Grey won't work with your warm backsplash and countertop. If your cabinets aren't in bad shape I wouldn't paint them. Instead add some cabinet hardware and possibly upgrade to stainless steel appliances. That will get you a better resale price.

What else are you changing? If you aren't going to change the splash and counter going gray may not work in here - you have to fin a color that goes with the materials that are staying behind.

Painted cabinets can last but if not done right will be chipping within a few years so you may have to do it again. Make sure to hire a professional so it is done right.

Let us know what else you are changing and we can better assist!

Hi Debbie, what color would you recommend? I just want it to look nicer . I hired a professional he is waiting on the paint selection from me

Hi Kathy,

i just want want it to look nicer . I feel like the wood makes it look old thank you for the grout suggestion . How should I go about planning and matching colors ? Very new to this

Hi Sina,

thank you you for the stainless steel suggestion !

It will take you about a year to plan this properly.

Properly painting kitchen cabinets is about $5K. Sometimes, painting them is not the best option. You can do it your self as others have, but it takes a very long time and when you have oak cabinets it is near impossible to hide the grain.

Painting kitchen cabinets is like buying new shoes for an old outfit. You automatically notice the slight stain in the blouse. You notice the pants have slightly faded. Then you start updating. Painting cabinets leads to another thing and another thing and another thing. If you aren't prepared, you will waste a lot of time and money.

Find pictures of kitchens that you like. Figure out why you like them.

Find pictures of kitchens that you don't like. Figure out why you don't like them.

Establish if this kitchen work area is working for you or you would like to change it.

Decide if you are going to try to salvage the countertop or get a new one. What if it breaks while doing cabinet work?

Are you married to your backsplash? Do you want/need to change it?

What about cabinet hardware? Visible hinges or hidden hinges?

What about the sink? The faucet?

Keep the microwave over the stove? Is it easily accessible?

And, what is that plug leading from the stove?

If you are not comfortable with colors and cannot "see" them well, you need to find a certified kitchen designer to help you. Costs a lot initially, saves much more in the long run.

Unless you are a professional, it is very hard to renovate for resale. Renovate for you.

I'd want to know just exactly how that "Professional Painter" intends to paint these cabinets. You need SO much here. A paint job is just not going to give you what you want, which is a new kitchen.

I would go with a warm white finish. Your countertop looks like it is colonial gold granite which is a bit warmer pallet.

For the floor - a lighter grout would be nicer but because the tile is very plain don't match it exactly - there needs to be a little contrast.

I would also change the wall color - get out of the creams - do a beautiful sage green warm blue - bring some life in the space.

I would also add trim around that window and passthrough - you have crown moldings on the cabinets and in the room at the ceiling, it feels incomplete.

I think once you do these things the backsplash will actually be ok...

I am concerned about the wires coming form the stove and the OTR microwave being plugged into the wall outlets??? That is not correct and you should have someone in to look at that.

Please make sure whatever paint colors you do for the cabinets and walls that you save extra for touch ups

Good luck !!

If you prefer to keep your existing backsplash and countertop, find a grey with a warm tone. It needs to be somewhere between gray and brown. That will keep the new color from clashing with the warm tones you currently have.

Cabinet Coat or Advance by Benjamin Moore are made for cabinets. And you need primer followed by two coats. First you have to clean and sand/prep the surfaces. After you disassemble the doors/drawers. Here's a start. Watch YouTube videos and do your homework.

OHHHHHHHHHHH boy!

Not good idea to go with gray. Your floor, backslash and counter-top would be fight with gray.

Instead I would go with some warm off-white/ivory/cream

or greige

If you go with white, be sure that your appliances do not look yellowish with bright white.

Here is how I would expect a pro to spray paint kitchen cabinets. An amateur job should follow the same extensive prep path. A brush painted job would differ slightly in that you wouldn't hang the doors to paint. You'd place them on a work table or easel instead. It's time intensive work, and should take 7-14 days to accomplish completely and cost between 7K-9K depending on kitchen size and amount of detail in cabinets.

Remove doors and drawer fronts.

Remove hinges and hardware.

Clean with TSP (tri-sodium phosphate)

RINSE and let dry.

Scrape any loose finish.

Fill any damaged spots or hardware holes that won't be reused.

Sand fill smooth.

Scuff sand the rest.

Tack off dust.

Hang in dust free paint booth with wires through hardware points.

Tack off dust again.

Spray with shellac based primer.

Scuff sand again.

Tack off dust.

Spray with second coat of primer.

Spray with first finish coat of a polyurethane enamel if DIY Or conversion varnish if hiring a Pro. What’s the point of spending money on a Pro if they don’t use Pro products? .

Spray with second coat.

If glazing is to occur, that is next. (I wouldn’t)

Spray with clear over glaze

Add more molding or decorative details to boxes, filling nail holes and sanding smooth.

Repeat prep process with face frames and exposed cabinet sides using plastic zip walls and an exhaust fan to create a spray booth on site. If interiors are to be done, they are done before face frames and sides. Interiors are difficult, and add both time and expense to the job. Most interiors are laminate and don't accept paint at all well.

Allow everything to fully cure. Not just dry. That's 7-14 days.

