Home Improvement » Cabinets

How to create a custom kitchen without the custom price

Author — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:08:36 +0000

Adding decorative touches to cabinetry such as open shelves, crown molding and contrasting finishes can make any kitchen look custom.

(ARA) – Forget about the living room. The kitchen is the social hub of a home.

Today’s homeowners update their kitchens to reflect their personal tastes and add visual appeal their guests can enjoy when they entertain. But how do you get a custom look in your kitchen without the hefty price tag?

“By adding just a few decorative accents, homeowners can not only create a custom-looking kitchen, they can create a space that reflects a specific look — from Art Nouveau to French Neoclassical,” says Paul Radoy, manager of design services for Merillat, a cabinet company specializing in kitchen design.

If you think updating your kitchen is out of your budget, here are some cost-effective renovation tips that can help you live the good life and entertain in a stylish kitchen that is a perfect reflection of your personal taste.

1. Cabinetry accents

While there will always be a place for custom cabinetry, there are more sensible and affordable options. Cabinetry accents work to enhance any kitchen’s style with details such as feet, corbels, ornamental onlays and molding inserts. These decorative details can change the look of ordinary cabinetry into heirloom furniture, while allowing the homeowner to express their own personal style.

In addition to cabinetry accents, many common cabinetry options can be creatively incorporated. Decorative hardware is one small detail that can make a big statement. Pulls and knobs can complement the cabinetry style, or they can be used to create a refreshing contrast.

Adding decorative touches to cabinetry such as open shelves, crown molding and contrasting finishes can make any kitchen look custom.

2. Add color and contrast

Adding splashes of color is a great way to create a fun, vibrant look while keeping the kitchen functional. Try adding tile details such as a colorful backsplash behind the stove. Or, purchase fresh towels and accessories for your kitchen in a coordinated, colorful design.

Using color as an accent on crown molding also adds a personal touch, while molding build-ups and dentil molding create intriguing visual effects. Cabinetry molding in a contrasting finish creates an entirely different look, and including under-cabinet molding can add even more personality to your kitchen.

3. Make it your own

Displaying decorative items is an easy way to add your own personal touch. Options like pigeon holes, plate racks and glass front cabinet doors can be used to display these special items. Things like porcelain collectables, wine bottles or fine china are all types of decorative items that help create a personal space that sparks conversation with guests.

“People are spending more and more time in their kitchen, and whether they are using it for everyday activities or for entertaining, they want it to be beautiful,” says Radoy. “The kitchen is a space that should make the homeowner proud, a place they love to be in, and by incorporating just a few design details any homeowner can accomplish this.” For more kitchen design ideas visit Merillat.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Will Your Kitchen Cabinets Withstand More Than the Test of Time?

Author — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:32:24 +0000

(ARA) – It’s Friday night. You have half an hour before your guests arrive and you’re frantically shuttling back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room, pulling out drawers looking for silverware, flinging cabinets open and slamming them shut with your elbow as you take a handful of plates to the table. Fifteen minutes left and the food is still not ready. Steam from the piping hot pot roast drifts up from the counter. Gravy drips down the cabinet fronts.

Of all the things that could go wrong on a night like this, the last thing you need to worry about is wrecking your cabinetry. By checking to make sure your cabinets are ANSI/KCMA certified, you can rest assured that they’ve already undergone a battery of performance and quality tests to ensure hinges won’t break as you hurriedly open and close them, exteriors won’t be stained by a spill (including mustard and alcohol) and heat, steam or a wet dish rag won’t cause damage.

The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA), through a process established and regularly reviewed by the globally recognized American National Standards Institute (ANSI), has established itself as an approved standards developer since 1968 and has taken the initiative to set the standard for cabinet performance and construction. The unique blue and white certification seal, located inside the sink base cabinet, indicates that the cabinets have been tested in an approved independent third-party testing laboratory. Furthermore, cabinets are chosen for testing in an unannounced plant visit by a KCMA inspector. The cabinets must pass over 42 rigorous performance tests to determine if they are eligible to display the seal. For many years, homeowners, builders, remodelers, architects and U.S. government agencies have called for ANSI/KCMA A161.1 certified cabinets as their benchmark for durable cabinetry.

