Hi everyone,
I have a question about staining or painting cabinets dark espresso brown. We have just bought a house with kitchen cabinets that are in good shape, but a horrible color. I love the look of really dark cabinets and would like to stain them darker, but I am concerned it will not work very well. For one thing, the cabinets have been refaced and have melamine veneers on the inside part (the part that is visible through the doors). So I might be stuck with painting. I know there are lots of you that have painted your cabinets white, but has anybody tried painting cabinets dark? Any advice would be appreciated!
Comment Guidelines
We welcome your feedback on Houseandhome.com. H&H reserves the right to remove any unsuitable personal remarks made about the bloggers, hosts, homeowners and/or guests we feature. Please keep your comments focused on decorating, design, cooking and other lifestyle topics. Adopt a tone you would be willing to use in person and do not make slanderous remarks or use denigrating language. If you see a comment that you believe violates any of the guidelines outlined above, please click “Alert a Moderator.” Thank you.
the cabinet frame (i.e. what the doors are attached in front of) is originally wood but has been refaced with melamine?
If it's the iron-on variety you "might" be able to use an iron to soften the adhesive and remove the melamine, then iron (or contact cement) on some wood veneer to match the natural species of the doors, then stain/varnish in your espresso colour. Sounds like a lot of work... Then there are the doors, which will be even more visible.
If you just put stain or paint on melamine (when it actually sticks) you will have a very solid colour which won't look like espresso-stained wood at all. I suppose you could try a faux-wood finish (base coat, add grain, coloured glazes to add depth, etc...)...
Sounds like a long-term project with slightly unpredictable restults...best to try out on a very small less-visible section to make sure it actually improves the situation...
Best of luck and do post before/after pictures if you try it out