Kitchen cabinets are an extremely useful part of your home, you probably use them every day that you are home if not multiple times per day. Kitchen storage cabinets also last a long time if they are made well, but as time goes by, fashions change, and wear and tear can take a toll on the appearance of kitchen cabinets.
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Without a major accident, kitchen cabinets should last many decades. Maybe a hinge will break or a door could become sticky, but the structure of the cabinets will normally be useful for a long, long time. Fashions also change and paint can start to become dull or stained.
In any of these situations you may be feeling like you need to get some new kitchen cabinets, but in reality, there are some simple fixes you can do that will mean you can keep using the same cabinets you have and feel happier with them. Cabinets, especially custom kitchen cabinets, can be very expensive, averaging about $5000 or even more.
If you are thinking that you need new cabinets, but you don’t want to spend a fortune on all new ones, we have put together a list of five helpful ways to spruce up your old cabinets so that you can feel proud of them again or maybe for the first time.
New Paint
Often, simply putting on a fresh coat of paint will liven the kitchen up so much that you won’t even imagine that you wanted new cabinets. Especially if you have some dark shaded natural wood cabinets, putting a light color on them can really transform a kitchen.
It may not even be that you have a problem with the color, maybe the paint is simply worn out, covered with handprints and who knows what else and simply needs to be repainted. Painting your kitchen cabinets is one of the easiest and cheapest ways you can make your drab cabinets into something beautiful.
If the old paint is glossy, you will have to sand everything for the new paint to stick. It may be a good idea to sand everything no matter what because of all the substances like oil and grease that could be stuck on. You can talk to someone at a paint store about if you need to prime or not, based on what type of paint you choose.
You may want to take the doors off of the cabinets, as painting around hinges and navigating doors opening and shutting could be difficult. You could also remove the old hardware to make painting even easier.
Painting can be a slow and boring process, but the results will really make you happy and it is one of the easiest ways to freshen up your kitchen.
New Hardware
The hardware, like knobs, hinges, and pulls, really evolves a lot over time, and the simple act of changing your old hardware for new can make a huge difference to the whole atmosphere of your kitchen. Modern kitchen cabinets often feature beautiful metals like copper and brass for hardware, and adding these elements can transform your kitchen.
When you find a hardware style that you like and that fits your kitchen’s motif, you just need to make sure that they fit the holes of your old hardware, or be prepared to make new holes, which can be a difficult task, but something that most homeowners can tackle. Kitchen cabinet suppliers have been using the same sizes of hardware for years, so it is likely that you can find the right size available now.
You might even want to check to see if your current hardware is just painted the same color as the cabinets. In that case, you can scratch off some of the paint to see which material they are made of. You could be pleasantly surprised to find some beautiful shiny brass, that a previous owner felt was out of style, but now is in style! Then all you have to do is scrape off all the old paint and you can revamp your cabinets.
New Doors
For the most part, the cabinet boxes of kitchen cabinets will be the same and the only part you or anyone else sees are the doors. If you are happy with the amount and configuration of the storage space you have, you can bring a whole new look to your kitchen by replacing the cabinet doors, and you can save a lot of money and work.
For really great savings, you could check for old cabinet doors at used building supply stores. You might just get lucky and find a set that matches your cabinet boxes and are the style you want.
If that does not work for you, makers of custom kitchen cabinets would be happy to make new doors in exactly the style you want. They would even install them, which can be a bit tricky because installing hinges is a delicate task. If you ask a cabinet maker, they would have a lot of helpful tips and could give you an estimate of the price for all new cabinet doors.
Remove Doors, Make Shelves!
Open shelving in kitchen cabinets is really popular these days, with the items displayed giving the kitchen a warm and homey feeling. Lots of modern kitchens are foregoing upper cabinets altogether and just using open shelving up above.
If the cabinet boxes are too boxy to be beautiful shelves, you could even remove the cabinets entirely and install some shelves, which is a simple DIY project. You will be amazed by how much more open and bright your kitchen can feel without those big hunking cabinets sitting up in your line of sight.
Change Center Panels
If you have shaker or inset cabinets, you can pretty easily just change out the center panel to freshen up your kitchen cabinets. You could put glass in a few of them, which adds a level of elegance, especially on tall cabinets. Some have chosen to put chicken wire as the center panel, which is a lot easier and cheaper than glass and gives the kitchen a rustic feeling.
You could even choose to wallpaper or paint the center panel a new color. This can totally change the feeling of the kitchen and make it the style you want it to be.
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