Where are you located? If you are having trouble locating an experienced painter who uses catalyzed waterbornes, let us know your location, and maybe we can help. Modern update without painting them a solid color. Hi Peggy, I just LOVE the look of wood cabinets with white countertops. ~Kylie. The kitchen cabinets are (of course) wood. Hope this might help. Simplify your space and let the products do the visual work for you. You will have enough to do with touch-ups on all the rest of the work to deal with something as big as that. Rather than contrasting the wood with a colour like blue or green, neutrals keep things simple and modern while still adding visual interest. The problem for the do-it-yourselfer is that most of these two-part coatings dry too quickly to be rolled or brushed on. There is little to no change in the wood. I am incredibly impressed with the Woca Oil finish and would absolutely recommend it to anyone. If the above owner wanted to take things a step further, they could consider the following: Click HERE or on the above image to see available packages. Wow, Anne, this is JUST the type of email I love to get and you know, I would SO love to see some photos (if youre so inclined, if not, i TOTALLY understand). @ramlahn SO GORGEOUS! The more colours and metal finishes you add, the more cluttered it can make a room look. Im having fun incorporating most of your recommendations. Actually, I like a vintage style so found it easy to work with older cabinets. Look for quality even if you just admire it as a base to work from. The technique and effort required to do this on cabinetry is extreme, and although I have had success, I would never do it again nor recommend it. I assume that you have matching filler pieces - I dont need side panels because the vanity is in an alcove. Kylie, love reading about stained real wood cabinets. many thanks. It will be pretty I think, and add the knobs and pulls. Thanks! By wiping with a tack cloth, you remove the sand that is clogging the pores so it accepts stain. As for the flooring, try one or two tones lighter, but make SURE you pick up the same brown tones dont add yellow/gray/orange/red to the mix! I would say the only things I dislike about the kitchen are minor things regarding the Cafe appliances --you are paying for the looks more than higher quality appliances, IMO. One MasterBrand Cabinets Dr. Our house is a transitional style, not too contemporary nor too traditional. P.S. Thanks but the vanity is already built with American white oak, I assume, Craftsman Creations could you explain what Renner Im sheen 5 is? Most paint manufacturers have a sheen chart for their paints. I didnt know what to do until I came across your site. Additionally, the crown molding is dark wood. Theyre solid but UGLY. BLACK, WHITE, CREAM, BROWN & GRAY HOME DECOR. Its typically the primary color in gardens. I've received my unfinished white oak rta cabinets and the wood is beautiful! Top sample: European Oak- European finish. Perhaps we left it on too long? Thank you so much Kylie! Can I start by saying that Im a fan of my oak cabinets. Our Natural Oak cabinet finish is achieved with a clear coat, which allows the woodgrain to show in its natural beauty. The Renner is a product line. You may have to look around to find a finisher who can produce the durability and tone on the white oak variety you currently have. Continue applying stain to your oak cabinets until all base cabinets, doors and drawer fronts are stained. Unlike Barker we use high grade Euro white oak only. I know of a couple of people in my home state of Texas willing to do sprayed, catalyzed, waterborne finishes. After much searching, the best cabinet & drawer handles we found to match the Cafe appliance Champagne bronze hardware & Delta faucet were the ATLAS hardware Shelley Pulls and their Browning cabinet knobs. We have allot of counter space and could not afford to replace it so we chose to do a counter paint kit and absolutely love it. A Questionnaire, The 12 Best WHOLE HOME Gray & Greige Paint Colours, Check out my E-Design and Online Color Consulting Packages, ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2018, FULLY UPDATED IN 2021, Love all these ideas! It was light and made the room appear larger. Either way, oil finishes aren't really a natural look to the wood when you compare it to other clear varnishes that are made specifically as a water-based or waterborne (there is a difference) formula. Thanks for any thoughts you may have. Im thinking I can get a lighter and updated feel by lightening up the walls, doors, and trim. I talked about hardware in this blog post and today, I want to add to those ideas. Love your sink and cabinets. Wipe the dust from the sanded wood with a tack cloth. I really like how your white oak looks in the above photo! satin or semi-gloss finish on white trim? I dont want to paint the cabinets but want to update the room. How you work this in steps is vital to get the right results. The use of greenery keeps the accessories in this room well-connected and complementary to the maple cabinets. You can stain them. Nick Miller - Im sorry that I just saw your question. Product photography and illustrations have been reproduced as accurately as print and web technologies permit. POLISHED NICKEL HARDWARE ON WOOD CABINETS. Added hardware in