Kitchen Cabinet Refacing: Choosing Stain
This guide is part of a series dedicated to renovating kitchen cabinets. You can view the first guide to the series by visiting Kitchen Cabinet Refacing.
Interior wood stain for kitchen cabinets is most commonly thought of in the various shades of wood, as in light, medium and dark. Natural wood colors are not the only options when it comes to stain. Many stain manufacturers have custom color lines, where a color pigment of your choice is added into a light stain, giving the finished product a colored wood grain effect.
Kitchen cabinet stain does protect the wood, but the color you chose is a purely aesthetic choice. Dark colors do not protect more so than light colors. This guide is to help you narrow down your color choices.
Light color stain has variety of shades to choose from beginning with what most call natural stain which has no color pigmentation in it. This is the best choice for you if you really like the look of the unfinished kitchen cabinets. Regardless of wood type, natural stain will enhance the natural appearance of the wood making the grain a little richer. Other light colors include limed oak an off white stain and maple a light golden color.
The medium stain category carries some of the most popular finishes such as; golden oak, colonial maple and light cherry. Golden oak is probably the most popular of all wood finishes, because of its warm tones that brighten any room without being blinding.
Dark wood stains are popular in office furniture more so than kitchens, but when paired with the right countertops and wall paint, dark stains can look amazing. Some of the most common dark colors are Red Oak, Black Cherry and Mahogany. All of these stains have a red tint that is so dark it errs on the side of black. Many people like to purchase a dark stain then evaluate its appearance after each coat until they like the way it looks.
Color Tints are great for anyone who loves color but does not want to cover up the beautiful wood grain with paint. Color tint stains bring together the best of both worlds. Not many people use them in their kitchen but that is no excuse for not starting now. Whether you stain all of your cabinets the same color or vary each one the final result can be magnificent.
Remember that you will be living with this choice for the next five to ten years, chose a color that is appealing and soothing to you.
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