When it comes updating your kitchen, refinishing your cabinets is one of the easiest places to start. If you plan on doing this yourself, below are some tips for making the process go as smoothly as possible.Staining vs. paintingThe first thing to think about is the look you want to achieve in your kitchen. The style you decide on determines your stain or paint color as well as your door and drawer pulls. Staining your cabinets generally produces a warm and traditional feel, whereas paint, depending on the color, can turn a dull kitchen into an exciting, modern space. Varying amounts of work also go into using stain or paint. Generally, stain requires a clean, unvarnished surface for the wood to absorb the stain. Strip any existing varnish or paint and sand your cabinets well before applying new stain. Choosing to paint your cabinets requires only lightly sanding the wood. This creates a better surface to which the paint can adhere.Door and drawer pullsChanging out your worn pulls is another simple and inexpensive way to spruce up the look of your kitchen. Most knobs and handles come in standard sizes these days. Still, if your pulls are old, or you just want to make sure, take one of the pulls to the hardware store to measure it against the pulls you have chosen as replacements. If you find your new pulls are a different size, or you are switching from knobs to handles, you have a small amount of work to do. Fill the old holes with wood filler and drill new holes to accommodate your new knobs or handles.If you are keeping your old pulls, put them in a zip-top storage bag to keep them all in one place. Get the job doneAfter choosing your stain and hardware, you are ready to put it all together. Have a staging area set up in your garage or in the backyard for the stripping, staining, painting and drilling. In your kitchen, sand and paint or stain all of the cabinet frames. Once you are done, allow the stain or paint to dry, and then screw the doors back into place. Take plenty of before and after pictures. The change can certainly strike you as amazing.Choosing stains or paints and new hardware is actually the most difficult part of refinishing your cabinets; the work itself is a breeze. If you find after a few months that you made the wrong choice, you can always try again, as you already have all of the expertise you need.