Installing New Kitchen Cabinets
Installing new kitchen cabinets can improve one of the most-used rooms in your house. Your kitchen is the heart of your home, but rickety outdated cabinets make cooking more a chore than a pleasure. Kitchen renovations are costly so you need to plan carefully before making changes. One common complaint homeowners have about their kitchens is that there is not enough storage. Important but seldom used items such as mixers, food processors, salad spinners, blenders and toasters occupy a lot of cabinet real estate when you don't have room for them on your counter. Redesigning cabinets within an existing layout is the most economical way to go, but if your kitchen has an awkward flow or has areas that waste space, you can start from scratch and place the new cabinets where you want.
Custom cabinets are specifically constructed to fit in your space. Typically, a cabinet specialist or kitchen designer creates a layout and measures upper and lower cabinets to fit. Taller upper cabinets can extend all the way to the ceiling, giving you a designer look, as well as more storage space. Standard cabinets are in-stock items you order in a home improvement store or kitchen design store. You save money on standard cabinets, so as long as you do not have any strange curves, angles or dimensions you need fitted, choosing standard cabinets is a good option.
You can dress up plain shaker-style cabinets with custom knobs and pulls to suit your style. Some manufacturers advertise their cabinets as solid wood, even though the cabinet boxes are constructed of melamine or particle board, and only the cabinet faces are solid wood. Be sure to open up the show-room cabinets and check out the materials used inside, as well as the quality of the construction. Ask about green products that feature recycled materials or low emissions paints. Improvements in modern cabinetry include self-closing doors and pull-out pot racks. Modular cabinet design allows you to adjust shelving height to accommodate oversize items.
