Kitchen & Bathroom Cabinets: Painted or Stained?

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When designing a kitchen or bathroom, your cabinets are one of the most prominent design decisions, which means your choice of finish can set the tone for the entire room. Let’s compare the main benefits of each option and how they can affect the look and feel of the space.

Painted Cabinets: Clean & Customizable

Painted cabinets give you lots of potential for fun colours and offer a clean, neutral look that works with almost every style, offering you lots of flexibility. And while the painting process is more costly, you can opt for lower-cost materials since the wood grain won’t be visible. However, since they can chip or dent, time-related wear can be very noticeable. To counteract this, you can spot-paint them or opt for a repaint down the road.

These white painted cabinets create a bright, open space, with subtle Art Deco notes.
These white painted cabinets create a bright, open space, with subtle Art Deco notes.

Painted Cabinets: Pros and Cons

The Pros:

  • They allow for wide colour selection
  • Painted cabinets offer options for budget-friendly materials
  • Neutral and safe design choice; painted cabinets fit well with most design styles

The Cons:

  • Chips and dents are more noticeable with painted cabinets
  • Dirt and grime will be more visible
  • Higher price point than stained cabinets

Styling with Painted Cabinets

With the benefit of extensive colour choice, your cabinets can suit just about any design scheme. A white cabinet will fit with a modern aesthetic and create a bright, open feeling. While a dark, smoky green cabinet, for example, will create a more moody space that pairs well with dark wood elements.

These dark green cabinets create moody atmosphere that pairs well with darker accents.
These dark green cabinets create moody atmosphere that pairs well with darker accents.

Stained Cabinets: Pros and Cons

Stained cabinets offer an organic and classy element, allowing the detail of the wood to shine through. Stained cabinets also tend to be much more visually resilient and don’t show wear and tear.

These dark-stained cabinets pair well with green painted accents.
These dark-stained cabinets pair well with green painted accents.

The Pros:

  • Wear is much less visible, allowing for visual longevity
  • Accentuates the natural grain of high-quality wood
  • A wide range of dark to light tones
  • Overall, a lower price point than painted cabinets

The Cons:

  • Natural wood patterns are less versatile and can be harder to design with
  • Stains can darken or lighten over time
  • Will require higher quality (and more expensive) wood

Styling with Stained Cabinets

For a more traditional look, you would opt for a darker stain and a raised panel cabinet. But if you choose a shaker cabinet and pair it with a moody accent, like the kitchen above, you’ll have a refined modern space with traditional tones. And for something more Scandinavian, you can go with thin-bordered cabinets and choose minimal handles. If you match your cabinet wood with your floors, it will make the room feel more expansive.

This Scandinavian-inspired kitchen leans into natural wood and creates a spacious vibe.
This Scandinavian-inspired kitchen leans into natural wood and creates a spacious vibe.

Combining Painted & Stained Cabinets

You also don’t always have to choose. If you match stained lower cabinets with hardwood flooring, it will make the room feel more spacious, and since lower cabinets tend to experience greater wear and tear, it’ll make them last longer. You can also add a section of painted cabinets to create a visual break between stained sections, and to tie in a room’s other colours.

Stained lower cabinets: a more expansive look and longer lasting cabinets.
Stained lower cabinets: a more expansive look and longer lasting cabinets.

This section of painted cabinets adds a visual break between the stained cabinets.
This section of painted cabinets adds a visual break between the stained cabinets.

Whether you choose stained, painted, or both, if you go with the right cabinet-maker, you’ll ensure a high-quality and stunning new space. Walk into our Vaughan showroom, or contact one of our design consultants today.

Kitchen & Bathroom Cabinets: Painted or Stained?
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