Are Painted or Stained Kitchen Cabinets Better in Kitchens?

Thanks to countless home improvement/interior designer shows, Pinterest, and social media in general, everyone seems to have a strong opinion about kitchen cabinet colors and whether to paint or stain them. Like almost everything in life, the choice remains highly personal and depends on your unique aesthetic vision and lifestyle.

 To help you better understand your options when designing your kitchen, we’ve compiled some helpful information on painted vs. stained kitchen cabinets, weighing the pros and cons of both concerning cost, maintenance, aesthetics, and durability.

The Pros & Cons of Painted Cabinets

Painted kitchen cabinets have been popular for decades, largely thanks to the rise in popularity of the farmhouse/cottage aesthetic trend. Historically, painted cabinets were once a sign of prestige, as only the wealthy could afford paint.

Alongside painted cabinets today, we see an abundance of open shelving and farmhouse sinks, which are still quite popular. Here’s a look at the pros and cons of painted cabinets.

The Pros of Painted Kitchen Cabinets

• Affordability: Whether you paint the cabinets yourself or hire a painter, you can change the look of your kitchen at a fraction of the cost of replacing the cabinets. While color trends come and go, painting cabinets has long been the go-to DIY solution for updating tired wood cabinets and wood paneling.
• Immediate gratification: If you’re looking for a simple yet dramatic way to change the look of your kitchen (or any room), paint is the obvious choice. Paint provides an instant makeover for wood cabinetry or to cover a color you dislike.
• Cleaner aesthetics: Painted kitchen cabinets create a more streamlined, cleaner look than stained wood.
• Creativity: Color is a wonderful way to express your uniqueness. Whether your kitchen is bright green or deep blue, or both, the colors you choose have the power to enliven every day with drama or delight, depending on your vision.

The Cons of Painted Kitchen Cabinets

• Cost: When designing your new kitchen with us, ordering a painted cabinet finish costs a bit more than stained cabinets due to the intricate painting process (which includes priming, sanding, and applying several coats).
• Obvious wear and tear/less durability: Painted cabinets are prone to scratches and nicks, which can reveal the unfinished cabinet underneath. We include cabinet paint markers with every painted kitchen so homeowners can easily paint over any scratches or defects with the exact shade of their cabinet paint. However, scratches and dents can add up over time, resulting in worn-looking cabinetry.
• More maintenance: Painted cabinets also require more upkeep to look clean. Greasy fingerprints, foods, and oils can show prominently on painted cabinets, which means frequent wipe-downs with a moist cloth and mild soap are a must.

Pros & Cons of Stained Kitchen Cabinets

Stained kitchen cabinets have always had a place in interior design. While wall-to-wall stained cabinetry has remained popular to varying degrees for the last 50 years, the modern choice for today’s kitchens is actually a mix of stained and painted wood.

In other words, why choose one when you can enjoy both? As far as the color of stain you choose, the popular kitchen cabinet stains of the Millenium (think cherry, dark walnut) have given way to lighter wood stains. But these are just trends. When choosing your perfect kitchen cabinets, always go with what you love!

Pros of Stained Kitchen Cabinets

• Warmth: You can’t beat the old-world charm and coziness of a stained wood cabinet, especially if you pick a finish that enhances the grain and character of the wood.
• Easier upkeep: Stained kitchen cabinets hide dirt, grease, oils, and food marks beautifully. The wood grain can also distract the eye from nicks and dents.
• Affordability: When designing your kitchen, the cost of stained wood is slightly less than painted cabinets.
• Durability: If you properly care for your stained cabinets by wiping them down with wood soap and oil occasionally, they should gracefully withstand even the harshest wear and tear.

Cons of Stained Kitchen Cabinets

• Wood imperfections: Stain actually highlights — rather than covering up — the natural imperfections of wood. While some call this character, others may dislike seeing wood defects on full display.
• Limited stain options: Unlike paint, which affords you countless color choices, stains are limited in variety.
• Stain isn’t suitable for MDF: Medium-density fiberwood is one of the most popular, durable, and economical materials for painted kitchen cabinets, but it’s not suitable for stains. It’s also worth noting that the cost of wood has skyrocketed in recent years, raising the cost of wood cabinets.
• Dark stains don’t hide dust well: While dark stains are rich and add drama and elegance to a kitchen, they also display dust.

Schedule a Design Consultation With Signature Kitchens Additions & Baths

With over a decade of experience and unparalleled attention to detail, Signature Kitchens Additions & Baths is the preferred choice for top-tier kitchen renovations in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC.

When you work with us, every step of your remodel remains in-house, from design to build. This affords our team — and you! — complete control and ease.

Contact our team to start the design process today.