How to Approach Kitchen Cabinet Remodeling

Cabinets are often the most expensive part of a kitchen remodeling project. Their standing as a serious, long-term investment means that their purchase should be handled with care. Here's how you can work through the many choices available as you prepare to renew your kitchen cabinets.

Enhance Existing Cabinets

If you already have quality cabinets that work well, you can save the most money by painting or staining them rather than buying new ones. You can also reface them by putting a fresh veneer on the fronts of your cabinet boxes and changing the drawer fronts and doors. Either method will be faster and cheaper than installing new cabinets, but refacing will call for professional assistance. Still, refacing can be fairly expensive because drawer fronts and doors are the most costly parts of cabinets. This means that you might actually be better off buying new cabinets, which will offer even more creative flexibility.

Brand-New Cabinetry

If you're going with new cabinets, you've got a few options in front of you. Do you want custom cabinets, or would you consider stock cabinets? Your options are unlimited in terms of designs, materials, finishes and accessories if you choose to go with custom cabinets. However, their price reflects those perks.

Semi-custom cabinets are another option to consider. Manufacturers build semi-custom cabinets to the requested size but divide them into a certain number of pieces. When it's time to install them, you may need to use spacers to hide uncovered areas of wall, reducing your storage space. Although you'll save money with semi-custom cabinetry, you'll also have fewer choices in terms of designs, materials, accessories and finishes.

You'll save the most money by choosing stock cabinets over custom and semi-custom options. Manufactured in standard sizes, stock cabinets are available in a wide array of materials, including solid wood. While stock cabinetry choices might seem limited, most kitchen projects can be accomplished using them. An experienced designer will be able to work with a wide variety of sizes and styles.

Whichever option you decid to go with, be sure to check on the quality of practical aspects of cabinets, including drawer systems, hinges, finishes and doors. For the greatest protection against disappointment later, try to find cabinets with a warranty lasting at least five years.

Styles and Construction Options

Next, it's time to decide on door styles and construction options. Framed cabinets, which are common in old-fashioned kitchens, have frames that surround the edges of their doors. Frameless cabinets, also known as European style, give easier access to the cabinet's interior by eliminating the frame around the door. Consumers have three major choices of door styles. Inset doors are set into the cabinet frame, full-overlay doors cover the whole cabinet frame and traditional-overlay doors partially cover the frame.

Cabinet Accessories

Once you've planned the outside of your cabinets, it's time to focus on the purely practical parts of your cabinet project, such as the interior. While cabinet markers of the past would establish uses for cabinets through their methods of installation, modern cabinets are designed for specific uses. Oversized drawers for cookie sheets, special cabinets for garbage cans and drawers that pull out for easier access to pots and pans are just a few of the available options. By opting for built-in drawer organizers, spice racks and other accessories, you can expect to have an easier time using your kitchen.

Hardware Options

To finish your cabinet project, you can choose from a wide array of knobs, handles and pulls. No matter what price range and styles you prefer, you'll be able to find the right hardware on the market.

6 Kitchen Remodeling Projects to Increase Your Home's Value

If you're ready to remodel your kitchen, you have plenty of affordable options for flooring, cabinets and other aspects of the space. Before you get started, be sure that your plans match your budget as well as aesthetic preferences. 

 
Here's a look at how you can remodel your kitchen for results you and your guests will love.



Reface or Replace Your Cabinets
 
Cabinets are the centerpiece of any kitchen, and they also present a great opportunity for getting started with kitchen remodeling. However, new cabinets can cost as much as $50,000.

Fortunately, you don't have to replace your cabinets to change the look of your kitchen. By adding features like soft-close doors, you can dramatically increase the value of your cabinetry. 

Painting is another option for enhancing your current cabinets:

• First clean them with soapy water, then sand them with fine sandpaper. 
• Coat with the appropriate primer and use a sprayer or paintbrush for the paint of your choice. 

For convenience and reliability, pay a contractor to handle your cabinet installation - it may pay for itself with the time and headaches saved!

Install New Flooring

If your kitchen floor needs to be replaced, consider changing it out for laminate, linoleum or hardwood. Each option has advantages and limitations, so take your time and choose carefully. 

While hardwood may be the best overall, it can cost quite a bit for materials and labor. Laminate will be less expensive for visually similar results. In many cases, laminate can be installed easily, without professional help, thanks to interlocking technology. 

Sheet vinyl is another budget-friendly option that is easy to install without assistance from pros.

Install New Countertops

Countertops are often the first detail people notice about a kitchen, so they're a great place to add home value. Counters made of granite and other stone are durable, but also expensive compared to other options. To find a countertop that meets your tastes as well as your budget, look into dark granite, as many varieties are strong and stylish and affordable. 

As soon as you've decided on a countertop, call a contractor. The work involved in installing heavy countertops makes professional labor essential.
 
Put In New Lighting
 
Lights have a profound effect on the room they're installed in, and this is especially true in the kitchen, where options abound for placement that offers practicality along with aesthetic appeal. For example, many homeowners are placing lights underneath their cabinets to ease food preparation and brighten the counter top area. 

