Wood preferences

[Mike Cozad]

I am/have never been a fan of oak. I have exactly 3 pieces of oak furniture in my house. 1 I built in shop class when I was 11 and didn't know any better. In fact, the shop teacher let me pick white oak for the legs and aprons of the night stand and the drawer front and top are red oak. Other than the fact that it was my very first piece of furniture I hate it. The other 2 are mission style end tables my wife wanted. They are quartersawn, have really nice straight grain patterns and are stained pretty dark. I actually kind of like them because they don't look oaky to me. Now, all of the cabinetry in this house is that cheap a$$ crap like the BORG sells and stained light golden oak for on the 1990s. Hate it. I despise the way the ply veneer looks. I tossed the powder room vanity out last year, the master bath is going this year. I will paint the guest bath vanity to save money.

Finally to my question, if you were in my position and you were looking to sell a home in a year that was filled with crappy cabinetry you don't like, and frankly can't be objective about, what would you do? I guess I'm looking for some guidance on whether I am in the minority and most folks are OK with oak, or am I the majority and I need to do something about it. Now, if it were you and felt it had to be changed, would you paint it or replace it? I don't want to dump a ton of money because I worry about the return on the investment. If its replace, what species? I like hickory but I bet many don't because it probably looks unrefined to some. Also most other species are not a cheap date. I'm stuck because I know what I prefer but really don't know what the majority of the population likes. Thanks for any suggestions or feedback, or even just a quick thought on where you stand on golden oak cabinetry. All the input will be helpful.

[Darcy Schaffer]

I am in agreement with you about disliking Oak. I'm not a fan and mostly don't like it. Having said that, I own a house at the Oregon coast that has oak floors that my wife and I just had refinished. They look fantastic and, while I still prefer other woods, I'm more than accepting of the quality and looks.

Many people love the look of Oak so I think, if I were you, I'd just leave things as they are until you get feedback from buyers (or a realtor?) that says you would benefit from a change.

Darcy

[Marty Tippin]

Oak cabinets, oak floor and oak furniture in my house. I love the stuff. I'd have oak doors and oak trim if I could, but the builder went with cheap paint-grade trim and doors....

I don't really think light oak cabinets are going to be an impediment to selling your home. If the quality is poor and is noticeable, that's a different issue. Your real estate agent should be able to give you an idea of whether it will affect the marketability of the home. But I would almost guarantee than any money you put into replacing them is not going to come back to you in the form of a higher sales price. You might get away with painting them if it's part of a whole re-work of the kitchen (tile backsplash, new counter tops, etc.)

[Harold Burrell]

I like oak.

[John Schweikert]

Paint the cabinets. Many buyers have no issues with attractive design and well painted cabinets. Why sink money into something you plan to sell in a year. The stats are out there that show you the ROI on just about any part of a home renovation. Decks are usually the highest return. Kitchens maybe in the 70% range. $10k-30K now on new cabinets with 70% return when sold or spend a few thousand dollars at most for a very good painter.

[Paul McGaha]

Oak is my favorite wood. I love the look of it, the toughness, it's affordable.

Our family room, kitchen, dining room, living room, all oak furniture.

Maple probably 2nd for me. Cherry 3rd.

PHM

[David Gutierrez]

if you are selling in a year I would live with it. Oak is not universally hated. Ask a real estate agent if the cabinets are a negative for a sale and react to that.

[Matt Day]

I would paint them without question. I was astounded by the amount of houses we looked at, when we bought three years ago, that we're last remodeled in the mid 80's early 90's. They are a huge turn off to buyers and a majority of buyers have no interest in remodeling or doing work to the house - they want move in ready.

And golden oak cabinets do not appeal to most buyers and are a dated style. Most people want the modern kitchen look - either dark cabinets and light countertops, or white cabs with dark countertops. If I were you, I'd paint or replace. Color depends on the flooring and countertops you have and if you want to replace countertops as well.

