A birthday cake without icing is like an actor without makeup. The essential ingredients are there, but it’s a lousy photo shoot. In the same way, wooden kitchen cabinets have a lot to offer on their own. They are elegant, versatile and down to earth.

However, to reach its full potential, wood kitchen cabinets need a little something extra to finish them off. In addition to enhancing its appearance, a clear finish coat protects natural wood from grease and dirt while preserving the appearance of unfinished wood.

There are a number of options available to maximize the visual impact of your wood kitchen cabinets:

No stain, no gain
Somehow applying stain to kitchen cabinets offers the best of both worlds. Infuses wood with color while allowing the natural beauty of the wood grain to shine through. But it can also be complicated. Many companies use different names for comparable colors, so one person’s “chocolate” may be another’s “brown.”

For best results, focus on the desired shade rather than strictly on the color of the stain. Once you’ve selected your wood, choose a light, medium, or dark shade, whichever best suits the look you’re trying to achieve with your kitchen cabinets.

Keep in mind that once the staining is complete, you’ll still need a finish coat over the top for protection, usually in the form of varnish for shine and durability.

glazing
Glazes are a versatile option for kitchen cabinets, as they can work on their own or be applied over a base paint or stain. Plus, they can be dyed any color to fit in with the overall theme.

As they settle into the edges, corners and open grain of cabinet doors, glazes bring out fine details and create an overall shine for that “frosted” effect you’ve been looking for.

Painting the Town (or at least the kitchen)
Perhaps more than any other finish, paint has the power to transform your kitchen cabinets and, in the process, the entire atmosphere of your kitchen. Generally speaking, cabinet paint colors are classified as warm, with a gold or yellow underlying color, or cool shades based on blues and grays.

To ensure a consistent look for your home, make sure all coordinating tones in both the kitchen and the rest of the house are in the same color category, whether it’s warm or cool. When color matching the cabinet, play cool with dark and warm cabinets to complement lighter woods.

Special effects
Just as special effects in a movie can be the difference between a bore and a blockbuster, they can do the same for your kitchen cabinets.

Looking for that haunted look? Try a crackle finish with cracks in the paint or dents and nicks in the wood for an aged look.

Want to mix things up a bit? You can top off light paint with dark or vice versa and achieve a splatter effect.

For something different that looks much better than it sounds, choose a wormhole finish where tiny holes in the wood simulate the work of boring worms or grubs.

And just because they’re “special” doesn’t mean they have to be elaborate. Simple touches like rounded corners and edges on your kitchen cabinets make them perfect for a vintage theme without the vintage price tag.

These are just some of the options for your kitchen furniture. Whether you incorporate one of them or try them all, you really can’t go wrong.

Because in the race for the perfect kitchen cabinets, it’s not how you start that counts. It’s how you end.