Do you have them in your home yet? It may be without those spots shining directly on them that they will look much less orange. I think the color looks ok (where there is not a direct light shining on them) with what I see of your trim and when they are filled with books, much less of the color will show. I don't think I'd mess with the laminate.

Yayagal, thank you for the directions. I have read so many conflicting instructions... some say to sand, some don’t. The one you posted said not to, since it could damage the laminate. That is my concern, too, but then I don’t think it will adhere. Here’s where I got the idea to stain, but since my look isn’t rustic, I do think it will turn out too streaky for my taste. http://www.lisasscribbles.com/staining-laminate-yes-it-can-be-done/

Olychick, thank you for commenting. I didn’t bring the bookcases in since I will be working on painting them outside. But I did bring a shelf in to see, with the hopes that I could just leave it. It is too orange. :( I’d researched painting laminate before I got them, with the intention of doing just that. I had no idea my husband would want to leave the wood look so I was trying to see if I could keep it but tone down the orange.

I am going to use wallpaper on the back, though. The sides and shelves will be the issue. The trim is real wood.

I used GF Java straight on fake oak laminate with some very gentle scuffing of the surface to prep; it worked very well. However, in my case, it looked like paint.

Once you get them in place and loaded up with books, all you will see is the frame, shelf edges, and perhaps the ends depending on where they are in your space. I would do all that before taking on a less-than-guaranteed-successful facelift.

The GF Java also worked great for me with no sanding on the fake sides of my old pickled oak kitchen cabinets. It is not like regular stain. (Watch the DIY videos on YouTube.) Java will be to dark to match your room. Try the walnut.

I helped DD2 paint the oak cabinets in her last kitchen. We used a sanding sealer instead of a primer like Kilz. The paint finish was extremely durable (little boy, 2 cats, 4 dogs) with no issues of scratched paint or peeling.

Nosoccermom, I’m glad to hear of your success! It’s good to know that it looked like paint, however. Probably not the right choice for this project.

maggieq, it is a risk, for sure, but I already have bookcases in the same spot and you can see enough of them for the color to matter, IMO. I would never have bought these new-to-me ones if I didn’t think I could change the color.

tqtqtbw, did yours turn out to look like they were painted like nosoccermom said happened to her piece? And yes, I wasn’t planning on using java. Antique walnut was what I was going to use.

Allison0704, were the cabinets laminate? It’s great to know there have been no issues! Did you sand, use the sealer, and then paint?

Thank you, everyone. Your information is very helpful.

This is a really easy way to do it. Scroll down on the page and watch him do the spray job on dark laminate. DEMONSTRATION

No, oak. Just wanted to say product helped hold paint well.

Don't laugh, but I've used wood grain Contact Paper on bookcase shelves, and stained the wood parts to match. Contact Paper looks surprisingly good when books are on the shelves, plus it has a nice, smooth surface that looks and wears well. It lasted forever in my busy household.

I also use white Contact Paper in my kitchen shelves and linen closets.

I know it isn't high end, but it works well and is easy to work with and apply. On your bookcases you'll probably never see the difference. Just a thought.

I applied it with a foam brush, instead of a cloth as they do in the better DIY videos. It was dark but that was what I wanted.

Maple cabinets with faux sides, the GF Java provided great coverage.

This doesn't address your problem, but I just wanted to say how much I like your beautiful rug. It really lights up this space. Did just want to add that the color of the "new" bookcases is so different from the ones in place that I think it would look odd. Good luck with your project.

Yayagal, thank you for the link! Very helpful.

Allison, I appreciate it. We are are family of 7 (plus animals) so we also need something that will stand up to a lot of use!

Sheesh, why would anyone laugh? That’s a great idea and isn’t that sort of what laminate is anyway? If you have any pics, I’d love to see.

tqtqtbw, your cabinets turned out great! They look like they were always meant to be that color... very professionally done!

Ingrid, thank you so much for the comment on the rug! RE: the color of the new bookcases vs old, do you mean that the new ones won’t look good with the old ones, or that the old ones “go,” but the new ones won’t? I will not be leaving the old ones in the room... they were always just a place holder until I figured out what I was doing. The new ones will take their place.

I was reconsidering what some of you said, to just leave them as-is and see. Every time I “visit” them in the garage, I like the warmth of the wood look.

Here is some of the other wood in the room (old bookcases leaving). Sorry pics are so big.

(Across the room)

(Shelf of new bookcases— colors not so bold or fluorescent in the room... hard to capture...roll of linen fabric for curtains against the wall)

(Blends well with this table)

The piano and the lamp table are the 2 darkest woods. Not sure if I like the orange-black combo or the red furniture/orange wood look.

And OT but if there is a different wall color I should be using to tie everything together, I am all ears. I would be happy to do a stencil, too. (I like pattern, pattern, and more pattern.)

I think they might look great as is but if you want to darken them a tad I used mahagony gel stain on a laminate and it looks like stain. The trick is to apply layers thinly and to rag off excess like proper stain. I brush on wait a minute and rag off excess wait 24 hrs lightly steal wool and apply a coat again with brush, wipe off and dry. I continue until just dark enough and the grained laminate showed through just like wood.

Now that I understand the other ones are not staying I'd leave them as they are, fill them with books and not worry about them. Having different colors of wood in a room is considered the thing to do and makes for a less boring look. After a while your eye will get used to this color, and you have other pieces that are similar in tone. It sounds like a lot of work to change the color unless you hate them as they are.

Roarah, thank you! That’s what I was hoping for, something just to tone down the orange a wee bit. Any suggestions for practicing your technique? I have zero experience applying stain.

Ingrid, do you think these particular shades of woods work together or is it too hard to tell until I get it all in place? Won’t be easy getting the bookcases in the house, which is why I’ve been hesitant to try them out until I was more sure.

Thank you again!