champagne finish , diff faucet and replaced corian counters with quartz. We should be receiving our QS white oak cabinets from Barker any dayand this gets me so excited! I have a dark kitchen, thinking all that brown wouldnt help. I found that it settled in the grain and that became quite white, but the overall wood color stayed fairly consistent. it would be very difficult to turn back and do anything else than oil-based finishing on those cabinets in the future. After reading here about Renner being a option, I went to their facility. The diamond oil was pretty goof proof. MMSupreme was less, but this changed color the most. Top of photo has no finish. Why? I am currently considering this option very seriously, though now intrigued by the idea of painting some cabinets.). ~Kylie. Im happy to know there is an expert who supports painting the island. And oak is really so timeless (its sometimes just the hardware and profile that dates it) and chances are it will look a good lot better than the MDF . Amy, with all you have going on, I would absolutely advise against trying to finish cabinetry yourself. I was directed to this post by Pinterest. It is not recommended for cabinetry, being a flooring finish, but it has a wet edge working life of 15 minutes which would allow a roll/brush application, and it is beyond amazing in durability and appearance for a natural wood look that will last decades. Whereas the Barker cabinet boxes are sturdy and beautiful and Im sure will be there in 50 years. Take the sample and do some testing on it. Apply paint stripper to a small section of the wood with a paintbrush to remove any finish applied to the oak. I love white quartz or white with gray, but is that too cold or stark for the stained cabinets? If you expect wood to behave like plastic, then buy plastic. Confessions of a Serial DIYer has a great how-to as does my gal Tamara over at Provident Home Design. They are made of solid wood and plywoodno particle board, no thin and cheap veneer! I'm a homeowner representing no one, but I feel for your dilemma because I contracted production of an entire kitchen full of cabinetry at a time that I thought a Waterlox wipe-on finish could be done myself after production. I love the mix of old and new! TIPS ON PICKING PAINT COLOURS WHEN YOU HAVE ANXIETY (or overthink) Im obsessed with paint colours. thanks, so much. And the rep was very helpful. Kylie, Love your website! MasterBrand I've also been reading about the tannin pull of white oak- I definitely want to avoid yellowing. Oak has deep pores, so it requires a liberal amount of stain to ensure it fills and penetrates the wood. I thought I would add my experience, as I went a little OCD on the color for our kitchen project of Rift(quarter) cut white oak cabinets/veneer. Where to buy: Ready to make your kitchen your own. Want to learn more about the FUN side of decorating and paint colours? I think Im going to sand down the sheen on my cabinets and stain them. I do have a question, and you may have answered it in other postswhat do you think about the kitchen cupboard paint kits they sell at Lowes and Home Depot by the paint? Sweet, I love notes like this thank you Kristin, Im glad it turned out and I bet it was a FRACTION of the cost! But I want the grain of the oak to show through like my other cabinets. Mix 3 tablespoons trisodium phosphate into 1 gallon of hot water. My cabinets are exactly like Julia Blanners. :-). Like mine, a sunny kitchen. If the countertops were cluttered, this space would have WAY less appeal. Others really don't. There is a beautiful stain I saw that is light grayish color that allows the grain to show by Minwax. then make sure you get it all down and flat, and then light sand. We gave our mullet island a trim, and painted her a deep rich navy (SW naval). @ramlahn your cabinets are lovely--the QS oak is so beautiful-definitely my dream cabinets. Or, Should I have him look into the sealers that you recommended? While this next kitchen has all original features, the coordinated hardware and light fixtures help the space feel pulled together and purposefully designed (I just might paint that island thoughjust sayin). I love my refreshed kitchen. Take one of the doors that is a bit more hidden and do a trial run (or go to a building recycling store and get a few doors to play with). The 6 Best Paint Colours for Bathroom Vanities that are ALSO GREAT for Kitchen Islands! It is the tanin wood under it for White Oak. Even just one in the corner with the blender would make a BIG difference, use a nicer utensil holder with some stainless utensils, add a soft, warm creamy white subway tile. The kitchen was from the late 80s or early 90s. We have had for about two years now the Cafe matte white appliances with champagne bronze handles, Delta Trinsic Champ. I am going to test the woca diamond oil too. Thanks for any help! I hear wallpaper is coming back. I have wainscoting, and though I realize wallpaper seems old fashioned, a pretty modern paper above the wainscoting that goes well with the cabinets, really seems like it could update my kitchen and take the focus off the cabinets. I think it pops the grain just enough and then gives a classic silky look and feel Chrs Envirolak is another company to investigate for durable, waterborne clear finishes that can be brushed/rolled