Home remodeling is at an all time high. In fact, remodeling bathrooms and kitchens has almost become a national obsession. A significant cost factor in a home remodel or addition can be the cost of cabinets. Whether you’re remodeling or adding a kitchen, home office, family room, hobby room, game room, kids’ bedroom or bathroom, your design may include new cabinets. In a kitchen remodel, cabinets can account for up to half of the total cost. Therefore, it seems important to think carefully about new cabinets and remodeling.
If you have the luxury of planning a remodel without budget constraints and want new cabinets, you have two options: standard cabinets or custom cabinets. Custom cabinets are built to your specifications for your room. These can be built on site, or they can be built off-site and installed when complete. This option certainly gives you the most flexibility with your kitchen layout and getting the cabinets you want. However, if you want to complete your remodel faster or if you want to save a little money, standard cabinets are a very good option. Standard cabinets are available in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, made from just about any type of wood you could want, with various types of trim on doors and glass panels. You can buy them fully built or in pre-cut, pre-finished pieces that you assemble yourself.
If your existing cabinets are not up to your needs or expectations, you may need to purchase new cabinets. If your cabinets show significant signs of wear and tear, are made of composition board, or simply make things inaccessible, new cabinets are probably a good idea. Choosing common cabinets to fit your remodel design should be reasonably easy. If you need new cabinets and your budget is tight, you may want to look at recently discontinued cabinets or buy very plain cabinets to which you can add decorative molding. This could save a lot of money.
If your cabinets are functional, in good repair, and of good quality, there are plenty of other things you can do to revitalize old cabinets with a style that will accentuate the design of your new room while saving money. Particularly in older homes, you may have solid wood cabinets that are much better than many inexpensive cabinets available today.
One option would be to “refinish” your cabinets. Relining cabinets is a matter of putting a new exterior “face” on existing cabinets and keeping existing cabinet frames and boxes intact. Cabinets can be veneered with high-quality laminate, veneer or wood to give the look of new cabinetry for a fraction of the cost. Cost savings come from lower cost of materials and labor.
Painting existing cabinets is another option, particularly if the cabinets are functional but need to be lighter and brighter. White cabinets are very popular. Yet another option is to remove cabinet doors, sand or strip all surfaces, and refinish or stain them. This gives you a chance to repair the damage and put a new face on what you already have. Yet another option is to restore flat cabinet doors and add matching trim to create the look of finely molded millwork.
If you want to work with existing cabinets and refresh them, you can also consider adding decorative molding with paint. For example, you can add a pattern to white cabinets to give them pizzazz, or you can paint the trim on stained cabinet doors.
If you’re working with existing cabinets, remember that they can also be resized as needed to accommodate new appliances. This may take a bit of work, but it can certainly be done if you like the cabinets you have.
Finally, consider the difference new hardware can make. Replacing hinges and door/drawer handles can give older cabinets a very fresh look. If, for example, you have hinged pine cabinets with black door handles, you can create a whole new look by painting the cabinets white and swapping out the hinges and door handles for bronze or brushed nickel.
As you renovate, you may also consider adding features that make the items in your cabinets more accessible. There are many items available that can be placed in existing cabinets or integrated into new cabinets that will make them more accessible, such as lazy Susans, drawers, pull-out shelves, and the like.
The possibilities for new cabinetry and remodeling are limitless. Just use your imagination to find ways to achieve the highest quality within the available budget. The rest is a matter of creative thinking and some effort.
Copyright 2007 by ABCD Publishing