Kitchen cabinets are a big investment, and the selection process can be overwhelming. But there are lots of things to consider before you buy – like the appearance, the quality, and how the cabinets will impact the overall look of your kitchen. Fortunately, you don’t have to tackle this alone. By taking the time to familiarize yourself with the basics, you’ll be able to make a smart decision.
If you’re looking at redoing your kitchen cabinets, here are a few things to consider.
- Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets
Do you want to reface your cabinets? Or do you want to paint them?
Painting your kitchen cabinets is a sure-fire way to give your kitchen a new look. It can be a lot of fun: it’s relatively inexpensive, it doesn’t take long, and it’s satisfying to be able to take a dingy old kitchen and transform it into a fresh, clean space. But painting is also a big job: it can take a lot of time and supplies, and even small mistakes can ruin your efforts. But you don’t have to settle for a basic white cabinet color. Kitchen paint colors can go with your flooring and backsplash colours, or be in contrast to it, to create a new look. For example, painting your cabinets a shade of blue will contrast nicely with your wall colours if they are in a more neutral palette like greys and whites. Or, if you want a more subtle effect, you can use a light gray paint with a wall colour that has the same tone.
- Choosing Cabinet Hardware
How do you want your cabinets to open and function? Do you want soft closing cupboard doors and drawers? Do you want push to open hardware?
When you’re in the market for new kitchen cabinet hardware, you will find many different options to choose from. You may need to choose between knobs and pulls, but then you’ve got to decide if you want hardware that matches your cabinets or something that is more of a statement piece. This can be tricky, but if you choose the wrong cabinet hardware, it can make your kitchen look plain, outdated, and even cheap.
- Making Improvements to Your Existing Kitchen Cabinets
Do you find yourself needing more storage space, but it’s not in your budget to redo all of your kitchen cabinets?
Consider seeing if it’s possible to repurpose or make improvements to existing cabinets. Can you add an additional shelf in a cupboard or two?
Are you able to use some new hardware to improve the functionality of the corner cupboards to become something with less wasted space vs a Lazy Susan? Will a purpose built drawer organizer help you sort your cooking utensils and clear up some space from other places?
Take a look around the kitchen and see what areas would work better with just minor improvements. Think of any times you’ve had while preparing meals in which you said “I wish…..” or “It would be nice if this kitchen had…..”, and see what of those ideas you can implement.
- Installing New Kitchen Cabinets
This is a larger and more expensive undertaking, but it’s the option that will guarantee the outcome you desire.
Keep in mind that if you like your kitchen’s current layout, that it is possible to update just the faces of your kitchen cabinets without replacing the boxes or the sidewalls. This is a way to get a new look and new style, without breaking the bank on getting entirely new custom cabinetry.
If you however are not happy with the existing layout and cabinets in your kitchen, hiring a cabinet maker, might be your best option. Updating the layout, the number of cabinets, the storage space, the functionality, and adding in any unique features you desire such as a slide out garbage bin, a built in pantry, or diagonally sliding corner drawers.
If you are looking at redoing your kitchen cabinets, think through what exactly you want to change about them, what are they failing at doing currently for your lifestyle and kitchen needs?
Once you have a clear and defined answer to that question, you can determine the answers to some of the other items on our list.
We recommend also visiting a kitchen showroom to see some of the most recent cabinet trends and pieces, because what may look good in your mind’s eye, may not live up to expectation when you see it in person.
Find out more about the classic series of kitchen cabinets from 1 Stop Cabinets when you remodel your kitchen.
