Well, we've finally got a (mostly) finished kitchen! This kitchen's been in the planning stages for 8 years and I've been in and out of this forum for just about that long-- wow, time flies! Whether I've posted or just lurked, the information I've gotten here has been INVALUABLE.

I can unequivocally say that my kitchen would not look anything like what it does without this Forum, and for that I offer my profound gratitude-- there is, quite literally, no way I could have done it without all of you, past and present.

So, here are the photos of the finished result:

From 2010-0818

From 2010-0818

From 2010-0818

From 2010-0818

From 2010-0818

From 2010-0818

From 2010-0818

For the entire album with detailed photos, just click on the link below any of the photos above!

Here are the details:

Cabinetry: IKEA Lidingo White (with glass uppers) for the perimeter, Tidaholm Brown/Black for the island
Island Knobs & Pulls: Anne at Home Farm Collection and Lewis Dolin Glass Cup Pulls (from Myknobs.com)
Perimeter Knobs and Pulls: Anne at Home Horse Collection, generic polished chrome knobs, cup pulls, and bar pulls (from Myknobs.com)
Wall Paint: BM Revere Pewter
Trim, Hood, and Fireplace Paint: Valspar Bright White (from Lowe’s)
Perimeter Counters: IKEA Butcher Block, stained Black with India Ink and sealed with Waterlox
Island Counter: IKEA Butcher Block, sealed with Watco food safe butcher block sealer
Main Sink: Whitehaus 36" farm sink (from Vintagetub.com)
Island Sink: IKEA single Domsjo, undermounted instead of the usual overmount installation
Faucets: IKEA Hjuvik
Refrigerator: Because we grow a lot of what we eat (so we don't need to store much) and have a large fridge in an adjacent laundry room, we chose a generic small undercounter fridge (Home Depot, off the shelf)
Wine chiller: Sunbeam (Home Depot, off the shelf)
Dishwashers: Kenmore and Hotpoint, both existing and 5-7 years old
Microwaves: 8 year old Kenmores
Island Oven: IKEA Datid 30"
Hood: ProLine 36" range hood (from eBay)
Range: IKEA Praktfull Pro A50
Backsplash Behind Range: Handthrown Williamsburg brick (local brickyard, left over from another project)
Flooring: Lumber Liquidators, Hand Scraped Teak
Island and Sink Pendants: IKEA Ottava
Cabinet lights: IKEA Grundtal single puck lights
Chandelier over the Table: Progress lighting, black 5-light chandelier (Home Depot, off the shelf)
Fireplace: Style Selections 36" Vent Free LP fireplace (Lowe’s, off the shelf)

A few notes about the remodel, just to hit some discussion points I see come up a lot in this Forum:

Our kitchen lives in a big old 1840 farmhouse, which has been part of a working farm since the day it was built. Originally it was soybeans, but now it's part of a gentleman's farm (horses, heritage gardens and poultry), so everything has to be hard wearing and practical. It needs to stand up to heavy traffic, mud, hay, tools, and the occasional chicken (though usually when they wander in, they don't go much further than the family room, because they like the television). That definitely informed our choices for surfaces-- they needed to be hard cleanable, and ultimately easily refinished or replaced down the line.

Because the entire house already has strong architectural elements (huge moldings and built-ins), we worked within the style we already had-- all the kitchen moldings, mantels, panels and cabinets match (or are closely styled after) what already exists in the house. We definitely didn't do a period kitchen (we wanted a 2010 layout with all the conveniences), but we wanted the kitchen to look like it belonged in the house.

The big thing for us was budget-- believe it or not, the entire kitchen was done for UNDER $20K. Four big things contributed to that:

1/ We DIY'ed the ENTIRE project, start to finish. The only thing we hired out was the gas line install for the fireplace and range, because state law requires it. Other than that, all planning, demo, sourcing, and construction was on us. Might be why it took us 8 years. . .

2/ We reused what we could, and scrounged a lot, especially construction materials (which could have been buckets of money, considering all the custom work we did in the space), and kept what appliances we could. It was also a great way to be environmentally responsible on a project that, let's face it, has a lot of non-necessities involved.

