The cabinets will be more durable if you sand them down to raw wood. This is because the primer will stick best to raw then to some slick old finish, plus the primer can penetrate raw wood. It can't penetrate if you are painting over varnish or some other shiny surface. Personally, I think that if you are planning to sand your cabinets down to raw, then there is no need to clean them at all because you will be sanding through whatever you cleaned, it's a waste of time. It's not necessary to completely strip your cabinets though in order to paint them. Primers and paints are pretty good these days that you can still make them pretty durable by just painting over the finish. It just depends on how particular you are and how far you want to take the project.

Jenn Not sure if this was suggested yet, but - I would def consider something in the terra cotta/orange family - honey oak has orange undertones. here's a nice color not sure what the brand/name is http://www.fitzdecarts.com/images/Interiors%20+%20Projects/024.JPG I would paint the crown & base white & chair rail same as wall color unless you are applying beadboard - so as to not break the wall up. ANother nice hue by Devine pain http://blog.devinecolor.com/images/86.jpg This would make the cabinets not stand out & be a focal point rather be a little subdued - See how the wood is blending w/paint color in the "happy family" pic http://cdn-write.demandstudios.com/upload//1000/200/70/5/111275.jpg Link to My3dogs, very talented decorator on GW - don't know if the color works for you application http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/msg1013001522136.html Find your colors - get sample paints - paint either directly on the wall LARGE 10 x14 or so, near cabinetry in several places - look at it in different lighting/times of day photo it - you'll get lots more help best to you

Thanks so much, catmom, arcy, purrus, nini, and lisa! They did the real estate photos yesterday and after some light staging I think the house looked amazing. We just edited out a few more things from the counter and added some decor items. We brought in a bistro table and stools to take the place of the sideboard that was moved to the great room. I also used the floating shelf I just had made for over the tub and used it for the blank space over the sofa instead. I convinced DH to hang it as part of a compromise in which he did not have to move and rehang the heavy wall clock :) These are just a few cell phone pics but I can't wait to see the professional photos!

Here's a picture of it next to what appears to be honey oak floors and it looks nice: Edgecomb Gray (Kylie M Interiors) Definitely try a sample of it in your space and look at it on different walls at different times of day to see if you like it in your lighting with all the other elements in your space. In my lighting the paint chip tends to skew a little purple, but I haven't heard anyone else mention that. I prefer Alaskan Skies (BM-972), which is very similar to Edgecomb Gray but doesn't skew purplish to me. The guy at our paint store tried to tell me Edgecomb Gray was the same color as Alaskan Skies, just a different name (they no longer carry the Alaskan Skies paint chip in our local store), but I can definitely detect a difference.