Lighting isn't generally a project that homeowners should attempt on their own. The expertise required for working wire through walls and into fixtures is high for the sake of safety and long-lasting results. Call an electrician for new installations as well as lighting modifications, such as dimmers.
 
Expand Your Kitchen
 
Decades ago, most homes contained separate kitchens and living rooms, but many contemporary houses combine the two. This enhances the flow of natural light and creates a warmer social atmosphere. For a project this large, speak with a contractor who is familiar with this type of work.

Add a Tile Backsplash

A tile backsplash is a great project for expressing your own tastes and adding durability to your kitchen. Be sure to get all your materials and tools together before starting. 

• First, prepare your walls using 80-grit sandpaper and wipe it clean using soapy water. 
• Coat the wall with mastic, then apply no more than eight tiles at a time so that the mastic can dry properly. 
• Depending on your design, you might need to buy or rent a tile cutter for fitting the tiles around the edges of fixtures and cabinets. 
• After the backsplash has dried overnight, apply grout, then caulk the lines and clean the tiles with soapy water.

The Art of Kitchen Remodeling

Forget that dull kitchen forever! Learn the art of kitchen remodeling, and spice up the kitchen in a way unique to your home and it's style. By remodeling your kitchen, you can make it the best part of your home, and that's great considering the kitchen is the most viewed room in the house.

• Adding Value with Kitchen Remodeling

Kitchen Remodeling can provide a monetary boost to the value of your home, and can be the difference between selling your house for great money or not.

• Great Kitchen Island Ideas when Remodeling your Kitchen

Creating a custom island in your kitchen is a great way to boost the functionality and comfort of your kitchen. When starting your kitchen remodeling project, remember that an elegant, spacy island can serve as a gathering place for your visitors and family, even when there is no food preperation.

• Top 3 Kitchen Countertops to Consider when Kitchen Remodeling

There are myriads of options on the market for kitchen countertops. This list of top picks gives the pros and cons of the top 3 choices so that you can make an educated choice when you remodel your kitchen.

Kitchen Remodeling Ideas

~This article gives great kitchen remodeling ideas, and designs for those who are planning their kitchen rmodeling project. This article also explains how to research your best options in your kitchen remodeling project and the best choices, considering your current budget.~

Some people dream of sugar plums dancing in their head; some dream of myriads of flowers blowing in the wind, and others dream of completely renovating their kitchens. Does that sound weird? Anyway, all of the real cooks in the world would rather cook the sugar plums, use the flowers for decorations for their table, and have a kitchen that only appears in their wildest fantasies.

Since the beginning of time, the kitchen has been the center of the home. The kitchen provided warmth, food, and fellowship. Even in the tiniest hut, the kitchen is still everyone's favorite room. Because the kitchen is the heart of the home, it should also be the best decorated and perfectly equipped room in the house. Unfortunately, most men build houses and have no idea what should really go into a dream kitchen. Women, of course, have input if they are buying a new home, but few if any women really know what they want in their new kitchen until they start cooking and realize what they are missing.

The Food Network had a few episodes about remodeling kitchens. Some of their superstar chefs were paired with homeowners who really needed a kitchen remodeling. I mean these kitchens were a real mess. All of these homeowners wanting their kitchens remodeled submitted video tapes which were judged. For instance, Paula Deen was paired with a couple who had a kitchen remodeling plan that was just a little bit country just like Paula. The completed kitchen remodeling design had elements of a modern kitchen with modern equipment with added touches to add that country look. The finished kitchen remodeling project was incredibly lovely. The kitchen was not the true center of that home. From a kitchen that was almost useless, this kitchen was now both useful and gorgeous.

If you are like most people and you don't have a Food Network Superstar designing your kitchen, you should first do your homework. You might start with watching some of the Food Network shows. I am, among other things, a Food Network junkie. I love, love, love to watch cooking shows. Anyway, look at the kitchens used in the shows. Paula Deen's cooking show is now filmed in her own kitchen in her new house. She created a kitchen that, not only fulfilled her needs as a Food Network cook, but her needs as a home cook as well. She has a built in deep fryer, an inside grill, and many other goodies we ordinary kitchen owners can only dream about.

There are many magazines dedicated to house design and kitchen remodeling. The Home and Garden show also helps people with their kitchen remodeling ideas. Of course, unless you are incredibly wealthy, you have to figure in your kitchen remodeling cost budget. You have to create a wish list for your kitchen remodeling dreams. You might have to do your kitchen remodeling piece by piece. Draw your dream kitchen, your kitchen remodeling floor plan, and write your kitchen remodeling plan. Then you can decide what changes you can make and what kitchen remodeling ideas you can begin with.

If you like a retro look, you might want to check out antique shops for your kitchen remodeling ideas. There are many stores that completely refinish old kitchen equipment so that you have some actual antique stoves, fridges, and other kitchen appliances. Of course, for people who like a more modern look, most any store will have what you want for your kitchen remodeling ideas.

