Quick Updates for Your Kitchen Cabinets

The holiday season will be here before we know it, and thus the house guests. I am always looking for fun things to do to spice up my home, and the perfect time to take on projects in the Fall. Winter is too cold, Summer is too hot, and in the Spring I just want to do yard work. One of the easiest and most drastic changes you can make to your kitchen is with your cabinets. Here are 10 updates that you can use to spice up your home before the holiday season.

10. Hardware is the easiest thing to change in any kitchen. Take a trip to your local home improvement store and look through some of the books on the latest kitchens. Look for hardware that catches your eye, fits your budget, and goes with the current styling of your home. If you already have the hardware, you can buy putty the color of your current cabinets to fill any holes that show. However, you should know how to measure drawer slides before you start changing the hardware. 

9. Changing the color of your cabinets is another quick update. Make sure you are not painting over really expensive wood before you begin. Choose a color that is bold without being loud. Look for complementary colors to those that already exist in your home. Yellows help to create a bright feel, reds create a warm feel but can be overbearing. Just go with something you like.

8. Open cabinetry is becoming more and more popular. By using tools to remove the center portions of your cabinet doors, you can replace it with glass for a modern feel or fabric for a country feel. You will need to make sure this is what route you want to go as it is a more permanent fix. If you don’t like the results you may end up spending more to fix what you did.

7. If you have nicer wooden cabinets, you may want to consider re-staining your cabinets. You will need to take a weekend and sand the cabinets down before staining them, but you will be able to choose a stain that coordinates with how you envision your kitchen.

6. Plain paint may work in some spaces and others may require stencils. Stencils can add that special something to my space and with the use of embossing agents and multi-color projects, you can make your cabinets stand out from your neighborhood and blend in with your kitchen.

5. Adding frames to the existing exterior of your cabinets can help you create a fresh new look. This works especially well for older cabinets with no decorative touches and those made with flat wood. Adding molding to your cabinets in another color than that of the cabinet will add a decorative touch and help you to create a unique, custom kitchen.

4. Having your cabinets professionally refaced is another good option. Professional refacers can do everything from simply re-stain the cabinets to sand them down and create new design work in the wood. While this choice is more pricey than most of the rest, it is definitely cheaper than replacing all your cabinets.

3. Many stores sell aftermarket movable cabinets. By adding these to your existing setup, you can create a different look. You may even decide to take out some of your existing cabinets to create a custom look at a fraction of the price of buying all new cabinets.

2. If you like the current set up of your cabinets, you may want to look into having just the doors replaced. Many home improvement stores will measure your existing cabinets and offer you different styles to choose from. Again, you need to consider the price of this. If you can’t afford to replace the doors, you may want to look into some of the other options to last you until you save up enough to go all out.

1. Purchasing new cabinets may be the only way for some to rescue their kitchen. While this may be the most expensive option, you will definitely get a whole new look that fits your style and not the previous owners. Before you take on this task, price cabinets for your kitchen and make sure you can afford them. While kitchens are generally a good investment for homeowners, with current market conditions you may want to look into all your options.