To meet the ANSI/KCMA A16.1 Performance and Construction Standard, cabinets must undergo thorough testing procedures. First the interior of the cabinet is tested by applying 200 pounds of pressure to the framework. Then cabinet doors are repeatedly struck with a 10-pound sandbag to test the frame’s structural integrity.

Ever tried to hoist a baby elephant on top of your mounted wall cabinet? The third-party approved lab that tests ANSI/KCMA cabinets has performed the equivalent. Certified wall cabinet mounts have to prove their worth by holding 500 pounds of weight without any visible signs of sagging or other failure.

Doors and drawers are opened and closed 25,000 times as part of a series of operational tests preformed to ensure durability. At each test’s conclusion, doors must be fully operable, door-holding devices must hold the doors in a closed position, hinges must show no visible signs of damage and connections between cabinet-and-hinge and door-and-hinge must show no signs of looseness.

Kitchens are filled with all kinds of acidic and staining products. Over the 35-year lifespan of the average kitchen cabinet, all kinds of liquids could be spilled. To make sure these spills won’t mar the beauty of your cabinets, ANSI/KCMA leaves vinegar, lemon, orange and grape juices, mustard, tomato ketchup, coffee, olive oil and 100-proof alcohol on cabinet exteriors. If the exterior of the cabinet shows signs of swelling, discoloration or evidence of blistering, the cabinet does not gain certification.

The finishing touch is testing the cabinet finishes. All finishes must stand up to temperatures equal to that of a summer day in the Sahara desert with humidity levels as high as the Amazon rainforest. The cabinets then are subjected to cycles of extreme temperature changes by being exposed for one hour in a 120 F hotbox and then one hour in a minus 5 F coldbox. The cycle is repeated five times. In order for the cabinets to pass, there can be no sign of cracking, peeling or other failure.

Cabinetry that has gone through these arduous trials is available from more than 100 certified companies and through retailers nationwide in a variety of styles and prices. For a complete list of certified brands, click on the Member Listings tab at www.kcma.org.

By checking for the KCMA/ANSI seal on the interior of your sink base cabinet, you can rest assured your cabinets will stand up to the daily wear and tear of the kitchen and instead, worry about that souffle in the oven.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Give Your Kitchen Cabinets and all your Wood Surfaces a New Lease on Life

Jennifer — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 21:56:31 +0000

(ARA) – When Vicki Lewis decided her 15-year-old kitchen cabinets were beyond salvaging, she started pricing new cabinets and quickly discovered that replacing her cabinets would be too expensive.

But she was not ready to give up. She was tired of looking at her worn, ugly cabinets. “Moisture from the coffee maker had damaged the surface of the overhead cabinet. The finish on the door to the trash can was completely worn off and streaked with dirty fingerprints, and the panels next to the dishwasher were just too disgusting to describe,” says Lewis.

She began looking for a less expensive way to make her cabinets look like new. After spending years searching for a simple product that would clean, moisturize and renew her cabinets, she finally concluded that the only way to get what she wanted was to make it herself.

So Lewis immersed herself in the strange new world (for her, anyway) of chemistry, pursuing a product that would make dry, dull, water-damaged wood look new again without leaving behind any oil or build-up. She wanted a product that would also keep the wood looking great for a long time.

After consulting with woodworkers and antiques dealers (not to mention testing a multitude of different recipes), two formulas emerged as winners. Lewis introduced Touch of Oranges Wood Cleaner and Touch of Beeswax Wood Preserver in 1986, and they have been lifesavers for homeowners ever since.

To restore kitchen cabinets, simply spray Touch of Orange Wood Cleaner onto the surface, and wait a few minutes for the formula to penetrate and moisturize the wood. Lightly rub with 0000 grade steel wool in the direction of the grain, and wipe with a soft terrycloth towel; repeat if necessary.