3/ IKEA, IKEA, IKEA. If you're anywhere reasonably close to an IKEA, and you're on anything approaching a budget, go check it out. The cabinet quality for the price can't be beat (except for a few pockets of custom cabinet makers), and there are a lot of great accessories, appliances, lighting and other things to be had for a terrific price. As always, you have to pick and choose your items for quality and value, but at least in our experience, it is definitely there to be had for the buyer with a good eye.

4/ We didn't go for major appliance upgrades. Our whole family LOVES to cook (and eat!), and we wanted a great looking, functional space to do it all in, but we just weren't convinced that we needed more than the basics right now. If we want to upgrade down the line, it's easy enough to do, but right now our Wolf budget is standing in our barn eating hay, and our LaCanche budget is steered towards this Show Hunter prospect I have my eye on . . .

So there's our formula for a great kitchen that works for us considering the (kind of odd!) parameters we had. Hope you all can take at least something useful away from our experience.

I've submitted the kitchen to the FKB, and I'll answer whatever questions you've got. . .

Thanks again, everyone!

Now for the details (if I can remember them all!)

The cabinets are custom cabinets from a shop here in Atlanta called The Town Carpenter.
The cabinets are painted Sherwin Williams "Creamy White" with all of the black removed. This became known as "custom creamy" at the cabinet shop and they sold several more jobs of this color while my cabinets were being made.
The walls are painted Benjamin Moore's "You Are My Sunshine."
The floors are white oak from the trees we cut down while clearing the lot to build with multiple coats of tung oil - no stain.
The library ladder was made from the leftover floor boards with the same tung oil treatment.
The perimeter counters are honed Crystal Pearl Quartzite.
The island countertop is honed Virginia Mist.
The range is a 48" dual fuel Five Star (one gas oven one convection).
The hood is a Ventahood with a custom cover.
I have two dishwashers. One is a top of the line Kitchen Aid and one is a Miele.
The clean up sink is an Ikea Domsjo single bowl undermounted.
The prep sink is a Kohler stages 36" mounted wrong ways about.
The refrigerator is a SubZero and the freezer is a Thermador Freedom Column.
The warming drawer is a Miele.
The microwave is my old countertop model given a spot under the island. I'm not a fan of built in microwaves.
Behind the range is a sheet of brushed stainelss steel.
The other backsplashes are beadboard painted to match the cabinets.

I think that about covers it. I'll be happy to answer any questions and thanks again to the gardenweb community.

If you can afford it go to a paint store and see if you
can get a few samples of paint. Paint them on a cardboard
and see if you like it with the cream. Sometimes something
larger than the tiny paint swatch is easier to see what
could work for you.

Meanwhile here is some green eye candy. I wish I knew the
colors and names. Maybe someone on GW can help.
~boxer

Here is a link that might be useful: Before & After - Dauphin

Yes, I think it would be a good start to tear out that little section of walkway. Maybe plant a nice arborvitae there, which would add some contrast to the boxwoods.

Don't be in a hurry to rip out the boxwoods. It would be better to think of them as the foundation to your landscaping, and add to them. As I said, let them grow wild for a bit, to soften their outline, and add more bushes and shrubs to them.

Boxwoods are best pruned, rather than sheared, to attain a natural shape.

Here is a good site from the VA Extension service about boxwoods:

Here is a link that might be useful: Boxwoods

I want to thank so many out there for your help!!! I couldn't have done it without you. If you can believe it I really wanted the marble, soapstone and white cabinets kitchen, but this one really goes with my home beautifully. Some of my inspirations were Mamadadapaige, GGLKS, Erikanh, blakey, and so many others!
This was done on a budget since this won't be our forever home. We took down a wall between a small kitchen and small dining room. Everyone said don't do it and lose your dining room, but I am so glad we did. It really changed the way we live in this house. We have a relatively small island and it is the most used piece in the kitchen. We love it!

