Fixer, you are right about the gray paint. I did some mock-ups with gray paper and that is certainly an option. For now, I have moved on to the back splash, hoping the distraction (both mental and visual!) will help. KitDet, don't worry, there's no way I will paint the interiors red. :) Too much of a good thing, IMO. Particularly if I go with the green tile I am headed for. The funny thing is that this decision to have the interiors all done in a light color was intentional and well thought out -- for both aesthetic and functional reasons. Even though I specifically ordered light interiors in all the cabs, someone took it upon themselves to do a "that's the way we always do it" on my order and the glass front cabs all came in with stained dark interiors. They all went back to be rebuilt. Plansrus, the cabinets were made by Apple Valley in CT -- not custom. It is a standard finish called Tobacco. The wood is cherry. Kind of a shame to stain cherry so dark, but I was afraid maple wouldn't take the stain as well and the decision to go so dark was sort of last minute, well after the cherry cabs had been specified and priced. The room is very bright and I do appreciate the grain of the cherry though.

Sassy - in my area (midwest US) a refinisher is not more than a new kitchen. My mother had some of her cabinets refinished because they had some steam damage. The refinisher matched the stain, and I cannot tell which cabinets have been refinished and which have not. My sister had most of her cabinets done before she put her home on the market. I did mine myself. I would ask for references from your local reputable paint store and get some estimates. I also retained the vintage feel of my kitchen - so happy I did:)

Answer a few questions: By "plywood option," do you mean that the sides, back and bottom of the box is plywood? Most cabinet lines only use hardwood like maple or oak for the faceframe. That's the part the door touches when it closes. Do these cabinets have a hardwood faceframe? You mention melamine. Do you mean that the door has a substrate with melamine (which is like Formica) laminated on top? Are you using the word melamine to describe the veneer on the sides, back and bottom of the cabinet? These terms have been thrown around and I want to get a clear idea of what you mean. I hope you'll take the time to answer.

@Nona Muss - I understand exactly what you’re going through. My first contractor didn’t do a pre slope under the pvc liner on shower floor. We got that addressed - and then he decided to not use any of the three bags of white thinset (he purchased) to install the carrara tile on the shower walls - but instead used mastic ”because it was faster.” When we pushed the issue, he packed up and left. The second contractor (with over 200 4.9 star Google reviews) sent over his “business partner” to bid the work. His “business partner“ then said that he felt so bad for me re: every thing that had happened with the first contractor (including needing to rip out the slate bathroom floor bc several pieces failed to bond), that he would start the work himself ASAP + work over the upcoming weekend. Well, it turns out that he wasn’t a “business partner” - but a new employee. He produced fraudulent receipts for materials (that I reimbursed upon recipt per contract) - and stopped showing up. I did a quick background check and discovered that he had been in prison for over nine years for aggravated battery + fraud charges (had been out for 18 months). I asked the owner about whether he had done a background check - he told me that he hadn’t run it yet. After I told him about the results of the background check I did, the owner asked me if I noticed the scar on the guy’s upper arm - and then told me that when he asked the employee about it, he said it was from “being shot by a cop.” I swear I am not making this up. He also stole some jewelry from me. Third contractor - great guy - had just started work - and then was sentenced to 90 days in jail related to a third DUI conviction. My fourth (and final) contractor is AMAZING. The third and fourth ones are both TCNA certified - I didn’t hire the first or second one - my SO did. Although I don’t blame him for what happened. My SO had glowing references from two of his law partners who had used the first guy for several projects + did research on the second one (who was the second highest bid out of five). I thought that by now I would have not only finished two bathroom renovations - but also my laundry room + kitchen reno (which is close to starting FINALLY). I actually wish I had never even begun - my bathrooms were fine - just a little dated.