Once cabinets are clean, protect them by applying a thin coat of Touch of Beeswax Wood Preserver. Leave it on for a few hours or overnight so that it penetrates the wood surface; wipe with a clean terrycloth towel to remove any excess oil. Cabinets should be retreated every six months to keep them looking great.

“We found there was a need for products that enabled homeowners to retain and protect the investments they had made in high-quality wood cabinets,” says Lewis. “Most people don’t realize that even brand new cabinets require protection if they are to last.”

Customers discovered other uses for the products as well. For example, Lewis heard from someone who had used the wood cleaner to restore a worn-out, dreary section of hardwood floor. The results were so impressive that they did every floor in the house. “Just don’t add a slippery coat of beeswax to your floor,” cautions Lewis. The products have become favorites of antique dealers and fans of fine wood furnishings as well. “Antique dealers like these formulas because there is no silicone in our products” notes Lewis. Furniture takes on a natural glow and luster that bring out the best qualities of the wood.

Based on the success of her first two products, Lewis has expanded her line to include dozens of wood care products, as well as cleaning, cooking and health products. She still places a high value on quality customer service and proudly stands behind her products. “If customers are not completely satisfied, we refund their money, no questions asked,” she says.

To buy Touch of Oranges and Touch of Beeswax, call (800) 867-2643 or visit www.TouchOfOranges.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Closet Cabinets: Properly Organized, Will Eliminate Chaos And Clutter

Jennifer — Sat, 05 May 2007 17:27:55 +0000

The majority of money spent on remodeling of a kitchen usually concerns the kitchen cabinet, which may account for as much as sixty percent of the total cost. Given the fact that most kitchen cabinets have a thirty-five year life time, it becomes necessary to know exactly what is needed before committing to purchasing one. A good choice would be to select a closet cabinet that is of superior quality and which sits on the floor and does not hang off the walls like other systems do.

Check On Construction Technology

You should also make sure that the closet cabinet is made from the latest in construction technology that will stretch as well as fit into a given space exactly. Another feature of a good closet cabinet would be having fully extended opening drawers that allow full access to whatever is stored inside. Make sure also that the closet rods are not sagging and the shelves can also be adjusted with almost an inch of thickness. To get complete access to the interior of the closet cabinets select one that has a hundred and thirty degree concealed hinge opening door. Interiors should be easy to clean and you can choose from among different colors or just plain white for your closet cabinets.

There are a number of different uses for which to use closet cabinets though a slightly more unique usage is to have one that stores your guns. Such a product will hide your weapon in an efficient manner and will be an important part of home security. In fact, the closet cabinet can be used in every part of the home and no matter that you wish to update the kitchen, or maximize storage space in the garage, or simply need to re-organize your home or office, the closet cabinet will provide a solution for youâ€™re every needs.

You would simply need to select a room where the closet cabinet is to be installed and there will be a number of different product offerings to choose from, and with a little bit of luck, you should be able to complete your project in as little as one weekend. All you need to ensure is that the closet cabinet has enough space which a good closet organization product will provide is it more hanging shelf space, or even more drawers, doors or additional shelves that are required. With proper closet organization that spans modular units and individual accessories, the complete closet cabinet will provide your home or office with an organized means of storage rather than a haphazard one that is chaotic and cluttered as well.

Refacing Cabinets

Jennifer — Tue, 01 May 2007 17:46:40 +0000

To succeed in refacing cabinets all that is required is to know the basics and the rest will come easy especially when youâ€™re intention is to make the kitchen cabinetâ€™s appearance look better. You donâ€™t really need to be a cabinet maker or know much about cabinet making. All that is required is to spice up the old cabinet instead of disposing of it and with a little bit of effort you will be pleasantly surprised how good it can really be made to look and at a cost far below what it takes to purchase a new cabinet.

