How to Update Your Outdated Wood Cabinets

Oak cabinets – you love ’em (if you’re a man) or hate ’em (if you’re a woman). And yes, I’m labelling, but I come across the same gender divides again and again when it comes to decorating.

The above cabinets have great bones, but are they worth keeping as they are? Keep on reading…

Here’s the great thing about oak cabinets – they’re solid wood (not the interiors necessarily, but the doors at least). In particular, oak cabinets from the 1980s and 90s are my faves as MAN do they stand the test of time and only after 30 years of wear and tear do they need some love (kind of like me, wink wink). I’ve seen more modern kitchen installations that haven’t lasted five years.

If you want to learn whether your cabinets are worth keeping or painting, click HERE

However, when it comes to wood cabinets, I often refer to my favourite saying ‘just because it’s wood, doesn’t mean it’s good’. This means that if your wood cabinets are fugly, worn out, or mismatched, your solid wood cabinets won’t be adding value (emotional or monetary) to your home. But, before we get into the guts n’ the glory, you need to figure out what style of cabinets you have…

Cabinet Door Profiles

Figuring out which door profile you have can help you make the best choices moving forward.

• Top left: Shaker style with raised panel / Top right: Shaker style with flat panel / Bottom left: Double cathedral / Bottom right: Single arch
• And I know that top right isn’t oak, but it’s the best example I could find of a flat panel with the shaker style frame
• The door on the top right and left-hand sides are usually the easiest styles to update. The bottom left is a double cathedral and is the MOST difficult. The bottom right is EASIER, but not as fab as the shaker style

Now let’s talk about some solutions…

1. Oak Cabinet Update Idea: Restaining

This article is about ‘updating’ your oak cabinets – not about bringing them back to their former glory – or lack thereof. Therefore, when I mention stain, it’s with the idea of changing and updating – not resurrecting.

RESURRECT: To keep the old golden oak and simply refresh it with a fresh coat of golden oak stain and lacquer

UPDATE:  Add value to your home by making it look more current and modern

These cabinets add HUGE value to the home as they look totally updated and are suited to the home!  

If you’re truly wanting to update your home, you’ll want to restain with a darker, more modern stain colour OR sand things down completely and neutralize the wood with a lighter, more natural stain (no strong orange/yellow/red tones). Realistically, most home buyers (if you have resale in mind) are looking for the more subtle look that’s offered by a neutral wood tone OR painted cabinets. This means that the colour of them (stained or painted) is VITAL to their survival if you’re hoping to appeal to the masses.

Consider these things before you restain your oak/wood cabinets

• Are you wanting to stain them a lighter colour than they currently are? Lots of work
• Are you wanting to stain them a darker colour? Still lots of work, but it’s easier than going lighter
• Stay away from the yellow, orange and red tones as they will not look updated – they will look fresh, fancy and awesome – if you still live in 1980
• Stick with lighter and darker stains that don’t have dominant undertones
• If you want to do it properly you’ll need to sand them down entirely. If you want to play around you can try Gel Stain which ‘can’ go over existing stains (it’s oil-based and I find it easier to use than most water-based stains), however, even professionals have a hard time getting a consistent and quality look that doesn’t wear off

Still not sure whether to stain or paint your wood cabinets? Take the QUESTIONNAIRE! 

I’d love to give you a how-to on staining oak cabinets, but I’d rather leave it to the pros…

HGTV – How to Restain Wood Cabinets

DIY Network – How to Restain Wood Cabinets

2. Oak Cabinet Update Idea: Change the Hardware 

More often than not, cabinets from the 80s and 90s don’t have hardware (handles or knobs). While functionally it’s not a big deal because you can still open them, decoratively it’s like you’re missing the last piece of the puzzle.

Transitional style hardware is great and works ESPECIALLY well with cabinets with a shaker or even arched/cathedral profile. For cathedral style doors you’ll want to choose hardware that has slightly softer lines (ie: #9, 10, 12), nothing too tubular or sleek.

