Ditch The Paint And Stain: There's A Better Way To Update Honey Oak Cabinets

Honey oak cabinets may have a warm, natural-looking finish, but they're not exactly popular in today's kitchens. Their yellow-orange tone and visible grain are mostly reminiscent of the 1990s and early 2000s, and as a result, updating them is often a necessity when buying and selling a home. Plenty of people will use paint and stain to do a bit of modernizing, but these types of products aren't necessarily the most effective nor the most permanent of solutions. Heavier, busier graining patterns will still be visible, and the finishes may require maintenance over time. The solution instead is to update what surrounds the cabinets to create more visual balance — beginning with the backsplash. A solid white or deep charcoal tile backsplash, in particular, might be an excellent choice for making honey oak less overwhelming. 

White and deep charcoal are neutral hues that are both modern and timeless, which helps them tone down the warmth of honey oak. They can have an aesthetic impact of their own without creating an overly dramatic contrast with your cabinetry. Plus, they're the sort of colors that draw the eye and create new focal points. When you use them for your backsplash, you might find that they bring a high level of design flexibility to future renovations as well. If you decide further down the road that you're going to redo your countertops, for example, a deep charcoal or white backsplash shouldn't be too hard to pair with your new surfaces. Beyond being a way to update old cabinets, these backsplashes are ultimately an eye-catching upgrade that can make your kitchen look more expensive.

White and deep charcoal tile backsplashes come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and finishes, so there are still plenty of decisions to be made even after deciding that you want to use these colors to modernize your honey oak cabinets. To start with, you'll need to determine what size tiles you'd like to work with. Traditional subway tiles are often an option that's worth considering; they have an enduring geometric appeal that looks clean and simple. This makes them a natural companion to traditional cabinet styles. Elongated pottery-style tiles can also be worth looking into if you'd like to see a few less seams and want to worry less about grout cleaning. Full quartz backdrops will appeal to many homeowners for the same reason, though they'll be much more likely to come with a higher price tag than traditional tiles.

White and deep charcoal backsplashes can come in either a matte or a glossy finish, and the visual differences between the two can be substantial. Glossy tiles have a shiny quality that can quickly draw the eye away from your honey oak cabinets, but matte tiles are a bit more subtle and therefore a bit more natural-looking. If your tiles will have accent colors in them, make sure they're on the warmer side — that way they pair nicely with the warmth from your cabinets. The basics of using color theory in your home can be a helpful guide here. There are also other ways to transform outdated kitchen cabinets that work well in conjunction with installing a new backsplash.