on. It is water based, not waterborne, which is a step higher on the level of quality particularly in terms of non-yellowing properties according to some finishes experts. I have a metal drain rack I ordered with the sink that fits at the side to hold an elevated smaller black washtub when I need one. What an.Amazing difference @manleytom! Hi thank you for the ideas. My cabinetmaker made up a sample of natural white oak with a flat, clear water-based finish. I also wanted a natural-looking finish for my new cabinets which still have not arrived, and I tested Waterlox which I think must be very similar to the Woca Diamond Oil or Woca Master Oil in that it isn't a pure oil; it is more a diluted varnish with a small percentage of oil included. While this is a POPULAR finish these days, it isnt always a hit with wood cabinets. We do have a few nicks here and there after only a year but they are very easy to touch up. Here are a few more of our kitchen, we fabricated the sides and back of the island ourselves, using locally sourced qs white oak, but used @Barkercabinets for all the cabinets. But it will happen as ages. I know this doesnt work for everyone, but Hygge and Wests Oh Joy paper in taupe (and other colors) is worth checking out if someone is open to it. Please enter your ZIP code below if we did not properly identify your location, or if you'd like to view products for a different location. These E-DESIGN colour consulting packages are designed with YOU in mind, giving you the answers youve been looking with ideas and insights that are CUSTOMIZED to you and your home. I talked to the contractor and told him that I had to figure out a different finish. With so many great waterborne, two-part, post catalyzed conversion varnishes out there, it would be a shame to not use one of them if you could. Warm gray makes me NERVOUS, it would depend on the one. Well, Im thinking that if you just use a quality primer and paint that should do the trick! Wipe away the dust with a tack cloth, then apply a final coat. Well, gold/brass is usually a yellow-toned metal finish and some cabinets are too orange/red toned for this yellow-gold look. Thanks!! Allow the stain to dry according to label recommendations. Very helpful in many ways. Work in small sections in the direction of the grain, spreading the stain evenly over the wood, then work the stain into the pores with a clean cloth or rag, again moving with the grain. They will hold up the longest for you. I want so badly to have a white oak kitchen and all this info was amazingly helpful but it seems like too much work (and too expensive)! Hi Jill! What is the wall color in the picture with the bench? Thank you! Good luck with your project! I've read mixed reviews of the Loba one last thing, Is your parquet the kind with slats/"fingers"? Natural-bristle brushes are ideal for oil-based stains only. Whether its canisters or small decorative pieces, adding copper can help to simplify and unify your cabinets and decor as copper tends to have the same warm undertone as some oak finishes. You asked above about durability of the presumably one-part, waterborne clear coat sample that your painter provided. Centurion was good as well. Most of the advice I''ve read on Houzz is pertaining to white oak flooring. With an entire house renovation, addition and pool going in I think I should just keep it simple! How did you retained the natural color of the wood? White would be too stark with the flooring and countertop. There are a few downsides though, the first being that its inconvenient not to be able to use your counter space for several days. This way you can get a feel for how things will look when theyre all done without getting too far ahead of yourself! But it maybe a good way to go. Why? If youre looking for a low-contrast look, antique brass is a beautiful finish with oak cabinets, but definitely tougher to pull off unless you have mad style (think Studio McGee) and the right cabinets (ie: shaker style). Look into Milesi, Renner, ICA, and Sayerlack. They surely look beautifully but dont look modern at all. Some people love this as a "warm glow" feature. If you aren't set up with the complex equipment and needed experience to successfully spray these formulas, then you will either have to hire it done or look for something else. Black is HANDS-DOWN the top choice for updating wood cabinets. When it comes to the island, its more about whats on your floor, backsplash, countertop those are what will call the shots! Thanks again for a great and informative post! And with some tests, them working with me for a good chunk of time, we were able to get the 718 flat, and the 851, as well as another one they have for flooring to give excellent results. I think it is because it is an oil based finish. While a stark contrast, the black sink actually blends in due to the black glass on the appliances, and I really have liked it far better than the light colored cast iron porcelain sink we had before that constantly needed cleaning. It is a great way to blend old country with new farmhouse. white oak hardwood flooring. I know that many people dont use anything on the cabinet edges when doing an IKEA kitchen/bathroom - but I think that would bother me. Protect floors, appliances, outlets and countertops with plastic sheeting; secure this with painters tape.