Clean hinges and hardware and clear coat if you're keeping the old hardware. (I wouldn’t)

Install new (or old) hinges and hardware.

Re-install doors and drawers and adjust for proper clearances.

If you are receiving or doing a job without this amount of effort, then you are not getting a quality job.

I am normally a "don't paint" person, but I do think I see wear on your cabinets. Painting is a good way to get a few more years out of older cabinets - if it is done very well. It often does not hold up as well as factory painted cabinets and one concern I have is that it will be looking not that great when you plan to sell. Painted over finished cabinets usually need touch ups in a few years - even more touch ups in 5 years and replacement in 10. You do have really pretty counters. You might want to look into the cost of refacing - getting new doors and sanding and painting the cabinet face frames. Another thought is to see if a refinisher can do anything about the areas of wear without costing a fortune. My mother did that with her oak cabinets and they look very good now. If you want ideas for stained cabinets, I have a wood kitchens idea book with both new and older, refreshed kitchens.

Get some paint samples and paint large pieces of foam board - place them against the cabinet lowers and look at the samples in different light and different times of the day. Don't just pic the color you like best, but the one that looks best in the kitchen. Gray is drab and overdone IMO.

A warm white or blue lowers with white uppers.

Here are some greens that might work:

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I am short and don't like over the range microwaves. If you keep the white appliances, consider getting an unfinished wood hood with vent insert and paint to match. That may be beyond your budget, but I did that (actually stained it because I have stained cabinets) and I think it made my kitchen much prettier. If you change to stainless, consider a pretty stainless hood.

Would you all recommend staining the cabinets ? It’s sounding like it’s not a good idea to paint

I would recommend coming up with a comprehensive plan of what you want the kitchen to look like when you are finished. Going at this piece meal will not get you the kitchen you are looking for.

Stain can be a viable alternative.

If the wear on the cabinets is enough that they need refinishing, it could be as expensive as a good paint job. My mother was able to have a few damaged doors refinished very reasonably, but we live in an area where labor cost for that sort of job are lower. It also would depend on if the doors are solid wood or veneer - wood laminated over a mdf core. Veneers are hard to refinish. You could take a door down to a reputable paint store and ask for recommendation on who to call for an estimate and if the door was solid wood or a veneer.

As I mentioned, I am not a paint the cabinets person - but I have painted cabinets that were worn - my original kitchen cabinet uppers - which I then put in my laundry room. That was 20 years ago and I am fine with them. They don't get much abuse in the laundry room though. I refinished the old kitchen lowers a couple of years ago (they had been stored in the garage) and used them in my basement kitchenette. I know how to do that and felt stained wood would stand up better since the kids use that space.

If I was in your position, and I could not afford new doors, and I did not know how to refinish, I would paint. I would keep a bit of extra paint around for touch ups and be aware that this will NOT increase the value of the home. When you go to sell, you will have done your economical best to make a pretty kitchen, but the cabinets will be worn cabinets that have been painted. If they still look reasonably good, a buyer will see that they have a presentable kitchen and time to save for the needed new cabinets.

While I agree with the painting steps listed above, your cabinets are not worth the royal treatment. I used two coats of a good bonding primer - Zinsser 123 - and two coats of a latex acrylic enamel. Since the time I painted my cabinets, they have come out with some good cabinet paints, and I would use one of those after the primer coats. Because of the wear, I would give the cabinets a good sanding to try to even out those areas. I simply brush painted my cabinets - I did not spray them. Some of the newer paints do a good job of self leveling.

I would get handles for the cabinets - the less you touch paint with wet or sticky hands the better. Even the normal oils on skin can have an effect on paint and other finishes over time.

I sometimes have had fun with older kitchens - get creative because it is hard to make things worse. I do not mean you have a bad kitchen, it is just the cabinets have reached the end of their life and I don't see you devaluing them by painting them:) I do imagine this space as warm and pretty rather than the gray / white look.

Hi, I have to agree that grey is probably not the color to go with just because of your countertops and backsplash. You can definitely have something other than white- and possibly in the grey family but it needs to balance well with the countertops and backsplash. Go get some paint swatches and hold them next to your countertops and see what goes well. I would definitely add hardware to your cabinets- probably something dark. And it will make a big difference! Also, paint your wall something not so neutral. Its not about matching colors- that gets bland. Think outside the box and you might surprise yourself with what you like! Good luck.

Staining occurs on raw unfinished wood. Getting the existing cabinets sanded back to raw wood everywhere is a lot more labor than prepping them to be painted. It will have an increase in cost to match the increased labor. That is the point that replacement rests it’s head as a more viable choice.

I’d suggest working with a good KD to develop an overall design for the kitchen. You don’t want to make it look like it belongs in a different home. The whole has to work as a whole. Target changes that still work within the framework of your existing house, and within the budget that you are willing to devote to changes.

What you want to avoid are the runaway downhill snowball changes that roll over the home and destroy it’s current look all in the name of change. Good luck!

Thank you everyone . I decided not to paint , to fix up the inside with some contact paper & organization baskets and find some hardware for the outside !!! Comments and advice much appreciated and thank you for saving my kitchen from an ugly grey !!!

Still lookingbfor interesting hardware. Again thank you everyone