Your cabinets look very well made and are beautiful. Probably built better than many today. I would definitely keep them, and I would never, ever paint them. Wood is making a big comeback and many would be very happy to have your cabinets just the way they are. I would also keep the floors. They look to be in excellent condition. I dont mind your backsplash either. I really do dislike the counters, since they dont go with anything else in your kitchen. New countertops and new paint would update your kitchen. I would also update the hardware on your cabinets, thats the only part of them, that looks outdated, and the hardware isnt attractive anyway. I would also update the lighting above your island. Its very pretty, but doesnt really look well in your kitchen. Your kitchen, could also use a bit of color, whether it be walls, or accents. I see one red towel, and red knobs and thats the extent of any color in the room. When you change out the countertops, get rid of that curve on the island. It isnt attractive at all. I might even repaint the island itself, to another color, although the color it is, does go well with the floor and backsplash.

People sell entire kitchens for huge amounts of money, so cabinets that are individually built should be easy to unscrew from the wall. If they were RTA, that would be an entirely different story.

I assume they are being taken off-site to be painted so that they will have a factory-like finish.

This is not going to be cheap but will probably be less than a full gut, but I'd very carefully price this out first.

A wood floor could probably be put in without removing the cabinets - just remove/cut-out the tile. That, new countertops and a new backsplash could make these cabinets and this kitchen look a LOT better and would be far less expensive. I'd price both ways.

Thanks Kat and Ang for commenting on my project with some advice. I'm going to ask the carpenter removing the cabinets to come look at all the built in moldings and original kitchen plans to see if we run a great risk of ruining those pieces in the removal process.

we've had four floor companies come in and all said we need to remove the cabinets. I think it's because we have a cement floor under the tile for integrity of the install. That has to be removed for integrity of the wood floor.

Your cabinetry looks great as is. I'd be really tempted to keep them, live with the floor, perhaps try a different countertop, and use the money saved to retire a year earlier or take a round the world tour.

A short rant, not directed primarily at the OP: "Dated" is such a tiresome concept, purely a ploy to get people to tear out perfectly good, functional stuff and replace it, often with lesser quality stuff. If it's broken or really doesn't work from a design point of view, fix it. If it was junk to start with and is falling apart, by all means, take it out and make it better. If it doesn't fit the style whim of the hour, hold your breath for a while and the style will change. There's lots of more productive, more fun, or more generous things that can be done with the money you save.

It's certainly possible to remove and replace a kitchen. We bought a nearly new, used kitchen when we built our new place. A few parts were damaged in the removal process (done by others who had no vested interest in keeling the cabinets pristine), some cabinets needed to be re-engineered a bit to fit our plan, and I had to make two new matching cabinets to fit the new layout, but it was all pretty readily doable. If you are going to go with paint that makes the matching process quite straightforward. You'll want to employ someone to do the work who has the skills and willingness to re-make any parts that get damaged during the take out/reinstall process. If the people doing it are careful and good that damage may be little to none.

I still say keep the floor. It looks good, and goes well in your kitchen, and its a neutral color. Get rid of the countertops, they match nothing. New paint, and new counters and new lighting is all this kitchen needs.

The cabinets do not need to be removed to do a new floor! Think of how floors are laid against existing walls. We had our tile redone after a water leak. I was worried how it would look against the cabinets and it looks great. Our tile ran under the cabinets. They did have to pull the dishwasher and tile under that, as well as the fridge (stove was in the cabinet). They made it look so good they did not have to add an extra trim piece as they might do along a wall. Tearing up the existing tile was the dustiest thing I have ever experienced. But this is done all the time. I suspect the estimators see a nice house and kitchen and assume you can pay what that ask for.

Personally, I like your floor. There are details of the cabinets such as the carvings that are too much for me. Can just those parts be removed? I might do stages such as replace the counters and see if that is enough change. Or paint the cabinets and see if that is enough change. I personally prefer natural wood. But painted cabinets are preferred by many. Your counters are neutral enough. Changing the backsplash would be simpler than counters or floors and could also change the look.

You could change the look by changing the knobs on the cabinets and changing the light fixtures as you think through the rest of it.

lafdr

I really appreciate the different viewpoints you all have so kindly contributed.

I absolutely agree with the link to the article Sophie posted. It's so true!

The other facet of this project that interferes with my decisions is I'm thinking of resale value since we toy around with downsizing in 5 years. I want the kitchen to transcend fluctuating trends.

My cabinets are in great shape and could benefit from making certain changes which may even enhance the look of the cabinet color. I think a quartz countertop might freshen things up. I would have to redo the backsplash but maybe do something interesting in the stove area. As suggested this and changing the hardware could be my first step.

Other than painting the island in an off white, what other color should I consider? I actually like a grey shade in this kitchen. An antique black maybe?

I'm going to shop for floor tile today. I recently stopped in a store in CT that had some very nice light wood look tiles. As Lafdr suggested I might not have to remove all the cabinets with a new tile install.

Thanks for responding and giving me this outlet to sort out this decision.

Don’t do a darn thing.

Almost. I'd retrofit some ROTS (roll-out tray shelves) in the base cabinets that are not drawer stacks--if they don't already have them.

If it were mine, the only thing that I would change would be the chandeliers. But if I wanted more of an update, I'd remove the existing island and replace it with something more furniture-like, raised above the floor, and probably in a darker color. Lastly, assuming adequate storage, I'd remove the upper cabinets either side of the window, but keep the cabinet that rests on the countertop. I'd also consider painting the highest part of the ceiling some color, probably neutral, but different from the walls and ductwork. I think you have a really nice kitchen 'as is', so not much is required to personalize it.