Some of the details-
Costa Esmeralda granite
Adelphi cabinets in eggshell
Kitchenaid french door counter depth fridge
Kitchenaid dishwasher
Kitchenaid wine fridge
DCS gas 5 burner range
Kobe Range Hood
Delta Victorian Pull down faucet
Kichler undercabinet lighting
Island Pendants- Kitchler Industrial
Insinkerater
Backsplash- Sonoma 2x6 tile in Krazy Krackle
Behind the range- Herringbone mosaic Krazy Krackle
Grout - Laticrete Antique White
Sink- Kindred
Harvest Pedestal Table-Pottery Barn
Parsons Chairs- PB
Bar Stools- 2 Schoolhouse and 1 saddle from PB
Drum Shade over table- Veraluz Tweed Shade
Floors- Oak with Minwax Special Walnut Stain
Paint- Crown Point Sand- Benjamin Moore

I have found my choice to be so easy to take care of. The granite hides things and doesn't show fingerprints. The stainless just needs a wipe with a wet microfiber every now and then followed by a dry one. And the wood floors have been fantastic...so much better than the white vinyl we had before.

Thanks again!! Maybe I will post more pictures thru the seasons when I change it up. There are lots of pictures, I tried to add some befores so you can see the change!
Click on the album for even more.

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

From Positano's Finished Kitchen

Here is a link that might be useful: Positano's Finished Kitchen

It's not much to show off, but it's what we had to work with. And it's pretty much done. We have some finishing touches, light molding, under cab lights, etc.

I tried to do a very subtle two tone color scheme with the cabinets. Looked good on all the sample boards I painted, and held up. But, in the end the lower cabs just aren't dark enough. And don't provide the contrast I'd hoped for. But, it's no biggie. It's 150 times better then the oak, so for now..I'm good. We'll repaint them soon enough. It didn't take much for us to do the boxes (we painted them ourselves) and my painter was pretty inexpensive (had the doors and drawers sprayed)

I'd love to replace the floor and appliances. But, it's not in the budget. (well, we are getting a new dishwasher, just not SS) And this is also a house I'd hoped to have been out of by this year. The market isn't in our favor :) So, I've been trying to make our cookie cutter kitchen more tolerable. I'm happy enough with it. If nothing else, burned out. Just to be rid of the oak cabs makes thrills me.

Thanks for everyone who advised me over the last couple years. I sooo appreciate it!

small breakdown

Counter top-belle noche, wilsonart high def ($800)

backsplash-cheapo subway tile from Lowes (200)

cabinets-$100 in paint, and $200 for painter dude to spray doors and drawers. uppers BM white dove. lowers BM baby fawn.
$30 for cabinet maker guy to cut out the middle of four doors, and $50 for glass company to add glass

knobs-$50 Lowes
drawer pulls $20 ordered on line

beadboard, molding, other building materials $100

before

now
favorite thing is how dh beefed up the moulding. so we no longer have that huge space above for dust collectors :)

after subway tile and counters

dh put beadboard along the back of the bar, and end of cabs

The cabinets are Wellborn White thermofoil laminate cabinets. We peeled the laminate off it came off in sheets and underneath was the orange mdf. We then sanded, primed with behr premium primer and painted with American Tradition Jekyll Club Veranda Ivory. The island is American Tradition Safari Brown. I drew the legs and our handyman cut them out for me.

The walls are SW flowerpot

The backsplash was a shiny white plain tile and I thought I could remove it without destroying the drywall..I was wrong...I now know how to replace drywall. The tile is Daltile's Splitface mosaic in Sienna Classico. I installed the tile by myself and I'm really happy with it. I saved about $400 by ordering it from thefloooringmarket.com. The tile behind the stove is hanging on top of the tile. It is made of resin and was on clearance at Fred's Super Dollar Store for $12.

Here's a close up of the tile and the granite is Santa Rita. We hired someone to install the granite.

The Hardware I got on ebay for $1 a cup pull and .50 a knob. It's Liberty Antique Brass from a company called Cripes Distributing. The pulls were made to stand off the cabinets but I made the holes bigger to make the pulls flush. The outlets as you can see in the upclose pictures are in a standard place...I worried about then but bought natural wood outlet covers at home depot and you really don't notice them.