If you have a small house, you can still remodel your kitchen. Focus on planning your kitchen remodeling ideas to fit your small kitchen needs. You might even want to buy smaller appliances to give you more room for kitchen cabinet remodeling. Most builders do not configure kitchen cabinets the same way a good cook would. For instance, why do they build kitchen cabinets so high? Most women never use the top cabinets for anything but items they never use. These top cabinets are wasted unless the cook is seven feet tall. When you do your kitchen remodeling, plan your cabinets to make them useful.

Unless you never cook, you probably walk into your kitchen every day and see what you would like to change. Change is possible if you create a kitchen remodeling plan, create a kitchen remodeling cost structure, and dream big. Make your kitchen inviting and a reflection of your personality.

~Now it's up to you to get going on your kitchen remodeling ideas!~

Creating a Custom Kitchen Island when Remodeling the Kitchen

Creating a custom island in your kitchen is a great way to boost the functionality and comfort of your kitchen. When starting your kitchen remodeling project, remember that an elegant, spacy island can serve as a gathering place for your visitors and family, even when there is no food preperation.

Since the kitchen is a high traffic area on a regular basis, creating a fucntional layout is key when planning your kitchen remodeling ideas. The kitchen island can serve as an additional eating area, an extra countertop, and food preparation is easier. If you already own a large kitchen, the island can shorten the distances between major work areas and appliances, such as the refrigerator, the sink, and the stove.

Here are kitchen island ideas to consider when planning your kitchen:

1. Kitchen islands work best in larger L, U or G-shape kitchens. If the kitchen is too small, the kitchen island simply becomes an obstruction and hinders easy movement. The best custom kitchen islands for small to midsize kitchens are a portable butcher block or kitchen cart for food preperation or extra storage.

2. Include a ventilation hood over the island to eliminate smoke, steam and cooking odors if your kitchen island is going to have a cooktop. The range hood should extend beyond the cooking area by 3 inches or more on the sides for proper ventilation. Using the correct fan size will ensure that removal occurs efficiently as intended. Have a fan capacity of about 50 cubic feet per minute (cfm) for each square foot of cooktop area.

3. A kitchen sink can be included on the kitchen island. Use a sink that is deep enough for washing large pots and pans, and consider equipping the kitchen island with a trash compactor, garbage disposal, recycle bin and even a dishwasher. Cleanup is swift and much easier when these appliances are close by the sink.

There are many more options when remodeling your kitchen but you must be creative and plan! Kitchen Islands can create a luxurious environment in your home and welcomes all visitors willingly!

Add Value to Your Home with Kitchen Remodeling

~Kitchen Remodeling can provide a monetary boost to the value of your home, and can be the difference between selling your house for great money or not.~

--------------

Every year, various Realtor groups poll home improvement stores and other Realtors to come up with a list of home improvements that actually add value to your house. Year after year, the top results are the same. Kitchen remodeling is the home improvement job that adds the most value to your house. In fact, you’ll recover 80-90% of your kitchen remodeling costs in the added value to your house – more if you’re handy enough to do the work yourself.

At least as important as the added monetary value of kitchen remodeling is the more subtle benefit – a newly remodeled kitchen is more likely to sell your house than virtually any other home improvement you can make. The kitchen is the heart of the home for most people, and a welcoming, warm and modern kitchen is an overwhelming factor in the decision to buy one house over another.

But kitchen remodeling is an awfully broad term, and some kitchen remodels are more valuable than others in a buyer’s eyes. Which kitchen remodeling jobs should you tackle if your primary intent is to make your home more appealing to prospective buyers? The Realtors have the answer for that question as well.

In general, the recommendations are for cosmetic changes rather than major changes to structure. The top five kitchen remodeling jobs recommended by Realtors are painting, cabinet re-facing, new countertops, new floors and a modern cook-top range.

Painting is the easiest and most affordable kitchen remodeling job on the list – and it’s also the one most likely to be an effective selling tool for your house. Fresh, clean walls in a neutral color are best. Warm neutrals make everyone look and feel their best, and go with just about any décor. Don’t choose an offbeat or unusual color no matter how much you like it. The more distinctive the color, the more likely that prospective buyers will be wondering how hard it will be to paint over.

Re-facing your old cabinets to give them a fresh new look is the second most popular and effective kitchen remodeling project. If there’s plenty of cabinet space in your kitchen and the cabinets are structurally sound, putting a new face on them is a far more affordable option than replacing your kitchen cabinets.

New countertops can spruce up your kitchen and make it more appealing. Opt for ‘natural’ feeling materials like faux stone or one of the new wood composites. Tiled countertops are another option, but many women are going to be looking at all those little grooves and imagining all the time they’ll have to spend cleaning between the tiles.
A new floor can change the entire feel of your old kitchen. There are thousands of options available, but two of your best options are natural wood or a solid color linoleum.

A new cook-top range is one of the few appliance purchases that will actually make a difference in selling your house. It’s an instant update kitchen remodeling job that will make your entire kitchen appear more modern.

More extensive kitchen remodeling jobs like adding windows or a cooking island are iffy propositions if your main intent is to add value to your house. Stick with kitchen remodeling jobs that are most likely to appeal to the broadest range of buyers.

In summary, kitchen remodeling plays an important role in the overall value of a house and the chances of it being sold for a great price.

Kitchen Remodeling Links

Kitchen Remodeling

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