Old Cabinets Are Generally Better Than New Ones

Refacing cabinets will help save you a lot of money because you wonâ€™t be buying a new cabinet â€“ just touch up the old one, which most often are better than new ones. In addition, with a few deft touches you can make your old cabinet a lot more useful. You need to start with the cabinet door which, if it is a common type, will require some skill to fit properly. Most kitchen cabinets are constantly bearing the brunt of cooking and with heat, grease as well as water and food residue to contend with; very soon you will need to do some refacing of the cabinet.

Refacing cabinets is a constructive experience that will allow you a lot of scope to be creative and it also means being practical which you will soon realize saves you a considerable amount of money. It means changing the old doors with new ones and also needing to do up the framework. Since the doors are very visible you need to choose a style that is most appealing which could be either a reused panel, recessed panel or a slab door?

The doors could be made of wood though there is also glass, bead board as well as raised panel doors to choose from. If you think that there is no need to replace the doors, and then try applying veneer that is available in a number of styles and finishes and which should also match well with the tiles as well as wall colors of the kitchen.

Another option worth considering in the refacing cabinets exercise is to repaint the cabinet, which would require stripping off the old paint followed by cleaning of the surface so that no grease or dust is left. Once this has been done, repainting with the help of a spray paint should give you best results.

These are some of the options available when one thinks about refacing cabinets, and they are fairly simple to execute and of course, save time as well as money.

Painting Kitchen Cabinets

Jennifer — Tue, 01 May 2007 17:45:58 +0000

You have been looking at those boring kitchen cabinets for far too long. You scan through the television channels and find yourself drawn to the do -it – yourself shows. You want to know what you can do to liven up that kitchen with out breaking the bank How about painting those kitchen cabinets. Painting kitchen cabinets is an easy and inexpensive way to liven up those dull and boring kitchen cabinets. Painting kitchen cabinets will not require a lot of talent albeit a steady hand will be necessary.

How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets

First step in painting kitchen cabinets is removing the doors from the cabinets themselves; if the cabinets can be removed take them down as well. Take the hinges and hardware off the cabinets and put them in a bag or a container for safe keeping. Take the cabinets and the doors outside or into a well ventilated garage and set them on newspaper.

Painting kitchen cabinets will come only after you have sanded the cabinets down with a medium or fine grade sand paper. Depending upon the type of wood you actually have to use both types asking the person at the hardware store or paint store will suffice. Once you have sanded the cabinets down correctly and buffed the excess off you may begin painting the kitchen cabinets.

Depending on the sheen of the paint you use will determine how many coats of the paint will need to be applied. Flat and Eggshell will require fewer coats than semi-gloss and glossy. Always paint with a latex based paint. Due to the fact, that if you happen to mess up latex paint can be removed easier.

Try to stay within the grain of the wood while you are painting kitchen cabinets. This technique will keep paint strokes from looking like they are going in the opposite direction of the natural grain.

After you have painted the doors allow them to dry in a well ventilated and shaded area. Exposing the fresh paint to the sun may alter the color. Then return to the inside and do the same process to the inside and underneath of the kitchen cabinets. Keeping the house a room temperature with the doors open should suffice.

Allow both parts to dry. Also, donâ€™t forget while sanding and painting kitchen cabinets wear gloves and if necessary glasses. After the doors and remaining cabinets are dry, simply reattach the doors with the hinges and reattach the hardware. At the end of the day you will have a kitchen you can be proud of.

About Bamboo Cabinets

Jennifer — Tue, 01 May 2007 17:24:32 +0000

When most people think about putting new cabinets in a home, most think of the many high quality hardwood cabinets stained to a rich color that beautifies the entire home.Â In the modern society of today, people are trying to be eco friendly with everything that they buy.Â From the hybrid cars they drive to the building materials in the home.Â Many people are trying to bring the outdoors into the house and blend with nature.Â Any inside design should be self sustaining to nature so that whatever material is brought into the house can regrow quickly and be used again.

