Imsparkie, your kitchen looks really cool - I hope you keep us posted about your progress. I understand the effect that you are trying to achieve. Having some depth and variation is a really great idea for adding interest to slab fronts. I'm planning solid oak gray stained slab fronts for my small kitchen, but I was driving myself *nuts* trying to figure out *how*. It was a thread here on GW that pointed me to an excellent option: Rubio Monocoat. It's a Belgian product that is designed for floors so it's more than up for the job for cabinet fronts. From my research, it is a new category of products (there are a couple of other brands of this kind of modern hardwax oil). It has many many benefits over custom stains, hardware store options, etc. What I found is that those products weren't opaque enough for the look that I was trying to achieve. I have applied it myself and it's an *easy* DIY job if you do proper wood prep (use their cleaner) and follow instructions exactly. I have no experience with wood finishing so knew that complicated application methods weren't for me. I loved the samples that I tried. The finish is beautifully matte, yet water beads up nicely and it seems very durable. I recommend that you order samples and try this yourself if you're interested. Plan to take some time getting the right combination if you use two-step process. The wood species makes a *huge* difference. If you want to see grain, oak is by far the best readily available option. Also, how the wood is prepped makes a difference in how the Oil soaks in (sanding, Monocoat Raw Wood cleaner, 'water popping' to raise grain), so ideally you'd be working with a sample cabinet door for your final testing. Some of the Monocoal Oils are coloured (incl a number of whites), but if you want a more opaque finish with stronger colour, you can apply a 'precolor' - I'll be doing that with my gray stained cabinet to achieve an 'almost painted' look that still shows the dimension and depth of the grain. You will probably need the precolor to get the colour strong enough for your look. The cool thing is you can MIX precolors with each other to blend a custom colour. You can also mix the Oils with each other. So the possibilities are endless and you should be able to create the look you want with experimentation. Because there are so many colours of precolors and oils, the combinations are endless and creating large sample boards is a *must*. Natural Oil Finish 2C Part A (no accelerator B) http://www.monocoat.us/Natural-Oil-Finish - recommended to use no accelerator for cabinet fronts for long 'open time', but takes 21 days to cure (instead of 7). Precolor Easy 14 Unique Shades http://www.monocoat.us/Precolor-Easy/ Application Instructions: https://store-adb79.mybigcommerce.com/content/pdf/RM Furniture Data.2.14.pdf pretty impressive resistance testing results: http://www.monocoat.us/Resistance-Testing/ See my thread for endless detail about my quest for an elusive finish look :) . http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0416442910326.html HTH! If you're interested in pursuing this, I have some ideas about how you might achieve lavender/white look with Rubio products based on my test boards. This post was edited by feisty68 on Sat, Jun 21, 14 at 15:44

I have painted paint grade (i.e., not the prettiest wood) plywood cabinets and doors in my dressing area. After 9 years and some recurring plumbing issues in the sink, which had some of them get very wet a couple of times for a couple of days, they're like new. They, obviously, don't get the kind of wear that a kitchen does, but the temperature up there often gets as high as 85 degrees and as low as 60 degrees, and absolutely nothing has happened to the paint. These were brush painted in place, rather than being factory painted, but the factory spray is supposed to be even more durable. The explanation sounds a bit made up, however, because paint grade materials usually cost less. The upcharge should be for the painting, but it shouldn't be so different from staining. A lot of cabinetmakers favor MDF because it's so flat and stable, but one usually hears about MDF boxes with wood (or plywood) doors, rather than vice versa. The biggest issues I know of with MDF would be loosening at the screws where the hinges are, and some question about the level of damage with moisture (but doors wouldn't be a problem for the latter). MDF is heavier than wood or plywood, so gravity will pull it more. I'd research that aspect some more, but it should be fine. There's nothing wrong with furniture quality MDF. If you like that perfectly smooth, smooth as silk finish, that's the way to get it. I like the texture of the brush strokes and just a bit of grain (can't see it under the primer and paint, but can feel it in a couple of places). Since you're familiar with, have lived with, the cabinets these guys make, and they please you, go for it!

yep..light wood is making a comeback, definitely so I'm still in my walnut and teak stage(and probably will stay there for a while lol), but I love some light woods too..maple for example...cherry.. I like the idea of mixing both:) some cabinets are light stained and some are white(or some other light color). why not, if the overall design supports it of course? I think the most important for kitchen is to make sense within the context of the style of the house. then it will always look like it belongs. second most important-that it makes sense with your own individual style and preferences. then it will a) be cohesive with the rest of the space b) will make you happy(you can switch a) and b) places)) I don't get this "looking dated" thing..either it's pretty/nice/beautiful/cute/gorgeous-or it's not whoever doesn't like it in ten years (including you), for any reason anymore-redoes it if he can afford it. and if he can't-he waits until he can. if the kitchen makes sense-one can wait for years. its the ones that seem to be glued to the house, stylistically disconnected, or dysfunctional-that you wish to rip out others, you work with. you like them despite being "dated" too. unless you're told day after day you shouldn't...)))

I would bring sample paint chips to where your slab is (paint chips or sample cabinet doors with your chosen paint on it). The lighting will most likely be different there than your home light, but it should give you a good idea of how the colors blend together. I would also try to get a sample of your slab and bring it home along with your sample paint chips/cabinet doors. I would not automatically paint your cabinets the color of your home doors and trim because unless you’ve matched up your slab to the color of your home trim, you could be making a huge mistake. It’s a lot easier to paint the trim in your kitchen to match up with your cabs and slab than to have to repaint your cabinets should you find that when the slab goes in there’s a terrible clash.