I would paint the tops and bottoms the same and I would choose a color, not white, not stain. Something fun and happy.

The grade change and soffit and old fixture at the ceiling is a consideration. a fair amount going on. first a hood would be a lot better. second do you need so many upper cabs esp w old door style ? have you considered a removal of some? maybe new doors that would look a little more updated-or better and use some glass doors mixed in ..... maybe insert some open shelves? I just think paint vs stain is a minor part of what ought be considered. slow down and really look at this

​Darker cabinets above lighter cabinets appears top-heavy and unsettling. Would you consider darker cabinets below and lighter cabinets above? Would you consider clearing out all the clutter and taking a picture again so everyone can get a good feel for your current kitchen? Maybe one in daylight unless that creates a blinging glare. It also may help some of the Pro respondents to use their apps to show you different possibilities. Might you tell us about the color schemes in neighboring rooms so we might better understand your question about a blue island?

@herbflavor can you please explain what you mean by grade change and soffit? What is a hood and better for what? This is our one and only home for the past 15 years and we are just now in a financial spot where we can do some minor renovation and upgrades. We are hoping to buy a new home with less house and more outdoors and are trying to get our house ready to sell. 

@KL I am considering anything at this point and need some more-experts-y types to weigh in. I am a DIYer and can compete a task pretty well with direction. Style, though, is a weak spot and we have an awesome open concept kitchen and family room that I do not want to put so much time and effort into and ruin it haha the blue on the walls is throughout the attached family room. Currently, we have the accent orange wall at the bay window where our kitchen table is but would probably door the same blue as the island if we go that route. We have navy blue curtains in the family room that pulls from a large mirror we have above our couch. I will clean up some and take a better representative picture. Thank you!!

If you like two tone, the bottoms should be the darker of the two.

re: a "hood and better for what?" a hood is a venting mechanism above a range. It is better for looks and function and a good long term investment to uograde your space. the time when you are making changes to upper cabinets is the optimal situation to proceed with this change. Re: grade change and soffit: your ceiling has a recess which is large which then forms a deep soffit....the sole old fluorescent fixture has served its time. I would do a lighting upgrade and that morphs into under cab lighting as PART OF that type of project. Again...with the focus on wall cabinets this is the time to do this. Now w the statement you are prepping to sell I would be especially careful w assumption that painting as the only project would be worth the time and trouble and money.

No major overhaul planned. I am just trying to improve the existing cabinetry and anesthetic of the room for resale. Light fixture can definitely be replaced but no construction will be happening. These pictures are with the light on versus light off. Decluttering is on the to-do list but is virtually impossible with the holidays and a family of 6. Thank you for all your ideas!

I second the idea of a fun color paint.

What if you just painted the island? It's such a cool white in a warm kitchen, it looks out of place. You could paint a soft blue that relates to your wall color, to tie things together. And then paint your orange accent wall the same blue as the rest of the space.

If you're up for a little carpentry, you could remove the cabinets above the refrigerator and replace them with a box that's as deep as the fridge. Rehang the existing doors, or leave them as open shelving (paint interiors the same blue?). Then those small staggered shelves between your upper cabinets and your window--replace those with floating shelves that curve gently from the cabinet front to the window wall. Do the same on the other side of the window if space allows.

Something like this for the window shelves--apologies, I've got holiday-season clutter too!

I would forget the kona stain. It doesnt go well with your flooring. I would paint out that white island first. It doesnt go with the rest of the kitchen. The other cabinets, shud all be painted same color top and bottom. Since you are selling, do some very good prep work, and clean, them well, sand them well, primer them with a good quality primer, and paint them white with cabinet paint, not regular house paint. Paint the island a nice color that goes with the walls, and the newly painted white cabinets. I am guessing that is kids art on the cabinets. When you go to sell, it would be a good idea, to box all their art up, to use in your new house. Buyers want to see the entire kitchen.

Since you are painting for buyers, not yourself, ask your agent what color to paint the cabinets. White matching the Corian will probably be her recommendation. If you choose a brighter white, the Corian could look dingy. Choosing a duller white, the cabinets would look dingy. The island's white paint is probably just fine.

An alternative would be a subtle blue like your walls.

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I looked hard and long for photos of two toned kitchens where the uppers were darker, lowers light or white. I couldn't think of a kitchen I'd ever seen done that way, only the reverse.

I found all of about two and they were very contemporary streamlined expensive kitchens....that looked unbalanced and top heavy to my eye even though much money must have gone into them. You wouldn't like stained uppers, lowers painted white :)

Forget doing ANYTHING ”for resale”. It is a waste of 3 months of full time work or 9K, if you’re getting a pro to do it. And please do not DIY it badly in 3 day’s time. That is a really really mean thing to do to a future buyer.

There is absolutely nothing worse for resale than projects done for resale.

Kids art and all personal junk will definitely be removed prior to listing/showing. The island is painted only with a white primer now because I knew for sure I would be painting that. Love hearing everyone's opinions, thank you thank you thank you

@Verbo thank you for that tip. I am a DIYer but am very meticulous and do everything the "right" way and am quite the perfectionist. To be honest, I would be doing this for me if we weren't planning on selling and we will only sell if we find the perfect property and are able to purchase. This project has been a long time coming so before I did ruin my kitchen I came here and am glad I did!

You need to be a member of this FB group, to be sure you're doing the proper Clean. Sand. Prime. Paint process. You don’t want to have to strip and redo in 4 months time, after 3 months of work. https://www.facebook.com/groups/PaintingKitchenCabinetsforProfit/

"We are hoping to buy a new home with less house and more outdoors and are trying to get our house ready to sell."

