When I was considering dark maple for a vanity, the shop mocked up some samples on different woods. The finish guy said he would have to dye the maple first and then apply the stain. The issue is getting the various wood from different parts of the tree to look somewhat uniform.

Read a ton...there is a lot of help on line; buy some maple boards: and then practice various techniques you decide to try.

You could investigate a Polyshades type product--you might be able to get color you like better. Test it on the inside of a door first of course!

Polyshades is difficult to apply evenly. I used it on a piece of trim that had previously been clear coated. It looks ok but on a cabinet door, I don't think it would come out evenly enough to look good. A lot of GW'ers have used General Finishes gelstains to change the color or their cabinets. Mostly though, you'll see examples of java, which is very dark. But they do offer several colors other than java. You can search GW for photos of gelstained cabinets. I had debated using gelstain to change my honey oak bathroom cabinets but in the end decided to paint them instead.

Test General Finishes gel stain, for example, the Brown Mahogany or Antique Walnut . It's more opaque, i.e. like a paint. I used a light stain (American wheat?) on maple and it worked very well.

nosoccermom should post some photos. :)

I had a bad experience with GF gel stain on a small oak desk. I ended having to strip it down to bare wood and start over with GF oil stain.

I would hate to have had that happen with an entire kitchen, kwim? I would only attempt such a solution if I accepted there was a chance it could go south and was prepared to replace them entirely.

I like GreenDesign's suggestion of painting them.

Well, you have to believe me because my phone pic is terrible :)

However, I may try tomorrow when it's brighter here.

Gel stain may work because it's more like paint. In fact, you can put it on fiberglass, laminate, or painted surfaces. I'd most certainly call General Finishes and ask them, though, before testing on an inconspicuous area first.

staining maple

Ok so what I'm hearing is this may end up being an expensive undertaking especially if I mess up...I can't afford new cabinets, which is why I was hoping I could do it myself, so is such an undertaking because I'm thinking of going to a dark cherry would I have the same issue if I went white instead? The kitchen has that French Country look, the Honey Maple cabinets, ugly beat up off white laminate counters (I'm replacing with a darker color) the chair rails and molding in the kitchen are white there's the ugly wall paper all over the kitchen ( its a cream colored background with all types of fruit) ( I've already started removing) any suggestions would be appreciated...(not sure what color to paint the walls I was trying to get the cabinets out of the way)...thanks everyone for your help

We had ours done, but it was a headache. We stripped off (by sanding) the existing finish (clear coat on maple) on the cabinet boxes. Since we were adding some new cabinets and didn't like the existing doors anyway, we bought all new doors, so our finisher was starting out with virgin wood there. Our finisher used a conditioner to help control the blotching. Then he used a very thinned out stain to bring out the grain of the wood. This was followed by two coats of a finish coat tinted with the stain. He had to be careful to put on the correct amount of this to make them all match. This was followed by clear coat. This was not a cheap or quick process.

If you're interested in the story, it's posted here:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2529831/almost-finished-stained-cabinets-green-granite

Well, could you test on an inside door? Or get a maple door at a Habitat for Humanity?

Here are my crappy pictures. Before and after. The difference right to left of the after is difference in lighting, not the actual wood. The black spots are burled.
The main goal was to get the lighter drawer part more like the outside/leg part.
And don't eat me if it isn't maple...

Now, the oak laminate that I gel stained with Java/espresso looks just like painted, obviously no grain. The oak fronts still have the grain visible.

You can certainly do your cabinets white. I think if you do the proper prep work, you can do a good paint job on the cabinets. I did both our bathroom's cabinets. I used Cabinet Coat paint, per GW recommendations. One bath in BM Winter Snow, the other in BM Navajo White. Amazing how nice they came out. Prep work is not fun, they have to be cleaned well, and in a kitchen that means degreasing. Then, scuff sand, primer, scuff, 1st coat paint, scuff, 2nd coat paint. Add some new knobs and it looks like new. A kitchen is a lot more work than a bathroom, but if you take your time and don't skip the prep, use quality primer, paint and brushes, you can do it. Some people spray the paint, I didn't have a sprayer but found a good Purdy brush and a foam roller did a great job, no brush marks at all. If you have limited funds and don't mind all the work, you can do it. Plus, white kitchens are very popular right now, it would brighten up the kitchen a lot.

Has anyone tried Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation kit?

I've never tried the kit. But Google rustoleum cabinet transformation kit blog. Or kitchen transformation. And input into Pinterest. Lots of bloggers used this product.

It's really expensive for what you get. You can get MUCH better results, much cheaper, and more personalized to your kitchen's size and to your taste, by buying better quality products individually. It also suggests skipping a lot of key prep that really and truly cannot be skipped if you want a long lasting quality job.

Prep is the most important part of the job, IMO. If you don't properly prep the surface, adhesion will not be good and you could end up with chips and flaking. I hate the prep, but you can't skip it. Never mind products that promise you don't need to degrease or sand, you absolutely need to do it if you want it to stick and to last! I agree with Sophie, you don't need to buy the Rustoleum kit, good quality paint and primer will cost you less, give you a better selection of colors and a better finish. Get good brushes too, no cheapies.

My local habitat for humanity is selling the cabinet transformation kits for 20.00.
I used one of their kits for a vanity an done point, and it was scary because the paint slid right off despite following the instructions.

Thanks everyone, I guess I'll be degreasing and sanding...ugh

I know the prep is tedious and so not fun, but the end result is worth it. And you will save a lot of money. Remove the doors and start with the boxes. Then, depending on how much space you have, set up a table for the doors and work on them, a few at a time if that is all you have room for. Patience is the key, this, like any kitchen remodel, will have things a mess for a whilte but once its done you'll be so happy with it. We did a reface for our kitchen, but the prep is similar to painting. We had to really clean those boxes and scuff sand too. Skipping that would mean the veneers wouldn't stick. It was time consuming, there was mess around for a while (took us 4 months to complete the job) but I love it now that its done. With the money you will save, you can buy new counters, or appliances, or a vacation (because you'll want a break after all that work) Keep us posted!

i still would try the gel stain in a hidden place. If it works, it will be a lot faster and easier.

My ex did some kid furniture using dyes dissolved in polyurethane (he did primary colors, not wood tones, but the dyes come in wood tones, too). The color was all in the surface coat and you could still see the wood grain. I don't know of anyone who's tried this approach with cabinets, but it might be worth a try. It sounds like it might dodge some of the issues others have brought up.

@iam702 do you have any pictures? and you used rollers/brushes instead of spray painting?