Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - What to do with my birch cabinets

I have a mobile home that is paneled in a kind of walnut (the closest color stain I can think of is Provincial). My entire kitchen has been remolded due to water damage. I now have almond appliances and speckled counter tops (mostly almond with tan, grey, brown and green speckles). The floor was redone in a beige and tan square pattern and I painted the walls antique white (this took me forever to pick out but it looks really nice so far). I have birch cabinets that are not finished. I have been trying since September to decide on what to do with the cabinets. It was suggested that I keep them natural. How do I do that? and what would this look like? I was told to apply two coats of sanding sealer. This does not sound right to me. I thought sanding sealer was a final or second step? I considered painting them too but cannot decide on a color because of the dark paneled walls in the rest of the house. Can you please give me some ideas/advice on what to do with these cabinets. Any
suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thank you,
> Lisa Remson

Lisa:

Sealing the cabinets is a first step in a natural finish. It does not involve a separate product, however, as most finishes function as their own sealer.

To find out how they would look this way, just wipe down a cabinet door with a rag dampened with paint thinner. The color you see while the wood is damp is close to the color you'll get by applying a clear finish without staining. If you like the looks, then applying a clear finish (such as polyurethane) would be the next step.

Let me know if you like the looks from the test I suggested above and we'll go from there.