If ya'll have any other questions let me know...I would love to help--Everyone here is so very supportive. Good luck to everyone!

To us, beech and birch were both pretty light, one is more pinkish, one more yellowish. We went with beech because the undertones looked better with our floors which are stained mahogany.

They really do darken up quite a bit. We still have one exposed edge that we have to waterlox, and the difference in color is significant.

Below is a pic of my old pantry (next to nothing - 1 really deep cabinet on top and bottom next to the refrigerator.

After that is the new "pantry wall". Using the space between the studs, my dad-in-law and I figured out we could nicely fit 2 soup cans deep. I think the cabinet maker did a great job, and he even managed to carve me out some cookbook storage as well. The whole unit only sticks out 3 inches into the room.

Note there are a couple of fake doors yet to be placed up above the bookshelves to finish the look. It will cover up that massive header that had to be used.

I actually highly recommend it for bathrooms with only straight edges and with drop-in sinks as long as the wall is very flat or you're going to install a backsplash of some sort or a long mirror. It's amazingly simple to work with, just quite heavy. (For undermount sinks, I recommend a FULL prefab place like Marble Master. If your workers will install a special-order fake-stone counter from a box store, they'll install this one!) THe DIY Granite will take cutting, and many workers will shy away from that, but it's not nearly as hard as you think to use a Skil saw to make sink openings for a drop-in sink. First, you cut an X inscribed in the circle or oval of the sink. Then you inscribe a t. Then you cut straight lines connecting the arms of the Xs and ts. You continue cutting off the corners left over until you have a sink cut out. Someone with a spray bottle can keep a diamond blade nice and wet, so you can cut the sinks in situ, though I'd cut it to length outside.

I have also now done a kitchen (I'm flipping a house) with granite from DIY Granite and don't recommend it if there are any corners in the counters because it can be such a PAIN to make them fit right. And the granite is HEAVY!!!! If you want to do it anyway, I'd recommend Marble Masters over DIY Granite (fewer seams--I have two extra because I went with DIY Granite, but I don't mind since I'm selling the house) first check you walls and corners to make sure they're really 90 degrees or VERY, VERY close, order enough to do full 45 degree angle cuts in the corners, and make sure you have at LEAST two, preferably three, strong people to move the granite. And MEASURE WELL!!!! Also, you'd better be REALLY, REALLY good at using a diamond-blade Skil saw. Install for my kitchen cost me $600 for the time of two guys--I was the third laborer. Make sure your 3/4" plywood under the granite is INCREDIBLY level, and make sure no plywood seams match up with granite seams. Then use clamps and heavy weights if the granite still isn't perfectly level after gluing it to the substrate while the glue dries.

I hadn't heard of any reviews for DIY Granite, and many people said that granite is a job for pros only, but I decided to risk it. If I failed, I'd eat the cost of the kitchen granite (about $1400) and just tile the suckers, but I was certain that the three bathrooms would work great, each of which had 6'-8'3" counters. I saved more than $6,800 on my granite this way, so it was worth the risk. Still, there were several moments of kitchen install that were touch and go! Follow the tips above to make it easier for you.

To keep raws from sliding, cut some 3" wide strips of 1/4" plywood (or sacrifice couple of floor planks) and screw them (NOT nail) to the STUDS placing screws about 1.5" above floor to the left wall that perpendicular to the raws you laying, as well as behind 1st raw. (The strips must touch the floor!). This will prevent the laminate from sliding when you tapping it - and no matter what manufacturers say, you will ALWAYS end up tapping it in place. For that reason by planks with beveled edges - it prevents boards from chipping if you tap too hard.

