Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - Kitchen Help (Cabinet Wood Species)

We bought a house that has a very small kitchen and I am stumped with the cabinets. The owners said they are white cherry but I cannot find that type anywhere online while researching and they look too knotty. We plan on new flooring and new countertops but others have said the cabinets are gorgeous. I don't see what they see, they have no design and are way too knotty. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Pictures are here http://www.ardesigns.com/house.htm. Everything in the kitchen is not ours, the picture was taken before we moved in.


Thanks,
Angela

Your cabinet exteriors are knotty pine. Unable to tell from the photos about the quality of construction. They appear to be in good condition. Have you considered new cabinet hardware?

I think knotty pine cabinets are an acquired taste that I haven't acquired. They certainly aren't white cherry (whatever that is -I don't think that wood exists).

Angela: welcome to the forums. Like the other guys, you definitely have knotty pine, and a change in the hardware would do wonders with it. I really think it compliments your doors and casings. Please don't paint them. I think your kitchen is exceptional.
Alot of the cabin construction going on here is with pine T&G interiors with pine cabinets, pine doors, pine trim. Gets old after a while. But yours stands out.
Congratulations on your purchase.

Larry:

Thank you for the information. Actually my plans are to replace all of the baseboards and trim with white trim and add crown molding. I think this would brighten everything up, which is one of my main goals. The listing agent and owner of the house said the cabinets were white cherry. I wish I had known this before but I have no knowledge of wood types. The overall look I want when it's all done is not a country look, something more traditional. Would you suggest to replace or stain the cabinets?

Thanks,
Angela

Angela: You probably won't have good success in staining the wood, without going darker, and that is not what you want. The other option is to paint the cabinets, yuk, but it would brighten it up. Alot, I mean, alot of painting, inside and out, base, upper, island. Another thing to watch out for is the knots. They will bleed unless you seal them first with a sealing primer.
Remember, too, once painted, they will never be natural wood again.
Price replacing them, but after you come out of the coma, you can better make a decision.
Good luck with it, and post back if we can help further.

Since the "style" of the doors is also, largely, the style of the cabinets, and the styles and rails on the cabinet boxes appear relatively free of knots, doors, matching end panels as well as a decorative/intricate mouldings a casings will change the overall look.

Angela - I am not a fan of knotty pine cabinets. Way too rustic for me. I think you have 3 options if you want to change the look of your kitchen.

You can replace the cabinets. An expensive option, but you end up with exactly what you want. Pay a visit to a Lowes or Home depot and talk to one of their kitchen designers for an idea of what it would cost.
Painting is also an option. It would not be my first choice. painting knotty pine can be problematic. The knots will want to bleed through the finish.
A third option is pickling. Unlike most stains, you can go lighter than the existing finish.

http://alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/pickling.html

Lighter colored appliances, counter tops, and floor covering would lighten the room appearance.