a dark.

As odd as this thought may sound -- perhaps if you actually painted the walls in a deep pumpkin (BM Greenfield Pumpkin perhaps?) -- the cabinets would actually blend in better.

IF necessary then switch the hardware to a more modern lined black or ORB.

Then add some mid-century modern ceramics/artworks.

Just a thought! :)

Jan

I don't think the color of the walls will matter for an appraisal.

How about just sanding the finish off for a weathered natural wood.

happyladi, in most cases they wouldn't, but they can't stay the way they are...I have years of samples up all over them from my trying out wild colors just for fun (e.g. a deep turquoise...the *wrong* direction and I knew it, but just for the heck of it) :)

teacats, I'm there with the accessories :), but I'm thinking pumpkin is too different from what we have now in the rest of the house--it's all atmosphere and suggestion, having gotten rid of the PO's Devine colors...

sanding would take a while, but if I had the time, I'd definitely do that or paint them (we're planning to redo the thing entirely but not by the appraisal time)

Thanks for the ideas, folks.

Just don't do blue or green, because either will accentuate the red/orange tone. I would tend to agree with teacats along the lines of making the wall color more similar to the cabinet color. If you don't want to go as bold as pumpkin, then maybe a peachy/coral type of color. Just don't go too flesh-colored...ick. Sorry I don't have specific colors, although I am a big fan of the BM Aura color Milk & Honey, which I have in my dining room.

Ha, sue -- I did wander over to some warm reddish tannish-greys--until I realized they looked like skin! YUCK! What I am seeing in my mind is a true light grey. Impossible, I know, but I see it making the oak look less red and more golden...I have Baltic Grey up there now...that's not exactly it but it's close...

I've heard it said that Horizon (1478) is a "true gray" -- haven't used it myself but maybe worth a look.

I like Bunny Gray but without my paint deck handy, not sure if that's a bluer gray or not. I was thinking it was a more or less true gray.

To balance the orange, choose the color on the opposite side of the color wheel... green. Olive green walls will balance the orange and make your oak cabinets look beautiful.

This might not be a color choice you would normally make, but for an appraisal, it could be stunning.

{{!gwi}}

You often read in this forum to use analagous colors when trying to tone down orange-y oak. IME, that makes the wood color look blah (voice in my head = Rocky the Squirrel saying, "But that trick never works!"). On the otherhand, using grey blues, grey greens, greys does make the oak color stand out, but at least in a pretty way. The grey colors will make the orange oak look good AND will blend in with the rest of your home. Besides, there's something MCM about oranges and greys, to my mind.

I too have the dreaded orange oak in my home. I was happiest with it when using grey blues & grey greens. Made the oak look (gasp!) attractive.

The complement of orange on a paint color wheel (meaning opposite it) is not green but blue. Do the blue/gray color and while it won't hide the orange, it will help it work in the room.

If you use the wipe-on gel stain from General Finishes, you can be done a couple of hours, and then it's all drying time.

I'm refreshing the cabinets in this house, and it's a matter of removing the removable stuff, wash down the wood, wipe on stain and let it dry ... about 1/2 hour per 2-door cabinet section, and then it's all drying time.

Wipe with a glaze....I don't know if that gel stain is the right product, I have never used it.
But you want to wipe with a glaze that is the exact opposite on the color wheel, which will be blue for orange.
I have ( actually only once but it worked amazingly well) tinted a clear finish with blue artists oils and thinned it with Turpentine. Then I rubbed it on with a rag....let it dry and repeated in certain areas that still appeared orangey. I topped all with a clear coat so the glaze would not rub off, but since you only want to do it to sell the house that wouldn't be necessary. Just rub over with a blue tinted glaze.
Blue and Orange make black. They are colors that negate each other, so putting on a blue glaze will "grey them down".
Linda C

Good morning--thank you all! the color suggestions are *very* helpful -- I'll check those out today. I really appreciate it. cpartist, that's the eternal issue with unwanted colors, isn't it? I want them to disappear but they just won't--so what to do...I may post pics of different colors up next to them.

Re gelstaining the cabs -- I may do it if I have time, but the wall paint is necessary and I have to address that first. I actually tried a gel stain on the inside of one of the doors once and I must not have been bold enough with it because all it did was make the grain more pronounced. So I took it off.

Off to go look at horizon and bunny gray...thank you so much. WE're not selling, btw -- we're refi-ing in this great rate environment and I want all the changes we've made to this house to be seen, while minimizing the fact that we---ahem--haven't gotten around to all of it yet.

The complement of orange on a paint color wheel (meaning opposite it) is not green but blue.

