Update - honey oak kitchen cabinets are painted!
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Paint for kitchen w/ honey oak cabinets and terra cotta floor
Comments (36)arcy, I can reposition the island. Funny you mentioned that because my mom hopped on the wagon to help me figure out what to do with the kitchen and she, too, suggested I reposition it. She also pointed out that the otherside of the island is much more attractive than the side that's exposed to the dining room. I will turn it next time I'm at the house and see what it's like. Thanks! Also, thanks for the wallpaper suggestion. I'll check out the collection at SW for ideas just in case. :) annkathryn, your cabinets are GORGEOUS! Thank you for the inspiration photos. They are gentle reminders of ways I can live with what I've got for now until I'm able to do what you did with transforming them. Great job! As promised, here are better photos of the kitchen: Here you can see the two green samples as well as a TINY bit of the Toasted Cashew I tried to sample peeking through Backsplash details (there is some splattering from cooking, that's not the tile) Close up of the tile in the kitchen (the grout will be cleaned when we move in so it'll lighten up a bit, the tile that will be installed in the dining room and living room will be similar in color to the lighter tile in the dividing strip shown here) Looking into the kitchen from the DR Someone requested a photo of the view from the back of the kitchen looking out to the DR -- pardon my lovely SIL, she was rinsing paint from her hands and the mini rollers, and my hand wasn't very steady here My mom suggested I take advantage of the side of the island shown in the above photo and turn it outward towards the DR. She also mentioned the idea of painting the island as some suggested here. I really like that idea! Hope this helps you all more than the previous photos did....See Moreremodel of oak kitchen
Comments (8)It looks to me like you have medium stained oak on all the window and door trim. It is warm, lovely, and, I hear you, not your favorite. But if you do this white and (cool) gray color in the kitchen, isn't it going to clash with the warm tones everywhere else? That's not to say it can't be done. Chirigos above has shown how it is possible to coordinate. But are YOU going to be happy with the way your dream kitchen looks with all that oak trim everywhere in the house? Is it just the trim, or is it all the interior doors, too? Why not do white/ warm white cabinets and maybe a stained island? I think passing by the gray phase might save you money in the long run, and prevent you from spending a lot of money chasing that gray/cool tone throughout the house. Another comment; please ignore this if it's a stupid question: if you're getting painted cabinets, why get maple and not paint grade? I'm not experienced with cabinets, but I'm interested to know the attraction to having maple under paint. Just curious....See MoreHelp w/ updates to Honey Oak kitchen
Comments (7)There are many options with oak / warm wood cabinets. I went with light counters and backsplash - I just prefer lighter surfaces, but like you I also like the wood. When you change out the range, consider putting in a stainless hood and using a small countertop microwave or have a cabinet retrofitted with a microwave shelf. A dedicated hood looks better and functions way better than on over the range microwave. I have white appliances, but my kitchen has a more vintage / cottage look, and so I have a wood hood. I did add the hood later - stained it to match the cabinets, but that would be more expensive than a good stainless hood. I would make that decision before changing the counters and backsplash because a hood vs. over the range microwave will affect your backsplash. My microwave used to be on a microwave shelf, but I am short and did not like it so high, so I retrofitted the space with spice boxes and a plate rail. My island is a free standing Amish made piece which just happened to be a good match to my cabinets. You could do similar, but it also comes in colors - I've seen similar in white, black, sage green and gray/blue. For a many years it had a simple home center butcher block top on it, but recently I had the same quartz as on my cabinets put on the island. The downside to a free standing / non built in island is that it does not have electrical - so no outlets. This does not bother me, but if you wanted to change the microwave to a microwave drawer in an island, you would need to have an island built in with electrical - a much more expensive plan but it looks like you have the space. I have a "short apron" Whitehaven apron front sink which can be installed on a standard sink base cabinet if that is part of your style. The sink is presently on backorder, but should be available in a couple of months. My most functional change was adding under cabinet lighting between the sink and range. It is the most useful thing I did. My older eyes love the extra light, especially in the winter months, and it just makes the kitchen look brighter and prettier. It would be a must if you do darker counters. My kitchen: https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~110720042 https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~109854029 https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~109854052 I also have a wood kitchen idea book with other possibilities of countertops and wall colors. https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/75202366/thumbs/wood-kitchens...See MoreNeed help/input for updating honey oak country kitchen!
