Replacing and Updating Your Kitchen Cabinets

One of the main attributes to the look of your homes kitchen are the cabinets. They line the walls and floors, and play a large visual part in your kitchen’s appeal. We’ve all heard and seen squeaky door hinges, outdated coverings, and awful cabinet knobs. But reinventing the look of your kitchen can be as simple as reinventing the appearance of your cabinets.

Replacing the hardware on kitchen cabinets is probably the most inexpensive way to revamp the look of the kitchen and the cabinets themselves. It is a low-cost way to effectively update the decor. Even if you just have a squeaking hinge, and WD-40 is not just not cutting it, try purchasing a new set, for a cheap price and changing the style. To replace the hinges just use a coordinating screwdriver on the top and bottom hinges and hold the door, or have a helper hold the door, while you dismount the hinges. It is as easy and removing and replacing them with the new style hinges of your choice.

To easily update the cabinet surface, try replacing the knobs, or pulls, on the door face. With such a wide variety of styles, shapes, and unique designs for cabinet door knobs, there are endless possibilities when choosing the right ones for your home. There are even theme-style knobs to match and coordinate with the style of your kitchen. From roosters to stars, flowers to kittens, you may actually spend more time deciding on the new knobs then you will in reinstalling them. Just use the appropriate screwdriver to remove and reinstall the knobs, and you are ready to go.

Try reinventing the cabinet doors to bring an obvious change to the feel of your kitchen. If you are like most of us, and have the inlaid old-style cabinet doors, these are easy to remodel and cheap to reinvent. Simply remove the hardware from the cabinet doors and remove them from the cabinet themselves. Use a sanding block to rub the surface smooth. Use a circular saw, to cut a piece of 1/4″ inch-thick plywood to a size large enough to cover the existing grooves on the door. (Adjust measurements for each door as needed). Using a miter saw, cut to fit, four pieces of moulding for the perimeter of the plywood piece.

Now, apply construction adhesive to the door front. Center and attach the plywood over the grooves, and allow to dry. Apply the adhesive to the moulding pieces and apply to the perimeter of the plywood. Lightly sand the door after it has dried, and apply a light coat of your favorite color paint. Rehang the doors once the paint has dried. Try using new hinges and knobs to change the look even further. You now have a completely different appearance to your cabinet surfaces and the entire immediate look of your kitchen will be transformed. So now you can step back and enjoy the beautiful look of your “new” cabinets!