Quote Originally Posted by tulip View Post
Trek and Irulan also have lots of good experience and advice.
-mold can be stopped, but it's very hard to clean and more importantly WHERE is it coming form and WHY is it there... that needs to be fixed. In some cases mold is considered toxic and an environmental hazard.

I haven't done kitchens.. but you said one thing that got my attention:

- It makes no sense to replace the counters unless I am sure I will keep the existing cabinet frames for a long time.
What is "a long time"? A counter is a relatively easy project, typically it just bolts on and off. You can get very good looking replacements with formica style covering, stock or custom at Lowe's etc.

I will underscore what others have said about older solid hardwood cabinet frames. They just don't make them like that any more, unless you hire a cabinet maker and specific hardwood. I'd go with new doors and drawer fronts, and resurfacing to match. When we do ours, that is what we'll do.