To move single raw left or right without disturbing the rest of the flooring:
1. Brace raws below and above the one you need to move at the wall toward which the movement will occur by attaching spacer strips as described above.
2. Hook the raw you moving with the Bullet pull bar.
3. Put a 6"hx20"l board against the wall directly above pull bar.
4. Connect sliding piece of 3/4" pipe clamp to the pull bar.
5. Brace 2by2 board against the wall (so its end rests on the 6"x12" board and not sheetrock)on one side and against pipe clamp screw head on the other. This way, when you start titening the clamp, it will push against the board and move the pull bar towards opposite wall.
6. Make pencil mark across 2 rows so you can see how much movement occurred by checking frequently how far apart the pencil marks are. Proceed SLOWLY!!! Remember that the floor, the board and the wall would flex a bit, so after every detectable movement release pressure from the clamp and check the actual position of the raw to make sure you didn't move it too far.

If using underlayment for your laminate installation, consider "Quiet Walk" brand, $30 for a 3'x33' roll (100 sq feet). It's a great product that reduces noise, provides moisture barrier, leak protection and insulation from cement floors, while giving you a smooth, durable easy to use surface to lay the floor on.

Hope this was helpfull.

Cabinets -- Ikea Stat with 2 Rev-a-Shelf pullouts.
Range -- Bluestar 30" RCS
Hood -- Ventahood
Dishwasher -- Bosch
Fridge -- Jennair
Backsplash -- Susan Jablon Mosaics; glass subway beach tile.
Countertop -- Kashmir White granite

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to photos

I wanted to follow up with this topic as I think there is many expressed pros and cons regarding Novalis peel and stick planks. I can only advise with my experience with these planks and I can say that I have not had one plank lift after I put them in two months ago. Here is the pictures of the work in progress when I laid the planks from beginning to end of installation....

Please be aware of your floor surface. I can't say this enough... I read that there are different remedies when handling the many different surfaces when laying these down (do not assume the self stick glue will be strong enough).

In my case, I only had to deal with old vinyl flooring. I still swept, mopped and made sure that the floor was clean before applying Henry's tile primer which I totally suggest as it makes the tiles stick real good. A pain if you have to pick the tiles up for adjustments though!

AND I CAN SAY THE I REALLY LOVE MY KITCHEN FLOOR!!!
My hands and body hurt for two days after I installed the floor but the pain was welcomed.

For those who are worried about dog's nails scratching the vinyl planks. Let me tell you, I have two Black Labrador girls (BIG dogs) and the floor is withstanding their nails, my heels and me being clumsy and dropping things on it! The dogs do slip and slide but other than that, the tiles are handling the abuse. LOL I actually installed these on the steps down to the basement (where my girls stay during the day) and there has been no lifting nor scratches. The girls go up and down those steps daily!

I can say that the floor when laid properly does last and withstands a lot. Of course, don't go scratching it with sand paper or stabbing it with a knife because I can guarantee that no vinyl will outlast that kind of torture!!! =)
But if you are looking for a inexpensive upgrade... I totally suggest this flooring.

Here's what my kitchen looks like now!
I hope this helps anyone out there with questions!!! =)

They recommend rolling with a rental roller or regular rolling pin the day of installation. I bought a rolling pin and shouldn't have bothered. Skating around in my socks was fine.

I put them over an existing vinyl floor, so I painted that floor first with cheap latex paint, let dry, before putting them down. Since my underlying slab floor was hand done and a little uneven, a few edges did pop up but I placed books on them for a few days, with a gallon of water on top, and that stuck them down fine.

I was in million dollar home recently, with some wood floors and I liked the look of my fake floor better. Mine has a stronger grain pattern. This floor is just as real looking as the grain grooved Pergo, which I think is $4 or more a foot, and at nearly all light angles resembles real wood.

I've had wood floors, and although you can get great wood products now with oxide tough finishes, my floor would have required underlayment, and levelling that would have been way too much work and expense. Plus, call me crazy, but I like the quiet and feel of this vinyl over wood.

I don't know how it wears yet. The wear layer seems pretty tough, but it is thin, similar to Pergo.

According to the directions, if one gets damaged, you can use a hair dryer to pull it up and replace it. I did pergo a few years back in a bedroom, dropped a hammer on it, and ended up buying a $7 patch kit and the patch doesn't even look good, so there's a rug over that area now.

