10 tips to update your kitchen

Saturday, September 16, 2006

1.One thing at a time!
When taking on a home improvement project, it's best not to overwhelm one's self. It's important to pick your battles one at a time. Doing a complete kitchen remodel can be costly and time consuming. This article will focus on an easy cabinet renovation for just about any level of do-it-yourselfer. You can save the floor, counter top, and appliance replacements for further down the road. We are choosing to renovate the existing cabinet boxes for two reasons, a) simply the cost, and b) the existing boxes have more longevity than anything on the market today that would replace them.

2.Paint the cabinet boxes.
Older homes generally have dark heavy stain on them. To remove or refinish the stain would be rather time consuming with limited results. The easiest and most dramatic course is to paint the cabinet boxes. This can be a plain white for easy upkeep and repair, or something more colorful for a more contemporary look.

3.Replace with new doors.
One of the biggest obstacles with a cabinet renovation is how to salvage damaged doors. They rarely line up well and often times are chipped, cracked or just plain abused. The most effective way to solve this is to replace them with a stunning raised panel door in any of a variety of hardwoods or simply use a paint grade door that you can match or accent the color you painted your cabinet boxes.

4.Adjustable new hinges.
Once you've elected to replace your doors, now it's time to decide what kind of hinge you will want to use. A typical face mount hinge leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to installing and aligning your doors. They leave zero room for adjustment just shy of bending and tweaking them to fit your needs. A wonderful alternative is a euro style hidden hinge. Many of these offer various degrees of adjustment with some offering up to 6 ways of adjustment to make sure every door fits just right!

5.And new drawer fronts.
Along with replacing your doors, you will also be replacing your drawer fronts to match your new doors. This can lead to a whole new set of problems. Will you be able to simply remove your existing drawer fronts? Even if you can, do the drawers still work properly? Or do they stick and grind on old hardware that is worn out? Not to worry, there are solutions for that as well.

6.New boxes and slides.
A lot of times you will find yourself fighting with a drawer on a regular basis. This can be frustrating and at times when company is around, it can also be embarrassing. When renovating your cabinets, also take the extra step to replace your old worn out drawer boxes and slide hard ware. You'll be glad you did!

7.Painting the interiors.
One area that tends to get over looked is the interiors of your cabinets. When renovating your cabinets, be sure to address this area too. Painting the interior of your cabinets can make the insides look like new. This really complements all the time money and effort you put into the exteriors. Again white is the easiest to work with but an accent color can be exciting too!

8.Removing the shelf paper.
Is the shelving paper old, dated, and tore-up? Then it's probably time to go! The easiest method for removal is to use a simple household hair drier. This is just the right temperature to loosen the glue. You can also use the assistance of a putty knife for those more difficult areas.

9.Maybe shelf replacement?
Maybe the shelves themselves are sagging or warped. Now is a good time to replace them. ¾ inch melamine is a good choice for a strong durable solution. And future cleaning will be a breeze!

10.Sink cabinet bottom replacement.
One last problem area you will may like to address is right beneath the sink. The one place that you store a good number of cleaning agents that can do damage when left sitting for long periods of time. Or possibly you had a leaky sink at some point. This spot too can be remedied with a 1/4 inch overlay.

For more tips and tricks for cabinet renovation, check out the How To Instructions at www.NewTaylorDoor.com. The site is updated quite regularly with new tips and ideas.

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