When you think about home remodeling and redecorating, thoughts often turn to the kitchen. However, that’s where the thoughts usually stop because kitchen remodeling can turn into a huge money pit. Not every can afford to rip everything out and start over. Relax. You can make a big difference in the kitchen without gutting your budget in the process. All you have to do is update your cabinets.
Your kitchen cabinets are easily the largest visible part of your kitchen. They represent lots of square feet that are highly visible. The good news is that completely replacing them is not required. There are several options for updating your cabinets without tearing them out. You can apply a new coat of paint or stain. You can replace the cabinet hardware. Or you can replace the cabinet doors. Which option might be right for you?
Sometimes a coat of paint is all your cabinets need. If you have dark cabinets, you might want to try painting them a lighter color. Lighter cabinets could really brighten up and modernize your kitchen. On the other hand, your cabinets currently have a light-colored stain, consider staining them a few shades darker for a new look.
Replacing the cabinet hardware is a great option to choose, either by itself or in conjunction with repainting. You could switch from brass to silver. You could go from traditional to contemporary. Make the move from knobs to handles. Whatever hardware you have on your cabinets now, you can bet that there are new styles you might like better. Switching out the hardware is easy, quick and doesn’t make a mess.
Finally, you might want to completely change all your cabinet doors and draw faces. You may have grown tired of a traditional design. Or you might want to go from solid doors to glass doors. Once you’ve added new doors and fronts to everything, you might as well have completely new cabinets. But the best thing is that all of these options can be done at a fraction of the cost involved in a total remodel.
Tags: cabinet doors, cabinet hardware, glass doors, kitchen cabinets, kitchen remodeling, knobs, new cabinets, new coat of paint, solid doors, updating your kitchen
Everytime I look at my kitchen cabinets I cringe because they are this ugly brown color with this ugly painted brown knobs and I hate it! Every other month or so for the past three years I’ve decided I was going to paint them and get new knobs. I’ve never done it and I’m still cringing…
That was last week. This past weekend I FINALLY did the cabinets and let me tell you for under $50 I completely changed the whole look of my kitchen! I love them now, they are bright and inviting, not old, dull, and boring.
@ Becca – I actually stripped my wood cabinets and refinished them with a stain I picked out. Wow, what a difference this made plus the addition of new hardware. New kitchen cabinets would of cost me $$$, but I did my project for under $300 and a little hard work.
We changed the the cabinet and drawer faces last year. Then several months ago we replaced our old refrigerator and dishwasher with stainless steel models and decided to get a matching counter top for our kitchen island. It looks like a totally new kitchen now.
I think this is something people need to realize when remodeling. Save yourself some money and just replace the cabinet doors – don’t rip out the entire cabinet!