On a large open floor, one will get repeated boards that anyone looking at the floor and thinking about it, can pick out. But, I think the grain assortment was pretty good. I liked the grain patterns. This floor does not scream "fake" at all as many Pergo floors do. The grooves enhance the real-ness of it considerably.

Bring a sample home if you want to decide which color looks better with your home. I think the "Natural" (lighter) color would look more modern whereas the golden oak looks a bit richer and more traditional. I have a lot of light (windows and skylights) in my living room so the golden oak looks vibrant and great.

My old dog, even with the grooves in the planks, still slips lengthwise, so I had to use the same area rugs I used with the old vinyl, which was even slicker. If you have an old dog and don't want to put down rugs, I'd suggest buying something with an aluminum oxide finish almost like sandpaper. The product I liked, was just discontinued at Home Depot, so I got these groovy vinyl planks at Lowes, thinking my dog would feel safe on it. He's okay, when moving slowly, but he does slip and panic on it.

Lowes also had a Bamboo product with a very tough finish, that was non-skid, but it would have ended up costing 10x as much as this, when everything was factored in, because of having to level my uneven floor.

Do yourself a favor and prime first. It is self-priming, but it's costly enough that it's cheaper to put a coat of Zinsser Bullseye 123 or an oil-based primer on first. Let dry, gently sand smooth with 200 or 220 grit, wipe with tack cloth, then paint with CC. And before you ever prime, clean the vanity really well with a good pre-paint cleaner like Dirtex. More detailed instructions are kicking around Paint forum somewhere.

I had two cherry colored tables I tested with CC a long time ago. One with primer, one without. CC did OK as it's own primer, but it took several more coats. So it's cost prohibitive.

I've posted these before, but here is what their standard White looks like.

This is a closeup of my kitchen cab, just to show you how it looks on oak. (These were a very dark 70's stain and I did prime before using CC.) I didn't fill in the oak grain, I don't care for flat cabs, prefer a little bit of texture.

Different view:

During remodel, on hallway doors/trim:

Oh, here, I found one more to toss in. (I was taking pic of flooring DH had just installed, but all doors/trim in pic are done in CC White.)

It looks like the newer whites are at the top row of their undertones. i.e. Almond Sugar yellow undertones, Palace Gown pink undertones, etc. If I strayed from White, personally I'd probably use something with just a hint of warmth, but not much, otherwise it might be enough to restrict wall paint colors, etc. Probably Almond Sugar. But I'd definitely have to see a swatch in person before making that call. If memory serves, their Almond is a pretty deep Almond, and the online swatch makes it appear lighter. So if you can get your hands on a color card, that would save a lot of $ and paint. Tho it goes really far, if you're only doing a smaller 2 door vanity, a quart should be enough.

P.S. We painted ours Dover White from SW. I love the color!!

Here is before and after with gel stain

Before: (prior owner there, not me)

And after

With apologies to those sick of seeing this reposted, here's is my excessively detailed how-to:

GEL STAINING INSTRUCTIONS

It is a very doable project. You just need time, $50 in supplies, and patience. No skill.

Here's more than you need to know:

My cabinets were frameless, good condition and good layout. But the finish had gone orange and ugly, with the oak graining too busy for me. Cabinet were 18 years old, very poorly finished oak veneered slab doors. Plain with no crevices. They didn't even take the doors off to finish them!!! No stain or finish was even put on the hinge side edges. Bad workmanship.

I looked into changing out cabinets, but that was way too much money, since my layout was OK. Painting didn't seem right because the doors were plain slabs. I considered new doors but that still meant a lot of money. For a few years I tried to figure a way to add molding toward a mission look, but the rounded door edges made that impossible. Then trolling in a kitchen emporium showroom this last year I noticed dark wood slab doors, kind of like mine, but darker. That was the answer.

First I tried Minwax Polyshades. Dicey product. Hard to brush on neatly, then gummy, then seemed to leave a sticky tacky residue. I did a thread on the Woodworking Forum "Evil Polyshades to the Rescue" which elicited a lot of conflicting "expert" opinions and arguments that one must strip to bare wood. (Thread may still be around as that Forum moves slowly.) Long ago when I was young and stupid I properly stripped acres of woodwork in an old Victorian. Never again! Jennifer-in-Clyde (in the same boat) and I stumbled around on that woodworking thread to get to this method.

