Everyone probably differs in what they like in a wood. I don't mind the differences in color, I kind of like that, but I don't like the heavily grained boards that scream "oak", so I put the boards with the more consistant grain in the midde rather than all the light ones. Some people probably love the grain. It just goes to show how different it can be depending on who is installing it. I probably would have preferred maple, but some people think that looks like a gym, it is more modern, and it would not have matched the rest of house as much, or the cabinets, since it is even lighter than oak. You might have liked that better, though, since it tends to be lighter and more consistent in color, I think. Sue

We have dark wood floors and they are beautiful but show every speck of dust and could be dust mopped three times a day. If I had it to do over again I would not choose a dark floor. But they are beautiful for sure!

My house threw up orange oak and brass so I made the decision to paint mine. I didn't want super dark cabinets so that wasn't an option for me. I also didn't want white cabinets so I picked a soft gray (BM cumulus cloud) and then found a beautiful granite that had all the colors that matched in it. The process took me 4 months. I removed all the doors, wiped them clean, sanded them, wiped them again and again, two coats of primer and two coats of paint. I enjoyed the process though. I used Cabinet coat for primer and BM Advanced paint. Both are none oil based so easy clean up and no harsh smells. I wouldn't change a thing. They have held up fine. I'll post pics. Be sure to post pics too if you do anything :)

Yes, you need to remove the finish coat (which is probably polyurethane) before you can stain them another color. This will probably remove some of the color of the stain depending how the cabinet was stained and what it was stained with and how you remove it. You have a couple options to remove the finish. 1) You can use a chemical stripper like Citristrip. 2) You can sand the doors by hand (Don't use a power sander of any kind! You're not trying to take of six layers of paint or remove any of the wood.) 3) You may be able to take the doors and drawer fronts to be dipped. A company will soak them in a vat of chemical stripper. It's expensive, but can be worth it for pieces with lots of edges, nooks and crannies that will hold up to it. Then you use a chemical stripper on the frame. For that vanity, #1 is absolutely your best choice. #2 is also reasonable. #3 isn't worth it for something with such straight lines. If you're trying to get the color out, too, that's a whole additional process. If not, and you just want them darker, you can stain them. Doing something like this yourself isn't "hard," but it does take skill and practice. Getting them an exact color is very challenging and you have no test pieces. It also involves a lot of labor and time. You can hire a furniture re-finisher to do it for you. But they are not going to guarantee you an exact color. If you're very particular about the color you want, it still might turn out greyer or redder or something you don't want.