Kenzie you have the perfect kitchen for hand-painting kitchen cabinets. You are going to be amazed at the improvement if you follow Christopher's directions. Just don't skip any steps and take your time :). You will see a little grain since your cabinets are oak, but that helps eliminate the look of brush marks also. I am one of those people who don't mind seeing the grain of oak - at least they look like real wood. I have one question for Christoper: How does the BM Impervo and Advance compare to SW Pro-Classic as far as ease of applying?? My reason for asking is that I have used the Pro-Classic on a vanity and was very impressed with the quality of the finished product - just would like to know for future projects.

If you and your hubby aren't DIYers and you have a large, busy family life, gel-staining your cabs may be more of a challenge than you anticipate. Sweat equity is a great way to improve one's home with little money but even a project billed as easy may not be easy for people who don't DIY. Hubby and I are DIYers but even so, every project takes us longer than we think it will. If you decide to take this on, get sample doors and test your technique first before tackling your kitchen. Love nosoccermom's idea of replacing a few door panels with glass. Have you considered quartz counters? I think Ceasarstone Pebble (medium gray) or Raven (charcoal) would look good (I see gray in your tiles but it could be how it looks on my monitor and not the case IRL). Caesarstone Raven up close [Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by San Francisco General Contractors Mascheroni Construction Caesarstone Raven with oak cabinets [Eclectic Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) by West Linn Interior Designers & Decorators Julia Williams, ASID Caesarstone Pebble up close [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) Caesarstone Concrete (very similar to Pebble) on IKEA Adel Medium Brown, which has has reddish/orange undertones. [Modern Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2105) by Rockwall Design-Build Firms Modern Craft Construction, LLC It sounds as though the floor's maintenance is primarily focused on trying to keep the polished look. Instead of polishing the floors, can they remove the sheen - hone them - and seal them? Wear and tear should be less noticeable on a non-shiny surface. Honed surfaces are generally more prone to staining than polished but since the tiles aren't uniform in nature, stains will probably blend in. Good luck!

Well, when this thread popped up again I am now wondering what the OP did? It's been almost 2 years! In the meanwhile, I also discovered how much I love the raw wood look. LOVE it! Today I spent the day putting neutral, Timbermate grain filler on some red oak cabinets. It grays them and makes them closer to the white oak doors I've put on other things, that I absolutely love so much. It certainly takes away the black grain mentioned earlier. I love the gray/tan/cream look of white oak! (OH! Flat, Exterior, Acrylic, DARK paint base goes on with an invisible finish and doesn't change the color at ALL YEAH!) Are you ready for this? Yet again, in the 12 years since I've been rebuilding, I find myself admitting I might. Just might. Paint some cherry cabinets I refinished. Might. The thing is, some of the doors are gorgeous and as-of-yet unfinished. It never occurred to me to ask others what to do. I have such (crazy) eclectic taste nothing I do really appeals to many. Mostly those who are into reclaimed/reused stuff like my home. It always pleasantly surprised me when someone compliments my stuff. Because ***I*** love it. I wonder if she did a two-tone? Oak on top and white on the bottom to please her DH? Or if he just put in his two cents and forgot about it!?

Laura H, something is going on with Houzz. I posted that post 4 days ago, but it never appeared. My keyboard will not let me hold down the delete key to delete more than one letter at a time. Sometimes, the first letter of a sentence will not appear. Then I cannot add the first letter and I cannot delete the word by highlighting and deleting. The only way to get rid of it is to either back out of the page or highlight the word and press ctrl X. Then it goes away. This only happens on Houzz. I think I will start a post about it. One other person is having the same problem. I like the original color of your paint (at least on my monitor). I may paint my house that color next time we paint. I think you should spend as little money on your kitchen as possible and fix other things. Old houses have hidden problems like electrical. I bet you are happy all the electrical is done. We had to also put two new furnaces/ac in. $12k. Ouch! If you do decide to do the kitchen floor, it will be a one time fix, unlike paint. I wonder if the square tiles go under your cabinets though. I am in the same boat. We are not planning on removing the bathroom marble floor tile, but we are getting new cabinets. We don't know if the tile goes under the cabinets or not. I hope so. I can't wait to see other pics of your 1908 house! A lot of work, but a lot of fun! We almost bought a house dated 1901 with curved glass windows, but decided against it when we found that the basement entrance (trap door) was in the center of the kitchen floor. Weird! Post some pics as you start working on other rooms, please.