SHOPPING LIST:
-electric screwdriver or screw drill bits
-mineral spirits to clean the years of gunk off the cabinet
-miracle cloths (optional)
-fine sandpaper
-box-o-disposable gloves from Walgreen’s or the like
-old socks or rags for wiping on coats
-disposable small plastic bowls or plates, and plastic spoons or forks for stirring/dipping (optional)
-General Finishes water base Espresso stain (pretty thick, but not quite a gel) NOTE: This one may not even be a needed step if the Java gets it dark enough.
-General Finishes Java gel stain (poly based)
-General Finishes clear top coat (poly based)
-old sheets or plastic sheeting or newspaper

Rockler woodworking stores are a good place to find the General Finish products. Or some larger hardware stores. Quart of each was more than enough for my 60 doors and drawer fronts and goes for $12-14 at Rockler. There are smaller sizes if your project is small.

SETUP AND PLANNING:
You will need a place to work and leave wet doors to dry overnight - I set up 2 spaces: garage for sanding/cleaning and basement for staining/sealing. Use newspaper or plastic to protect the surface and floor. Figure out how you will prop doors to dry. Plan blocks of 20-30-minutes for sanding/cleaning bundles of, say, 6 doors at a time. Then just 10-minute sessions to wipe on coats. The coats will need to dry for about 24 hours, so figure that each section of the kitchen will be doorless for 4 or 5 days. Divide the job up into manageable chunks.

PREPARATION:
Take off doors and drawer fronts. Try using screw drill bits on an electric drill if you don't have an electric screwdriver. Remove all the hardware. *Mark alike things so you know what goes back where.* Clean the doors thoroughly. Not with TSP but with something pretty strong and scrub well. There's years of grease there.
Sand LIGHTLY, just a scuffing really. Just enough to break the finish and give it some tooth, no more than a minute a door. A miracle cloth is good for getting most of the dust off. Then wipe well with mineral spirits to clean and get the last of the gunk off.

STAINING:
In order, we're gonna put on:
-General Finishes Espresso water based stain (1 coat) - optional
-General Finishes Java gel stain (couple coats)
-General Finishes Clear urethane gel topcoat in satin (couple coats)

But first put on work clothes, tie up your hair and pop your phone into a baggie nearby (you know it will ring). Glove up.
***First do a trial on the back of a door and check if Java coats alone suffice. If the Java alone is to your liking, just skip the Espresso and return it.

Open and stir up the Espresso stain, then spoon some into a plastic bowl. Close the tin so it doesn't get contaminated. Slide a sock over your hand, grab a gob of Espresso and smear it on. Wipe off the excess. Let it dry well - overnight is good. It will lighten as it dries, but then darken again with any other coat or sealer. A second coat might result in a deeper tone at the end - though it seemed like the second coat was just dissolving the first. YMMV.

Repeat with Java gel. This is thicker and poly based (*not water cleanup!*= messier). Color is a rich dark reddish brown. Wait for the second coat to judge if the color is deep enough for you. I wanted a very deep dark color, like melted dark chocolate. So I went pretty heavy on these layers. I did not sand between coats.
Repeat with clear gel topcoat. This will give you the strength you need in a kitchen.

Do the same process with the cabinet sides, face and toe kick area. Might need to divide that up also, and stagger the work: doors/cabinets/doors/etc.

NOTE: The cloth or socks used for the gels are very flammable! Collect and store them in a bucket of water as you go and then dispose of them all properly.

FINISHING AND REASSEMBLY:
I suggest you put the doors back up after one clear coat, then you can check everything over and darken an area with more Java if needed, followed by a clear coat. When it all looks right, go over it all again with another clear gel coat. Or two. (See my follow up notes below). Install your hardware.
The feel of the finish should be wonderful, really smooth and satiny. Color deep and rich - way nicer than that faded, beat 80's oak color.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Definitely experiment first with the back of a door or drawer front to be sure it is the look you want. Yes, this takes a couple days to coat, dry, recoat, dry, etc but you may discover that the Java alone does the trick and this will save you a LOT of work. Front-end patience is worth it.