To view/purchase the above hardware, please visit the links in this blog post here: The Best BUDGET FRIENDLY Hardware to Update Oak or Wood Cabinets

And of course, there are always knobs!

To view/purchase the above hardware, please visit the links in this blog post here: The Best BUDGET FRIENDLY Hardware to Update Oak or Wood Cabinets

Click HERE or on the above image to view available packages

3. Oak Cabinet Update Idea: Add Crown Molding and a Valance

Crown moulding isn’t just for ceilings you know! This idea takes your cabinets from looking like builder basic – to custom made.

Crown moulding is the ‘crown’ that sits on top of your cabinets – not to be confused with the crown moulding that attaches at your ceiling line. The valance is the strip of wood (approx. 3 inches) that’s attached to the bottom part of your upper cabinets. It increases the visual height of your cabinets, gives them a custom profile and offers the opportunity to hide under-cabinet lighting and dirty drawings (private joke).

While it’s not easy-peasy to do, it’s still manageable for the average homeowner or a semi-capable handyman. I also had a client paint their oak cabinets and fill in the ENTIRE bulkhead area and finished it with mouldings for a full-height, custom look…

Read more about crown mouldings and valances for your kitchen cabinets on this post (cost/details)…How to Update your Kitchen on a Budget

4. Oak Cabinet Update Idea: Paint

You had to see this one coming…painting your oak cabinets is a great way to update and modernize them. Many men (and some women) will say, ‘but it’s wood, you can’t paint wood!’ and this is where I hand them a scotch on the rocks and calmly repeat…

‘Just because it’s wood, doesn’t mean it’s good’

And they will still BE wood – they will just be painted wood.

And HUGE thanks to all of my E-Design clients who send in their after photos. I rely 99.9% on these and couldn’t do this blog without you! 

Why is it good to paint wood? Well, it’s good for resale. Generally speaking, traditional oak cabinets appeal to those 70 and older. If that’s your target market then just keep them stained and call it a day. However, if you’re looking to appeal to a younger and more modern crowd (69 years and younger), you’ll want to consider painting them.

I know your hubby is cursing my name right now and polishing his darts – and you’re checking the birth date on your driver’s license and yelling, ‘HONEY, SHE JUST CALLED ME YOUNG AND MODERN! But seriously, if you have resale in mind, you might want to put paint at the top of your to-do list.

Read more: How to Pick the BEST Paint Colour for Your Kitchen Cabinets

Read more: The Best Gray and Greige Paint Colours for Cabinets

Other Things to Consider When Updating Your Kitchen Cabinets

If you have exposed hinges make sure the finish of them matches your handles/knobs – no mix and match hardware finishes allowed!

Hardware finish

Polished nickel and black are the most popular hardware finishes, hands-down

Consider handles instead of knobs

If you currently have knobs on your cabinet doors, consider drilling an extra hole with a template and installing handles instead

The grain of your cabinets wood (oak in particular)

If you decide to paint, the grain or texture will show through. If you have the opportunity to have them professionally sprayed go for it. This will give you the best chance to reduce the amount of grain you see. Some take the time to fill in the grain to get a more seamless approach, but it is a biiiig project

Appliance colour

If you have white or black appliances, you’ll need to figure out which painting direction makes the most sense re: contrasting with the appliances (ie: black appliances with white cabinets) or blending them in (white appliances with white cabinets). I can help! Black appliance owners HERE. White appliance owners HERE

And discover how to update your oak cabinets without any paint here…5 Ideas: How to Update Oak WITHOUT a Drop of Paint

Not sure what to do with your kitchen?

Check out my E-Books & Online Decorating and Colour Services 

Read more

The 15 Best Paint Colours to go with Oak / Wood

5 MORE Ideas: How to Update Oak Without a Drop of Paint

SHOULD You Paint Your Wood Cabinets OR Keep Them Stained? A QUESTIONNAIRE!

KYLIE M INTERIORS E-DESIGN, E-DECOR, ONLINE PAINT COLOUR CONSULTING     DIY ADVICE IN BENJAMIN MOORE AND SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINT COLOURS

Originally written in 2016, awesomely updated in 2019

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