One of the best self sustainable materials that a person can buy is bamboo.Â Bamboo grows quickly and wonâ€™t die when it is cut.Â It grows back and actually benefits from cutting because it grows back tender and new.Â Bamboo can be put into many things in the home.Â Bamboo cabinets are beautiful to look at and will last a lifetime.Â The doors for bamboo cabinets can come in a variety of styles.Â Bamboo trees grown in different parts of the world become unique to the area that they are grown in.Â Some front cabinet doors available are Bahamas, Lanai, Waialua, Kauai, Kona, and Maui.Â Many different locations means many different beautiful cabinet doors.

More About Bamboo Cabinets

One company that makes beautiful bamboo cabinets is the AlterECO Company.Â They make and install some of the most beautiful cabinets anywhere.Â With custom made cabinets built to the highest standards and with the highest quality of bamboo, these cabinets will last forever and will always look like a work of art.Â AlterECO believes in using materials that are self sustaining and they also use bamboo for its strength.

Another company that uses bamboo for its cabinets is Grasswood Cabinets.Â They also take pride in the work that they do and they have gone so far to now offer modular bamboo cabinets for homes.Â The modular cabinets allow an individual to put together several separate cabinets to create a look and fit that is specific to their home.

The benefit of bamboo cabinets is the fact that bamboo grows fast enough to be harvested within every five years as a sapling.Â Most people also donâ€™t know that bamboo is stronger than oak hardwood by fifty percent!Â It is also dimensionally stronger than most hardwoods.Â Bamboo will outlast a person and look good the entire time.Â For the people who want something different in their home and want to make it ecologically friendly, bamboo cabinets are a great choice.Â With the beauty and strength rivaling hard woods but renewable within five years, bamboo is truly the wave of the future.Â There is endless potential and possibilities with bamboo.Â

Wine Cabinets

Jennifer — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:53:18 +0000

It is an essential piece of the modern home and also this cabinet speaks volumes about someoneâ€™s taste in food, life and love. This all knowing cabinet is a wine cabinet. Wine cabinets are a European staple and an American eccentricity. Wine cabinets date back to before the Romans of course they were more like racks and less like a fabulous storage device. Wine cabinets come in a myriad of different colors and styles and elements. Wince cabinets that are created nowadays are usually pieces of art or while others are purely for the sake of storage with little or no visual appeal at all. Wine cabinets have made a niche for themselves in the young professionals and baby boomer markets with most of their sales going to these two groups of individuals. They make a statement of class and elegance and add certain elements of aristocracy to the home of someone. This may be one of the main reasons that individuals from these two demographics buy wine cabinets at such an alarming rate.

Which Wine Goes Where

Most individuals that drink wine know that all wine cannot be stored the same. Whites and Roseâ€™ should be kept below 50 degrees and Reds at room temperature. Wine cabinets in recent years have become technologically advanced as well as visually pleasing. Many custom built kitchens come with a wine cabinet built in. Modern Wine cabinets have separate temperature controlled compartments designated for each type of wine. Red goes at the bottom and rose in the middle and whites and champagne on top where the temperature is the coolest. This makes wine cabinets an essential and easy to use appliance for everyone in to enjoy.

If you happen not have a custom built kitchen in your home, purchasing a wine cabinet from a wine shop or even a major retailer will not be a difficult task. Remember to get the measurements of the space that the wine cabinet will go. If itâ€™s underneath something or even on top of a counter, give the wine cabinet a little more head room in order to avoid scratching or damaging the wine cabinet. This will make for a wonderful conversation piece at a gathering with friends or relatives. However, remember to consume you wine in modest and safe amounts. According to the Romans wine was the food of the Gods, albeit an accurate assumption, responsibility with the wine inside your fabulous wine cabinet keeps you safe.

Rearranging Your Kitchen Cabinets: Time To Organize!