If that is indeed why you want to paint the cabinets, I would actually do nothing to them. Instead, price the home with the currrent condition of the kitchen figured into it. I am advising you to do nothing for two reasons: (1) no amount of painting is going to make those cabinets not look their age. Their age and condition cannot be disguised with paint. (2) Painting the cabinets will be a lot of work on your part, and the results may look worse than the cabinets looked to begin with.

No one looking to buy this home will believe the cabinets are younger than they are, and buyers will ask for the selling price to incorporate the age of the kitchen if the price doesn't do that already. So if you paint them, that work will be for nothing. Price the home appropriately with the kitchen condition figured in.

I've seen your responses about de-cluttering. But I want to make sure you understand that for selling the home - including the listing photos and for showing - you must CLEAR the counters, take everything off the cabinet doors, off the floors, I mean CLEARED OF ALL.

If the only cabinet that looks very worn is the one under the sink, it may be possible to get them to look much better by applying an overcoat of a clear polyurethane finish. The new polyurethane has to be compatible with the factory finish or it will just peel off. The sink door would require some extra sanding where the factory finish has worn off and then two or three coats of clear finish.

You could test a clear finish for compatibility on the back of a cabinet door from over the fridge. Take a door to the best local paint company and talk to their experienced staff to see what might be compatible.

@Hally Niehaus Ahhhh, painting it to sell is a totally different story. I agree with others who say do nothing but declutter, except for the island since you've already primed it. Maybe a slightly darker blue in the same family as the walls? Your kitchen looks fine the way it is for a potential buyer. It's spacious and functional. I can't imagine it being a deal breaker as is.

The new pictures help a lot. Thanks.

That kona stain color is way too cool of a color for your floors. It also looks very unevenly applied. Clean and declutter top to bottom (it’s not ”virtually impossible”), then paint the cabinets in a color that works with floor and counter, but not white. Add hardware to cabinets and then treat them well to keep them in decent shape for selling.

I would have to agree about not doing anything but a good clean and declutter.

However, since you have already started putting primer and other things on the cabinets, you seem to be forced to paint them now.

First thing I would do is give your Corian tops a thorough scrubbing ( I believe they give you direction for that on their site ) . I actually used a fine sandpaper on mine then scotch brite pads ( the colors have different grits ) . The top actually looked brighter and fresh.

Once you have that color, then choose the cabinet color. I would stay in a warm white to compliment the tops. Don't over think it. If you wanted to paint the island blue, I think that would be ok too - IF it is the right tone. Otherwise do it all the same.

Good luck!

Kona stain: did you already use it on the cabinet end panels?

I would do what most others have mentioned.

1) Declutter. Get rid of everything. Look at how to stage your home yourself before selling.

2) Paint all of the walls white. All of the walls. Not a cool white, a warm white.

3) Eliminate the top two cabinets above the stove and install a new vent.

4) Take down the microwave oven, put it away when it is time to show your home

5) Stain all of your cabinets a light brown, leave the island white

6) Replace the lighting above the island with inexpensive pendant lights

7) Get rid of the window valances and leave them bare.

​Hally, I agree with Rachel. I think she's the first one to say paint everything white. That's definitely what realtors have told me when I've moved. They also said to replace all carpets with new cheap off-white carpets, but I haven't moved in awhile, so I don't know if that one is still valid.

​Hally, I was curious about the "latest" advice for prepping to sell and did a search on HOUZZ stories using "sell" as a search term. I found several articles, but so far the most recent is 2014! One had to do with paint colors and contradicted what I was told previously, so I wanted to send it right away:

Check out this story from houzz - https://www.houzz.com/magazine/crowd-pleasing-paint-colors-for-staging-your-home-stsetivw-vs~81453836

Here is a 2020 story:
https://www.houzz.com/magazine/the-all-in-one-place-guide-to-selling-your-home-and-moving-stsetivw-vs~47067172
I was told the best time of year to sell for price and a quick sale is spring, because people like to move after the school year. And the best time to buy is winter, because houses always look their worst then and it's easier to see neglect behind bushes. Pandemic aside, look at some houses for sale, even if it's on Zillow, and take note of turn-offs, making sure you address them in your own home. And read up on prepping for resale.

Hally, read the comments in addition to the articles. They are just as valuable. One story mentioned smell, and it reminded me of advice I got. No matter what your house smells like, it will be noticable and off to all. Don't try to add scent. Instead, get some solo cups, dry sponges and bleach. Put a cup for each room on the counter, put a little sponge piece in each (you cut them with scissors while still compressed) and add enough bleach to hydrate the sponge. Pour excess bleach into the next cup so there's no liquid bleach in any cup. Now hide one in each room. Your house won't smell bleachy. It will just smell fresh. Refresh periodically, like once a week

Suggest painting island same blue as walls (consider adding a butcher block counter) cream paint color on lowers/uppers, which will appeal to more buyers and also make kitchen feel less busy and larger. Adding hardware, new lighting, and a backsplash, will all really draw the eye away from the cupboards.

Not big financial investments; just your labour will be. I painted our very small kitchen and with prep, multiple sandings, multiple coats, etc it took approx. 24 hours spread out over a week. If staying for a while, it‘s worth it though for your enjoyment of the space.

IMO, you'll enjoy the holidays with your family more if you go ahead and do that major de-cluttering now. Everything will feel better. After all the holiday cooking, clean the Corian as suggested and paint the island. See how that feels/looks to you. New buyers will likely tear out your kitchen and start over; the ones who bought my mom's house did. Put your energy and $$$ into the new house for your family.