Oak Cabinet Refinishing Challenge

WOW, what a difference the new color makes in this Chuluota kitchen update. Part of our kitchen makeover was refinishing the oak cabinets. When this kitchen was installed years ago, oak was a standard finish. Instead of ripping out and replacing these cabinets, the homeowner just wanted a new look.

We cut down the raised height bar top, brought in new Valiant quartz countertops and now are painting the existing cabinets to brighten this one up.

There is a challenge when painting/refinishing oak cabinets. Oak wood has a very deep grain. This deep grain still shows through even after priming and painting the cabinets. We always make sure to cover this with our homeowners who want to refinish oak cabinets since they often expect a very flat, no/low grain look like they see with some of the new cabinets. The new cabinets will use a wood with less grain in them so you don't see it pop out of the cabinet doors or faces when painted. YOu always want to set the correct expectation for the homeowner to avoid any challenges down the road.

Next up in this one is the full height countertop backsplash and then bringing in the off-site refinished doors and drawer fronts, new hardware, some additional pull-outs in eh base cabinets and the trim work. Stay tuned for the rest of the transformation.