Choosing New Cabinet Knobs and Handles
Changing your cabinet knobs and handles is the fastest, cheapest and easiest way to spruce up a room. Knobs and handles are tiny details but can really catch the eye. Even if you have plastic cabinets you can make them look better by switching out the hardware. Take off those plastic handles and put on some nice glass or iron ones. You aren't wasting money trying to dress up your cheap cabinets either, because if you ever decide to replace the cabinets you can transfer the knobs or handles to the new cabinets. Plus, changing cabinet knobs is one of the easiest home improvement project. All you need to do is unscrew the old ones and screw in some new ones.
Price: Probably one of the main factors in determining what kind of new cabinet handles or knobs will be the price. If you are only in the market for new cabinet fixtures because you somehow wrecked your old ones and you want to spend as little as possible, breathe easy. You can pick up new plastic knobs for less than a dollar a piece. You can even buy a bag of a dozen to save you trouble. If you end up with extras, you can just pop them in when you start to break these knobs. If you want to spend more than one dollar but less than five, you can get some pretty nice knobs and handles. Wooden knobs start at about one dollar and you can get wooden handles for about a dollar and a half. On the other hand, if money is no object, you can also get fine, handmade cabinet knobs for over 50 dollars apiece.
Materials: Kitchen and bathroom cabinet knobs, pulls and handles come in a great variety of materials and finishes. Of course, you can get plastic hardware in any color or shape imaginable. You can also get wood fixtures in every wood or stain you might need. If you are going to try to match new wooden fixtures to your old wooden cabinets, buy one knob or handle and bring it home to see if it is a true match before you purchase an entire set. In all likelihood, you are going to have a very difficult time matching new wooden fixtures to old wooden cabinets because both wood and wood stains change color with time. Oak and maple tend to turn yellow, whereas cherry will get darker. Even wooden cabinets and fixtures painted white can be tough to match. If you have wooden cabinets and really want your new knobs or handles to look nice, consider buying fixtures that are in some other material rather than wood. You can buy your hardware in all sorts of metals and finishes. You could also go for ceramic or glass details.
Style: Make sure, when you get your new cabinet knobs or handles, that you consider the style of your entire kitchen before you buy something. For example, if you have a super sleek, totally modern, stainless steal kitchen, floral ceramic knobs might look tacky. Likewise if you have a kitchen full of country charm; you are not going to want modern, black glass handles. If you are buying the cheapest plastic knobs you can find you probably do not care what style they come in and won't have a huge selection to choose from anyhow. In the same vein, if you are just on the hunt for wooden handles that match your wooden cabinets you are probably going to be limited by what you are able to find. If you want to get some glass, wrought iron or ceramic fixtures, though, the sky's the limit. You can pick out both steam lined, modern or frilly, floral Italian glass knobs and pulls. You can also find wrought iron handles shaped like bird, flowers or even little animals. Little fox shaped iron handles might seem a bit much for all of the cabinets in your kitchen, but could be very cute on your one bathroom cabinet. If you are especially confident in your taste, you can choose a selection of mismatched knobs and handles that look nice together.
Durability: Be honest with yourself. What happened to your original cabinet handles? Did you break them? Did your kids? If you know that you have a tendency to be hard on your stuff, or you yourself admit that your kids are like little tornadoes, give the Italian glass pulls a pass. Glass and ceramic cabinet fixtures are made primarily for child-free homes. You have to be very careful with them if you want to avoid making them crack or shatter. If you need sturdy cabinet knobs or handles, but you still want them to look great, go with metal. You can get smooth, minimalist, brushed stainless steel knobs or you can get cast iron floral handles, depending upon your taste. If you are trying to stick to a budget, then wood knobs and handles are going to be more durable then plastic ones. It is worth the extra five dollars it will cost you to replace every knob in your kitchen with wood rather than plastic. Then again, if you buy the plastic knobs in bulk it won't matter if you occasionally have to replace them.
Where to Shop: Obviously, you can pick up a huge variety of kitchen and bathroom cabinet knobs, pulls and handles in any home improvement store. If you want a bigger selection, take to the internet. You can get great deals on hardware at online discounters. You can also find tiny businesses that specialize in importing handmade hardware. Once you pick out cabinet fixtures that you love, search all over the internet making sure that you get a good price.
