Rochester, NY: Painted or Stained Cabinets?

January 31, 2019 Don

Thinking about remodeling your kitchen? Making plans for kitchen remodeling in Rochester, NY can be stressful, especially putting your thoughts and vision together. What kind of countertop do I want? How do I match colors with the rest of the house? Where can I find ideas for a backsplash? And one of the most important and sometimes overlooked questions is having painted or stained cabinets?

Your budget and the vision you want for your kitchen remodeling in Rochester, NY will help decide between painted cabinets and stained cabinets. Both can deliver wonderful visual appeal and welcoming atmosphere.

Painted Cabinets

These are the perfect solution for homeowners that like bold colors or have a home with a modern, minimalist design. One of the best bonuses for choosing painted cabinets is the different color combinations you can choose from. If you are considering purchasing painted cabinets or repainting outdated cabinets in your home, the advantages to this style include:

Aesthetic: Classic all-white kitchens to contemporary grays and muted blues, painted cabinets give your kitchen a modern look with a clean finish.
MDF cabinets: If your current cabinets are MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) we recommend painting vs. staining. Paint works better with MDF construction as opposed to staining
Awesome Color Options: The sky's the limit when you are painting your cabinets or buying newly painted cabinets! From brilliant teals and yellows to deep, dramatic reds, you can customize the look of your kitchen easily with painted cabinetry.

While painted cabinets definitely have a long list of benefits, there are still a few drawbacks to choosing this style over a more traditional, stained cabinet design. You’ll want to keep the following in the mind when planning your kitchen remodeling in Rochester, NY.

With the paint being thick, fine details such as wood grain and knots will be harder to see on painted cabinets.
Painting your cabinets isn’t the most budget-friendly way to give your kitchen a makeover. Typically, new painted cabinets cost about 10% more than new stained cabinets.
Touch-ups are necessary with painted cabinets. And it can be difficult to find matching colors from pre-painted cabinets.

Stained Cabinets

If you’re thinking about stained cabinets for your kitchen remodel in Rochester, NY you will be pleased with the natural beauty of the wood grain. Advantages of choosing stained cabinets over painted options include:

Highlighting the character of the wood, which is a selling point for many homeowners. With a thinner consistency, stain allows the wood’s natural beauty to show.
Touching-up your cabinets is much easier when they are stained! Stain blends well when reapplying to areas of damage which also removes most of the concern for matching up colors.

When you want to save money on your kitchen remodel in Rochester, NY stained cabinets are the way to go. While costs vary in cabinet purchasing, stained cabinets tend to cost less than painted cabinets.

Like painted cabinets, there are also drawbacks to having stained cabinetry in a home kitchen:

Stain isn’t ideal for MDF cabinets, as this material doesn’t take stain well.
If you have major damage or blemishes, stain will highlight vs hiding them.
Darker shades of stain will require more cleaning as the show dust more frequently.

Whether you choose painted cabinets or classic stained cabinetry, the look that is right for you depends on what you want to get out of your remodel in Rochester, NY. Think about your cabinet material, the kitchen layout, the overall features and color scheme of the space to decide whether stainedor painted cabinets are your choice for a beautiful before and after kitchen remodel.