Orange-toned wood cabinets covered this kitchen from the refrigerator wall to the sink, with matching doors on the island and built-in desk. The homeowners liked the cabinet style but wanted to get rid of the orange finish. Painting everything white wasn’t the plan. They wanted to keep the wood grain.
Instagram refinishing business @refreshedandrefurbishedmb started the project expecting to refinish the existing cabinet doors and drawers. But the original wood wouldn’t produce the finish the team wanted, forcing a change in the renovation plan.
Instead of removing the entire kitchen, the team installed new doors and drawer fronts, then refinished the cabinet boxes, side panels, crown molding, and toe kicks. Minwax Country Pine provided the new wood tone, while the cabinet arrangement and beige tile floor stayed in place.
Orange Wood Cabinets Filled the Original Kitchen
The original cabinets had honey-orange stained fronts, decorative metal handles, and exposed hinges. Matching upper and lower units wrapped around the stove, with white countertops meeting olive-gray walls.
Across the sink wall, cabinets surrounded a window and continued around both corners. Beige floor tiles, a stainless steel faucet, and white countertops formed the remaining finishes.
A separate storage wall contained tall pantry cabinets, a built-in desk with open cubbies, and lower compartments for household items. The wood finish extended across these units.
Refinishing the Original Doors Didn’t Work
The first plan called for refinishing the original cabinet doors and drawer fronts. The homeowners wanted a different wood color without losing the existing cabinet style.
According to the refinishing team, the results weren’t meeting expectations. Rather than continue with the old fronts, the project shifted to cabinet refacing.
New doors and drawer fronts would receive the selected finish, while the existing cabinet boxes and surrounding woodwork could remain.
New Wood Fronts Received Minwax Country Pine
The new cabinet doors have a muted brown finish with prominent dark grain, replacing the original orange stain. Black handles and pulls replaced the ornate metal hardware.
The built-in desk and pantry wall retained their configuration. Open cubbies remain above the work surface, with drawers and storage compartments below.
Minwax Country Pine was used on the new fronts, while the cabinet boxes, side panels, crown molding, and toe kicks were refinished to match.
Sherwin-Williams Amazing Gray replaced the previous wall color, creating a gray backdrop for the brown wood finish.
The Same Kitchen Layout With Different Wood
The finished kitchen retains its refrigerator, range, microwave opening, and U-shaped counter arrangement.
New cabinet fronts cover the cooking wall, with black hardware extending across the drawers and upper doors. The white countertop remains, separating the brown cabinets from the gray wall.
The island has the same position, but its wood finish now matches the refaced cabinets. A white countertop with subtle veining sits above the new brown front panels.
The beige square floor tiles remain visible throughout the room.
The Sink Wall Shows the New Grain Pattern
The wood-framed fluorescent ceiling light was replaced with a black rectangular fixture, removing another dated feature without changing the kitchen layout.
Country Pine Changed the Cabinets Without Removing the Boxes
The cooking wall shows the contrast between the stainless steel appliances, white countertops, gray wall paint, and Country Pine cabinet finish.
The new fronts have flat centers and visible wood grain, with black pulls replacing the ornate handles.
From the opposite end of the kitchen, the island, pantry wall, refrigerator, and cabinets remain in their former positions.
The renovation changed the cabinet surfaces without requiring a different layout or the removal of the tile floor.
The original cabinet boxes, pantry storage, and kitchen layout stayed, but the orange wood finish gave way to Minwax Country Pine. New doors, drawer fronts, and black hardware changed the appearance without replacing the entire kitchen.
Would you have tried to save the original cabinet doors, or was replacing them the better choice?
Image credits go to @refreshedandrefurbishedmb.