Yellow and blue make green.

Yellow and red make orange.

Green and orange are both secondary colors, meaning that they are both made by mixing two primary colors.

The reason green looks good with orange is the yellow that ties them together.

My opinion, my opinion, my opinion.

Yes if you want to get orange, you would mix the two primary colors of red and yellow. Then the complement of that would be the primary color that is left: Blue. Green is not opposite orange on the pigment color wheel and never has been. Red is opposite green on the color wheel. Or to use your analogy again, if you mix the two primaries yellow and blue, the only primary color left is RED. :)

As to whether green and orange will work together in a room? Any two color can work together. However she was asking how to neutralize her cabinet and a good way is to use some form of the complement. Another excellent way is to make the color sit back in the room by using a monochromatic color scheme where everything is a similar color.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I painted my bedroom and bathroom walls light gold. What color bedspread and accessories would look nice?
Carol

Well I am no expert, so please take this with a grain of salt, but in my recent experience.... appraisals are based on the recent sale price of houses similar in size, location and structure to your own.... although it would still be great to fix the walls... I'm pretty sure it won't matter one iota. I had a friend whose house was new and they were trying to refinance. Their appraisal dropped 10,000 in 3 months, based on the plummeting housing market. No fun... We just sold ours and it was not pretty. Glad you aren't selling:) Our appraisers barely set foot on the property.

Interesting fact-or not. If you sit and stare at a color for about five minutes, then look at a white wall, you will see the opposite color.

Are you drinking while you are staring at the wall???

Since it's just a powder room, you can't have that much cabinet to paint. I would paint the cabinets. But for an appraisal, it won't matter either way. It's not at all something they would take into consideration. At least with us it wasn't.

Here's an interesting design aspect regarding after effects of color:

Here is a link that might be useful: Green scrubs

A quick coat or 2 of anything to cover the test spots is all you need to do for the appraisal.
Try a nice aqua and see how that works for you. Not quite green or blue and something with a little color rather than another neutral...
If you don't like it, it is light enough to go over and consider it as a primer ;)

I was going to suggest mclarks gorgeous green, or try Ralph Lauren parchment. It's a tan with gray tones and looks gorgeous with medium toned woods.

And after having been a banker for many years I can guarantee that while it won't be mentioned by the appraiser, staging a home as if you were going to sell (ie fresh paint) does influence the outcome of an appraisal. It's a mental thing....if things look new and fresh it can give the appraiser the impression that things are taken care of, and updated, giving an impression that when discussing useful life or condition that a higher value would be warranted.

I LOVE you guys! :)

So much good stuff in here, and some hilarious stuff too :)

igloo, I agree -- it can't hurt--and at this point, it's pretty much necessary. I actually mixed a color that DH and I LOVE -- we mixed some Copley Grey, believe it or not, some Pratt & Lambert Carolina Gull, and a touch of Pearl Grey. To me it reads like an F&B color, for some reason -- definitely greyed out but with depth*s* -- almost prismatic. It makes the oak look golden rather than orange! I have *no idea* how it works scientifically, though. I guess there's enough blue to neutralize the orange? But it doesn't look too blue--which is hard in that all-incandescent room, but BM Pewter did.

When I get the paint up I'll try to take pics, which of course won't come out well at all since there's no natural light in the little cave...and it's just a yucky pre-remodel powder room anyway...but I could see liking this color enough to use it post-remodel too.

I love when a thread broadens out to consider larger issues, like why surgical scrubs are blue-green...that was really interesting, spring.

OUCH, kjmama...We've watched that happen around us. Our estimated value is a LOT less than it had been. We were almost thinking of selling anyway, because we were able to buy this before the real-estate rush back in the mid 2000s, and there are so many good deals out there now. But we *like* our house! The only problem is the location. We may have to move in the spring anyway, if DD doesn't get into particular schools. But we're refi-ing in order to live on our hopes (that she'll get into one of the two schools) and as insurance in case the world goes bonkers and inflation comes storming into town.

cmama/Carol, how about telling us more about what's in the room? Or were you joking? If not, please say more.

And the last time I stared at a wall for 5 minutes was in 10th grade while listening to "Dreamweaver"...and it wasn't alcohol making me do it...

I have brand new red oak cabinets and I want to whitewash them or make them a gray wash. What preparation do I need to do to prevent the pink/orange/red look? Any ideas will be appreciated.

We have a reddish tint wood ceiling. I had originally painted the walls a pewter green, the orange and green looked horrible. I then changed to the paint to Brainstorm Bronze which helped a ton. It is quite dark but maybe will help in choosing a color. The color looks to be a dark gray/brown/green