This is a pretty easy project to do. Hard to screw it up. The worst is the prep - relative to that, smearing on the coats is cake. I had over 60 pieces (big kitchen) AND island sides and book shelves, etc and I admit I lost steam partway through. Had to push myself through the last of it. But it was worth it. Folks think I got all new cabinets - it looks that good.

Now the finish will not be as durable as factory finish - go at it with a Brillo pad and you WILL abrade it. But it has held up pretty well. And after a year of pretty heavy use, I had just a few nicks, easily repaired.
(6/08 Add: I'm now (18 months later) seeing some wear near the pulls on the most used cabinets. Will add color with Java if it bugs me.)
(9/09 Add: Never did bother to touch up those couple spots. Bugging me a bit more, and I will get to it soon. It is the drinking glass cabinet and the snack cabinet, LOL. And the garbage pull-out. The rest still looks perfect. Lesson: Use an extra coat or 2 of gel on the way frequently used cabinets.)
(12/09 Add: I did finally touch up the spots that were worn. Used just Java to get the color right, then a bunch of top coats. Looks perfect again.)

I added smashing hardware, raised my pass-through, resurfaced the Corian (also simple but messy and tedious) and replaced the DW and sink. It looks gorgeous to me and I really enjoy the space - how it sits all quiet, clean and serene, then gets all crazy with the food and folks du jour. I couldn't be happier, especially that I didn't have to work another year just to pay for the update!!

Link to cabinets in progress: http://photobucket.com/albums/b45/celticm00n/kitchen cosmetic update project/kitchen during/

Link to almost finished cabinet pix: http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b45/celticm00n/kitchen cosmetic update project/finished bit by bit/?start=20

It's been about 3 years and I am still very happy with the outcome.

I am very happy with the way it turned out and it was inexpensive, especially because I have so many cabinets, replacement would have been out of the question for us.

After

Questions, call 800-332-1556

Here is a link that might be useful: Fine Paints of Europe

Wash with TSP, rinse, and dry
Sand
Use Pore-o-Pac brush on wood grain filler (if you want the grain to be gone). I did 2-3 coats of this. Very time consuming, but really worth it. I did not do the inside of the doors. If you use this product, do yourself a favor and buy an empty 1 gallon paint can to dump the quart of this stuff into. It helps with the stirring, the adding of mineral spirits.
Sand between coats of pore-o-pac
Painted two coats of primer, BM, acrylic (orange label), sanding between each coat with 220 grit. Let dry several days between coats.
You can use a chinex if you use oil(not china) brush, spray, or a roller.
Now we are in the middle of the final coats, I plan on 2 or 3 final coats, of the BM oil based paint. (Red label). Sanding again between each coat, and then I am planning on sanding the final finish with the 3M sanding pads that are labeled "final finish". Can't tell you any results of that yet.

A lot of people swear by the Cabinet Coat paint brand. This is a water based product and supposed to be excellent. I did not hear about it until I was further along, and couldn't change my plan. This would be an excellent choice probably if you are planning a light color for the paint, since oil will yellow.

The Pore-o-Pac is available in both oil and water based formulas. I used the oil due to the fact that I was using oil based paint. I have to say, it really did the trick.

But hop over to the paint forum, you will be amazed. I wish I had photos to show you, but the cabinets aren't done yet. Good luck

Here is a link that might be useful: Pore-o-Pac

If you can get some samples of different white tiles
You can see which you find to be the best match for your
cabs.
keep in mind things like gloss, matte, grout color,
lighting and brand can change the shade of white.
I personally think matching the warm to warm or
cool to cool to the cabs can help as in WillTv's kitchen.

Tile brand and price can vary.
American Olean .22 cents per tile from lowes or
Dal-tile $4.00 per tile
or $8.00 Walker Zanger or Modwalls Glass subway $10 per tile

mixing whites

not white but very pretty

Dark tile (not sure I like this)