Comments (14)Jhmarie; yes, the kitchen is very functional, and a part of this is almost like therapeutic processing for what to do with this house!Thank you for the heads up about the book. I will have a look for that. Aprilneverends; well thank you. I am really trying to not get caught up in fads, but I think the state of the place made me focus on the yellowness of the oak. And the oakiness of the oak everywhere in that part of the house! I always really enjoyed this blue, to be honest. ha!! It contrasted nicely and I got to cackle in my husband's direction every time someone told me they loved it, too. That's the thing I guess, you never can tell. I am a bit leery of how much the kitchen will change with all of the white and off white in regards to the contrast, and had to kind of giggle at the thought of painting the walls white and the wainscoting blue. Like a role reversal. :D Fidlfreek; I appreciate you bringing me back down from the clouds with some of your suggestions. Some of your sentiments I had thought of and was considering - all white miracle method, subway tile, lighting updates. Now is the time to pull that big beast down I think - we are planning to paint the ceilings throughout the home. Curious of your thought process- the lighting fixture you linked from ikea, is that to coordinate with the current colored cabinets? Or the shape in general? Staining the cabinets darker is of course an option, I just don't want this area to feel any more boxed in, I guess. This vantage point is actually the only way in and out of the kitchen - there is also peninsula seating already to the left, FYI. I actually picked the flooring you circled in the event that I wanted to go lighter or darker with the cabinets, now or later, that there would be flexibility in the flooring color to do so. It's also more of the classic wood look than some of the on trend colors I am seeing out there. The more I think about it, the more I would like to NOT spend a lot of time painting everything white, but I definitely think I need some adjustments in here. I find it interesting that none of you have mentioned the appliances or their color - apart from the microwave, which is usually the least of the appliance worries. ;D I so appreciate your feedback and input....See MoreRelated Professionals
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoThanks so much for the great comments, all! I think the painted cabinets have helped to make other details stand out, like my slate flooring and granite backsplash.
I also love the pop of color in the plate rack now and how the color works better with the other items I have in the kitchen, like my small sofa and antique scale.
(For staging, the sideboard/bar will be moved into the great room with mirror hung above it, the sofa will move to that corner, and we're bringing in a pub table and stools where the sofa is now.)
The door hardware and adding some trim to the outside of the base cabinets definitely made a big difference in making the cabinets look finished.
I actually like my granite more than I did before too, and that was my biggest concern in choosing a cabinet color! It's not my dreamy soapstone that I planned on if we were staying, but it's actually been a very nice, hardworking counter for our family and it works so much better with the white cabinets than it did with the golden oak.
Thanks so much for the encouragement. It helped me make the decision to finally paint the cabinets after talking about it for the last 15 years. Just wish I had done it sooner before selling!
- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Thanks! My main technique was hiring very good painters to do the work :)
I have always thought about tackling this myself, since we are very DIY, but after seeing all the work and amount of detail that goes into achieving a high quality finish, I'm so glad I left this up the professionals. I just don't have the time and energy that I used to for that kind of work!
A team of 2 painters prepped just the frame for 3 days (removing and carefully numbering all doors and drawers, meticulously taping and applying plastic to protect surfaces, and sanding, sanding, sanding) before applying at least 2 coats of primer.
I had the carpenter come in during that time and frame out the end cabinets with the same rails and stiles so they look like false doors, except no raised panel like the cabinets. No time but that's okay - I think he did a great job and it looks so much better than before.
Then they applied the lacquer paint finish to the frame before starting the whole process over with the drawers and doors. They did those in a temporary tented paint area set up in my backyard and garage.
Everything was applied with a sprayer, except for some touching up to the ceiling and walls. Before, during and after painting they carefully caulked and sealed all cracks and crevices so it all looks finished.
You can still see the slight wood grain in some places but I don't really care - that never bothered me and at least you know they're solid wood doors underneath.
I bought a soft close hinge for each door that they switched out when putting the doors back on. Those and some small rubber bumpers I put on each door and drawer makes a world of difference. I hate slamming doors and drawers! Some of the heavier doors could use 2 hinges though.
DH installed all hardware, except the lazy susan and one other base cabinet because we're still undecided - I want a pull but DH thinks a knob would be better :)
It took 2 painters 7-8 full days and the price was very affordable considering the amount of work, so I think it was definitely worth it. We've already had one pre-listing showing and the buyer noticed and appreciated the "remodeled" kitchen :)
Here's one of my favorite things - I repurposed a drawer with a knife insert and some organizers to hold my coffee and tea things. That eliminated 2 knife blocks and a very messy looking bowl from the counters. Wish I had done this sooner too!
- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
8 years ago- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Thanks so much, catmom, arcy, purrus, nini, and lisa!
They did the real estate photos yesterday and after some light staging I think the house looked amazing. We just edited out a few more things from the counter and added some decor items.
We brought in a bistro table and stools to take the place of the sideboard that was moved to the great room.
I also used the floating shelf I just had made for over the tub and used it for the blank space over the sofa instead. I convinced DH to hang it as part of a compromise in which he did not have to move and rehang the heavy wall clock :)
These are just a few cell phone pics but I can't wait to see the professional photos!
- 8 years ago
Lisa - I forgot to add that I got the pulls and knobs from Amazon for a great price. I originally bought the RH Bistro hardware but couldn't see spending over $500 when we're moving so I returned them. These are actually really nice, especially the 5 inch pulls.
- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
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