Hi, Erin!
Personally, I would get rid of the 90's look. If you watch House Hunters or any of those types of programs, you'll hear people say all the time how they dislike the oak builder grade cabinets. I recently saw a couple on House Hunters mention how bad the cabinets were in a one of the houses they saw in the high $800,000 range. They went on to say, "they are asking almost a million dollars for this house and it has builder grade cabinets in it". They spoke about ripping them out. The joke was on them because those were not builder grade they were custom and expensive. They just got the bad rap because of the wood grain and color! Just hope the cabinet builder wasn't watching!
If you want to get more rent painting is the way to go. If done well, you might get an extra $150 a month. That can add up over time to a nice profit. If you decide to paint or even stain, remember that the grain will show through and will look awful. We owned a custom cabinet shop for a decade and would get customers asking us to refinish their builder grade oak cabinets all the time. In fact, I am refinishing a builder grade kitchen right now in a flip. We usually install new custom cabinets but decided to go a different route this time. They are being painted white and then hit with a pewter glaze for a unique antique look. The most important part with refinishing oak is that you must fill the grain. You can do that with sanding sealer. They sell it at Lowe's and Home Depot. On the cabinets I am doing, I didn't use that as I wanted the cabinets to be super smooth and have a shine like you see on new factory finished cabinets. Getting that look takes time and without shortcuts. If you don't have the time you could hire a custom cabinet shop to do it. But it is not cheap, there is a lot of labor in it. Get three to four quotes along with references and photos of their work.
If you decide to do it I included how we refinish oak cabinets below.
To start, I use six grit levels of sand paper on everything. Starting with 80 grit to strip the current finish, then to 120, 220 and then to Mirka Abranet sanding mesh 320 grit. Then filled all the grain with wood filler using plastic drywall knives. I have one that is about 6" wide and a 3" for doors. This video explains exactly what I do and it works perfectly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w86fkxTVZMc
Only use the Elmer's wood filler he mentions in the video. Others can contain wood particles and not have the same smooth result. Walmart has large tubs of it pretty cheap. Add drops of water and stir untill it's like the consistency of pudding that hasn't set all the way. You can also add small amounts of water directly to the cabinet if it starts to dry while you are working. I keep a small bowl of water next to me all the time for this reason and just dip my fingers in it and sprinkle onto the cabinet. It won't hurt it, just keep plenty of rags around. No need to use gloves you can get this stuff all over you. Not to worry, it washes right off.
To continue, you will need a lot of sandpaper. Don't try to keep using a used up piece of sandpaper it will damage the wood. Put your money in good sandpaper and sanding mesh it is worth it. I prefer 3M sandpaper 80, 120, 220 and sanding sponges (320,600 grit); learn more about the sponges later.
I also use Mirka Abranet sanding mesh (320, 400, 600 grit) it is by far the best period for this job. Standard sandpaper will not get the job done right. It is great for starting, but not finishing. You can buy the Mirka Abranet on Amazon 50 sheets to a pack, fits all standard hook and loop orbital sanders 5" and 6". You cannot buy it at Lowes, Ace or Home Depot, etc. It is a professional product that they don't carry. They are pricey, I am not sure if they come in smaller packs or if the smaller packs would be less money.
You will also need a lot of tack clothes for removing the dust from the cabinets. I think I am on my 20th pack of two. You can get those at Lowes or Home Depot. Buy the contractor box for a discount. I think they are $1.70 for two.
After you've gotten everything filled, let the wood filler dry over night. Then sand it till smooth using 320 grit sanding mesh. For the sanding of the wood filler, I like to sand it by hand. The wood filler sands off very easily, and the Abranet mesh is soft and makes hand sanding a breeze.
Next, caulking time! Since the cabinets are stained, you don't see the gaps on the door panels. Once painted they will show up and haunt you. Use an acrylic latex painters caulk like Dap ALEX found just about anywhere even Walmart. Have a wet rag next to you to wipe off all the excess caulk. After caulking give it a few hours or even overnight to dry.
When you are happy with the smoothness of the cabinets and, don't see any bad spots continue to the next step. If you find something you missed, just add more wood filler and sand. You can never spend too much time on this step. It is the most important.
The next step is to spray them with Zinnser 123 Bullseye water-based primer. It is the only primer we ever use in our shop, and we have tried everything over the years. Nothing can compare to the quality. It is self leveling, which makes worrying about putting too much in one area a thing of the past. Being water-based it is fast drying and ready for a second coat in an hour. You can buy it at most home improvement stores and probably Walmart. Get the gallon size. Spray and complete the backs of the doors first with primer. That way the front of the doors are never laying face down where they can get damaged. Once the backs are all done, start on the fronts. Same thing when you start to paint.
After they are dry, sand off any goofs with the 320 grit Abranet and then use 400 grit Abranet to smooth it even more. This can all be done by hand or with an "orbital sander", only. Other sanders will leave marks. Orbital sanders are less likely to do so. I use two a Porter Cable 5" and a Mirka 6" orbital sander. You don't need to spend a lot of money on a sander, so long as it is a hook and loop orbital. I think my Porter Cable was around $99 at Home Depot. The Mirka was 15 times that, but I sand a lot. :-) Way too much! haha
The higher the number of the sandpaper or sanding mesh in this case the finer the sand and the smoother it will get. You can sand until you see yourself if you want. But I stop at 600, trust me you will be exhausted. The purpose of the multiple levels is to keep the surface as smooth as possible. Any imperfections will show up after painting.
You will typically apply 2-3 coats of primer for the builder grade oak cabinet, depending on any goofs you may get and the quality of the cabinets.
After that is done, use the 600 grit Abranet to lightly sand before applying the paint. We use three coats of Sherwin Williams Ovation Interior & Exterior high gloss paint in extra white for this set of cabinets. The paint is superior for cabinets and will hold up to the treatment of tenants. In between each coat lightly sand with the 600 grit. You can even wet the mesh or buy a 600 grit sanding sponge to sand down any goofs in the paint. Wetting the sponge or mesh will smooth out the paint and allow you to buff it to a high gloss if you want. That is when the elbow grease kicks in! Tip: You can use a wet 3M 320 grit sponge between primer coats if they need to be smoothed more or to get out any possible brush strokes or dings. I soak it in a bowl of water and squeeze it out before using.
Of course, we spray everything, but you don't have to. You can use a brush on the cabinet boxes and mini foam rollers for the doors and sides. The foam rollers will not leave roller marks and are easy to clean. If you use a brush, buy the only brush that doesn't leave brush strokes. Otherwise, you will make yourself crazy. :-) That is the Purdy Uniform flow 2 1/2" brush
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Purdy-Uniform-Flow-Polyes...
If you want to use a glaze I use Amazing Glaze from ML Campbell finishes. It is a professional product, but Valspar makes a great glaze as well. It is a lot cheaper and can be wiped off and not sprayed.
One final note do not use deglosser. It and the primer do not mix, and you wont need it. The final product never looks factory finished if a deglosser is used. You never get a good look taking short cuts.
This project is not a weekend or even a week-long job. It will take a couple of weeks to finish. That is if you are working every day. However, in the end, it will be worth it. You can even add crown moulding, light rails, new hardware, etc. to dress them up. Search Google for builder grade cabinet ideas, people have come up with a lot of great ways to make these cabinets look custom. I hope this helps, even if for a future project. If you have any questions, feel free to private message me.
Good luck!