I hate the golden oak kitchen look btw. I'd love to build a kitchen but my house was remodeled a couple years before we moved in, quite nicely too. Maple cabs, black quartz countertops, and black stone flooring.

[Peter Quinn]

For me, Rift sawn red oak is quite striking. The rest of the red oak comes in two grades, paint grade and shop grade. I wont allow it in my home, makes me feel like I'm in a badly decorated diner or a cheap furniture store. Don't want it on the floors, walls, furniture. Ive tried staining it, I've tried bleaching it, best results come from burning it on the stove. I was given 700BF BF of it and have yet to find a use for it. But opinions vary widely on the subject and mine is hardly anything close to the middle. White oak is for me a different story. It is both one of the most beautiful species I've ever worked with and one of the ugliest. Sometimes on the same board. I just finished a huge job at work mostly white oak, really great designs that show off the species qualities, and I have a new found admiration for it. It works well on a certain scale in both flat and quarter sawn. I don't like it for formal or fussy designs, it seems most elegant when the lines remain bold and simple. Cherry and mahogany take curves better, hickory and butternut does rustic better, walnut has more depth and is infinitely easier to work with (also does very formal better). But white oak is often in the crest of nobility, it has a stately beauty if used with restraint. Problem is most people my self included can't afford stately beauty, and most people can afford to weed out the uglies that WO offers up, so its seldom done well for the masses.

What to do? Can-o paint is my first though, or an opaque white wash/grey wash with a glaze and clear coat towards semi matte. Maybe check your plans with a real estate agent to see what sells locally and an interior designer in your area to see whats popular, because preferences tend to vary widely by region. Some places out west do beautiful rustic kitchens with mesquite that would never ever ever fly here in southern new England.

[Huck Schwee]

I'm not a huge fan of oak myself. I like the price and the look in certain situations (quarter sawn furniture) but for the most part, I agree that I hate my houses golden oak cabinets. I would suggest gel staining the cabinets. I want to do this but haven't yet. I had a friend who did it to their house and I think it looks excellent. I looks like it's about as difficult as painting but still retains some of the wood look and is probably more durable (although that's just conjecture).

[Kevin Bourque]

The oak used in kitchen cabinets and furniture has been selected so that only the boring , clear boards are used. I hate it!!!

I have some red oak in my wood collection that has bold dark streaks, wild grain, and other cool characteristics. Its hard to believe the 2 are related.

[Jim A Walters]

I like oak, especially rift and quartersawn. I generally don't like a lot of the rotary cut veneer that ends up with unnatural looking grain patterns. It seems oak cabinets can range from gorgeous to just plain ugly depending on the selective use of the grain, staining technique and finishing. Maybe that's more so with oak than with many other woods.

[Kelly Craig]

I like wood, period. That said, I am building my wife a new kitchen and everything is paint poplar with a coat of white paint (bead board centers).

If you're selling anyway and potential purchasers are the type who can afford to replace the cabinets, it may be you want the spruced enough to sell the house, but not so much they're a waste of money. Many would disagree, but I believe even people who plan on tearing the place down often need to see the potential. For example, my place had dead wires hanging out of the walls where the baseboards used to sit. Add enough things like this and people see anything but a turn-key home.

If your cabinets look dated, think about painting and/or refacing them. You may have to fill the wood to try to avoid the painted oak look.

I added soffits (with secret doors), build a custom cabinet with a Susan over the fridge and refaced a thirty year old cabinets in a friend's house, then bought new doors and drawer fronts. Everyone thought he had new cabinets. It cost him a fraction of a new set, and he got to keep his plywood beasts he build back in the day. They do look nice.

[Mike Cozad]

Thanks for the replies and feedback. I like the gel stain facelift. I think that's the way I'll go in the guest bath and kitchen. Thanks again.

[Brian Hale]

You could offer to make new cabinets for the new owners.

Brian