Kitchen Cabinets
Guide to kitchen storage
Kitchen cabinets are one of your kitchen's most visible elements, so it's natural that they get a lot of attention anytime you're performing a renovation. If you've decided it's time to change things up in your kitchen, it's imperative that you know your options when it comes to giving your cabinets a facelift.
Transform Your Kitchen Cabinets
If you're on a tight budget, you should know that replacing your old cabinets isn't the only course of action available to you. Refacing kitchen cabinets instead of outright replacing them can save you a lot of money, if they're still structurally sound and fully functional.
Best of all, this is a job you can perform yourself, even if you have little to no experience or expertise. You'll need to take measurements so you get unfinished kitchen cabinets of the correct size. Then, once you've purchased your new veneers, remove all the cabinet doors along with the knobs and drawers, and replace your end panels first. Then, you'll screw your new veneers into place before painting the kitchen cabinets in the color of your choice. Then, add the new hardware, mount the new doors and drawers, and you're done!
Buying New Kitchen Cabinets
If you'd rather replace than reface your kitchen cabinets, do your homework. Get to know the various brands and check consumer reviews to see how they hold up over time. When planning your budget, remember that wood – no matter the type – is always more expensive than laminate veneers. In the world of discount kitchen cabinets, it's buyer beware; inexpensive products tend to be of inferior quality, so you should look for lower prices on trusted brands.
Getting custom kitchen cabinets is an option worth considering. Given that the average kitchen renovation project costs around $40,000, purchasing custom kitchen cabinets may not add as much to your bottom line as you might initially think.
One thing you can do to achieve better cost control is take advantage of face-framed kitchen cabinet construction techniques. This approach combines large horizontal and vertically oriented pieces of wood, which are reinforced with particleboard or boxes made of plywood. If you choose plywood, make sure it's a solid, sturdy cut – your cabinets will last a lot longer that way.
Finally, make sure your design has unity. Matching your new cabinets with your renovated countertops and kitchen flooring is essential if you want to create consistency. Don't think of each element as separate from the others; instead, consider the overall appeal of your vision and select elements that will augment it.