Jennifer — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:40:37 +0000

Your kitchen is a place where one of the most complex parts of your day, that of preparing your meals, takes place.Â Because the kitchen is a workspace, having efficiency is important.Â However, in even the most organized kitchen, it can be difficult to keep your kitchen cabinets clutter-free and well organized.Â A major reorganization of your kitchen cabinets once a year, or even more than once, will result in a more streamlined workspace, more space on your counters, and a more pleasant time in the kitchen.Â Hereâ€™s how to get some better organization in your kitchen cabinets:

Getting Started: Out With The Old

The first step in organizing your kitchen cabinets is to get rid of anything old.Â Even canned goods expire eventually; check the expiration date and trash it if itâ€™s expired.Â Many spices lose their potency after a year or even a few months, so throw out any jars of old spices.Â Anything thatâ€™s been sitting in the cupboards without use for months is a good cabinet.Â

This is a good time to throw out any extra pots and pans, silverware, or kitchen gadgets.Â Donâ€™t have a use for that garlic peeler? Donate it to Goodwill or give it to your neighbor.Â By cleaning out your kitchen cabinets, you will have more space to work with when you get to the organizing part.

Reloading The Cabinets

Once youâ€™ve thrown out all the items you donâ€™t need, itâ€™s time to pull everything else out of your kitchen cabinets as well.Â Then, itâ€™s time to put everything away.Â Start with the cabinets closest to the stove; these cabinets are where you want to put the items you use most, like your pots and pans, as well as food items you might use a lot, like sugar and salt.Â Spices can be hung on a rack above your stove.

As you work further out, fill the cabinets with items you need less.Â Large items that arenâ€™t needed much, such as the punch bowl you only haul out for your Christmas party, should go in the least accessible places; you certainly donâ€™t want things you need often in those spots.Â

Storing Appliances

Many people have a number of kitchen appliances that are useful, but take up a lot of counter space.Â Consider setting aside one of your kitchen cabinets specifically for storing these appliances.Â It doesnâ€™t take much to put the appliances away after each use, and the extra counter space will make preparing meals easier.Â If you take the time to organize your kitchen cabinets, you should be able to free up enough space to store your appliances, or to simply have a more streamlined setup for preparing your daily meals.

A Guide To Medicine Cabinets: What’s Best?

Jennifer — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 17:41:31 +0000

With any home remodeling project, there are details big and small to consider, and one of those is the cabinetry you use in your rooms. Storage space in any room, whether it’s as prominent as your kitchen cabinets or subtle as closet shelving, is an important feature in any room. The bathroom is no exception, since medicine cabinets provide important storage space in rooms where space is often at a premium. If you are remodeling your bathrooms, then chances are that you’ll want to change out the medicine cabinets you use. While not as striking as the bathtub or your sink, medicine cabinets are an important bathroom feature and should be chosen with care.

Recessed Cabinets Versus Surface-Mounted Cabinets

One of the main considerations that will quickly rule out some medicine cabinets for your home is whether or not you want to use cabinets that are mounted on the surface of the wall, hanging like a picture might, or those which are recessed, fitting into a hole in your wall, resulting in a surface that’s more flush to the wall. While surface-mounted medicine cabinets are certainly easier to install, recessed cabinets look better and can keep a small bathroom from seeming even smaller. If you do choose to install recessed medicine cabinets, however, be prepared to have to call a professional installer, since you may have plumbing and electrical work to work around.

Size Considerations

If your bathrooms have small medicine cabinets that are located high off the ground, you may want to consider something a little different for your family. First, find a cabinet that has decent storage space, which means finding one that has at least one shelf that’s not too short and one that is deep enough to hold bottles of things such as hair product, shaving supplies, and so on. Another consideration is how high off the ground you want your shelves. If you have a family with children, a tall cabinet installed so some shelves are in safe reach of little arms will provide storage while discouraging your kids from climbing on the bathroom sink.

Loading Your Cabinet

Despite the name, medicine cabinets are actually terrible places to store medicines, of both the over the counter variety and the prescription kind. Most medicines store best in dark, dry places and at room temperature, but every time someone in your family hops in the shower, your bathroom becomes a warm, steamy environment. Itâ’s best to store your medicines somewhere else, such as in your linen closet, where the environment fluctuates less. Limit the items in medicine cabinets to things such as bandages, or personal hygiene items, such as toothpaste or shaving supplies. Keep in mind that how you store things is as important as where you store them, and you’ll make proper use of your new medicine cabinets.