Stained or Painted Kitchen Cabinets. Which is best?

Your kitchen cabinets are not only a major functional component in your kitchen design, but they're also a significant aesthetic element. While today you have several choices for finishing for your cabinets, the two most popular among homeowners and designers alike are paint and stain.

Because your cabinets take up significant physical space in the kitchen, they have a considerable impact on the overall look and feel of the room. There are a couple of considerations when choosing between paint and stain for your kitchen cabinets. You want to consider cost as well as how the choice between paint and stain will work with the rest of your kitchen design choices like your countertops and flooring.

For example, if you have hardwood flooring with a particular grain pattern, it probably won't work with stained cabinets with a different pattern of the wood grain. That said, if you're going with cherry, chestnut, oak, pine, or walnut cabinetry, staining them will enhance their unique character and last longer than paint. Getting them professionally repainted, should you choose that route, can be costly as well.

In this post, we'll take a look at the pros and cons of painted versus stained kitchen cabinets to help you make an informed decision about which is the right choice for your kitchen.

Painted Kitchen Cabinets: The Pros

There are many benefits to going with painted cabinets. Today, the majority of new, turnkey homes have painted rather than stained cabinets. It's a modern, versatile look, and painting allows you to choose from a wide variety of different colors. Plus, painted cabinets don't show dust as easily, especially in a light color.

Here are some additional benefits.

Painted Cabinets Offer A Clean Aesthetic

Painted kitchen cabinets offer a smooth, sleek modern finish for your kitchen, no matter what color you choose. Think about it, the classic white kitchen, wouldn't be what it is without gleaming white cabinets. Paint is perfect if you aren't a fan of the common imperfections that stained natural wood cabinets provide. If you're looking for a smooth, flawless look, painted cabinets are a great option.

Paint Allows You to Introduce Color

With color, you can make a small kitchen feel bigger, or make a larger space feel more intimate. If you're thinking of setting a mood or bringing color into your space, paint is the key. Paint can cover imperfections like wood grain and knots, allowing you to customize the look of your kitchen.

Paint Can Help You Save Money

If you're on a budget, medium-density fiberboard (MDF) cabinets are a great way to cut costs, and still create a custom look for your kitchen. MDF takes paint well, and it's nearly impossible to tell the difference between solid wood and MDF cabinets when they're painted.

The Disadvantages of Painted Kitchen Cabinets

While painted cabinets offer homeowners a great way to customize the look of your kitchen, there are some drawbacks to consider when weighing painted cabinets versus staining.

You'll Lose The Uniqueness of the Wood

Paint is thicker than stain and designed to cover the surface it's applied to. If you want to see the wood grain, paint is the wrong choice. If you're looking for a clean modern look, some may see this as a positive, however, if you love the natural beauty of wood, stick with stain.

Painting Can Be Complex – And More Expensive!

Painting your cabinets requires a coat of primer, two coats of color, and two coats of lacquer as a protective finish. And if you're looking for a high-gloss finish, it will also require buffing. If you're comparing on price, you can expect to pay 10 to 15% more for custom painted wood cabinets. That can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars more than stained cabinets depending on the size of your kitchen.

Painted Cabinets Can Deteriorate Faster, and Are More Difficult to Touch Up

Swings in humidity can affect wood cabinets. Less expensive painted wood cabinets can become worn looking in just a few years depending on the quality of the painting process. Quality custom painted cabinets can be expensive and many come with colors that are unique to the manufacturer, making it difficult to exactly match the color if they need touch-ups.

Stained Kitchen Cabinets: The Pros

There is a level of luxury that comes with natural materials like real wood and stone in the kitchen. Natural material offers a uniqueness that you'll never find in manufactured materials. Natural wood cabinets are warm and distinct and wood cabinets can bring a strong warm vibe to your kitchen.

Here are some more benefits natural wood kitchen cabinets can bring to your kitchen.

Stain Enhances Wood's Natural Beauty

Stain strikes an excellent balance between color and texture. This is a big plus for many homeowners. Unlike paint, stain doesn't cover your wood's features, it enhances its natural character. It's thinner than paint and seeps into the surface bringing out the beauty of the grain. If you're going with top-notch quality wood, a stain can make it even more beautiful!

Stained Cabinets Are Easier To Maintain and Touch Up

Stained cabinets can be easily touched up. Touch-up markers are easy to find and available in any big box store. Even if there isn't an exact color match, there's likely a color that closely resembles your stain. Touch-ups also blend better on stained cabinets especially if they feature a lot of grain.

Stained Cabinets Are Classic

Stained cabinets will maintain their looks for a long time with a minimum of maintenance. They bring a cozy feel to the kitchen and wood patterns are timeless, unlike painted cabinets which can go out of fashion as new colors and aesthetics come into vogue.

Stained Cabinets Generally Cost Less

While ultimately cost hinges on several factors including kitchen size, manufacturer, and cabinet construction, stained cabinets tend to cost less than painted options. This is a significant benefit if you're budget is tight, or if you're flipping or remodeling a rental unit. However, customized options will be more expensive.

The Cons of Stained Cabinets

While there are plenty of benefits to staining your cabinets, here are a few downsides to consider.

Stain Shows All of Wood Flaws

Some homeowners prefer the clean crispness of painted cabinets. If you're one of them, stained cabinets are probably not for you. Staining brings out the flaws (some say character) of the wood like uneven graining and color inconsistency.

Stain Doesn't Really Work with MDF

While MDF cabinets are very affordable, and great if you're on a budget, they don't take stain well. Paint looks consistent on MDF cabinets; however, not all stains do. If you're set on stained cabinets, you'll have to look toward solid wood.

Dark Stains Don't Hide Dust

To be fair, this is a negative for both dark stains and dark paint. While lighter cabinets can chip and stain more easily, they do a better job of hiding dust. Darker stains and paints not so much.

So Which Do You Choose?

Ultimately, some homeowners might not need to choose between painted versus stained kitchen cabinets. Today, many designers love to mix finishes to give you variety and the benefits of both!

In the end, it's really all about personal preference and whether you're planning on building or remodeling the kitchen in your own home, or a rental or vacation property. Think about how you'll use the home. Are you planning on living in it for decades, or considering selling in a few years when the kids go off to college?

If you're still not sure which to choose, ask your interior designer or design-build contractor. They can help you to make the perfect choice to meet your functional and aesthetic needs!

If you live in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area and are planning a remodeling project, contact the award-winning design team at Degnan Design-Build-Remodel at (608) 846-5963 or click here to schedule a consultation. With our expertise and your creative vision, we can work together to help you design the space you've been dreaming about!

This article was updated by Abe Degnan on 8/28/2022.