Kitchen Cabinet Idea (October 22, 2009)

Kitchen Cabinet Idea:You know it. Your kitchen and bath cabinets, along with corresponding appliances, make your kitchen and bath the most expensive rooms to finish in your entire house.

There is really no way around it, they will be the most expensive - but just how expensive?

There are a million different ideas, choices, and options to consider. Just one good kitchen cabinet idea that works for you will make those rooms less costly while also making them the most beautiful and rewarding in your home. It can be done.

If you need new cabinets, you will have to spend some money. But, just how much? (The kitchen pictured above right is one we built and installed. Our customers SAVED around $2,000 over factory built. It can be done, and throughout this website we give you pointers and tips as to how).

REFINISH, NOT REFACE, YOU KITCHEN:

If you already own your home and can update your kitchen by refinishing your cabinets, you may save some money, but you will invest time and labor (unless you hire a professional, and there again, it will cost).

Notice I said REFINISH your cabinets. Refinishing may be a great kitchen cabinet idea for you, especially if you can do-it-yourself. Re-facing usually isn't. That's right.

Re-facing is actually quite expensive. It's sold to the public as being less expensive than buying all new cabinets, but we've found that usually isn't true. In our custom cabinet shop, we bid out re-facing and building new, and every time it was less expensive to build new.

WHY IS RE-FACING OFTEN MORE EXPENSIVE THAN PURCHASING NEW (EVEN CUSTOM) CABINETS?

Re-facing is labor intensive and much of it must be done on site. For a custom shop to just build new product in their shop it will actually take less man-hours than to re-face your cabinets on-site.
When you reface correctly, you are replacing everything but the interior of the cabinets. No matter what material your interiors are built out of, they are the least expensive part of your cabinets.
90% of a kitchen's cost is in the front 3/4". That's right. Your frames, doors, hardware, most of the staining and finishing are all in the last little 3/4", and that is what get's replaced or redone when you reface.

With re-facing you still have the same old problems. If you have a blind corner you don't like, you'll still have a blind corner you don't like. Building new, you may be able to change your layouts and your problems.

ANOTHER GOOD KITCHEN CABINET IDEA: DON¡¯T OVERLOOK CUSTOM KITCHEN AND BATH CABINET SHOPS - YOU MAY FIND ONE THAT WILL BE A PLEASANT SURPRISE

If you need to purchase new cabinets, don¡¯t fall prey to the idea that all custom kitchen and bath cabinets are out of your pocket-book range. There may be cabinet shops out there that are actually less expensive than many factory cabinets ¨C my husband and I owned and operated such a shop for 15 years. We got the job pictured above because we were a couple thousand less than factory cabinets (and, no, we didn't cheat on materials, as a matter of fact, they were far superior and the kitchen has a solid surface countertop as well). Shop around for the best bargains, you may be pleasantly surprised.

RESEARCH A LITTLE AND THINK: BEING SAVVY WILL SAVE YOU TIME AND MONEY!!

You may have hear of Wallace Wattle's book "Think and Grow Rich", well, "Think and save money on your cabinets."

There's more than one kitchen cabinet idea to think about before you change or purchase new cabinets. Don¡¯t be intimidated by our list below. It is well worth your time to consider any kitchen cabinet idea, especially before you meet with a cabinet salesperson.

You'll save money by making sure everything regarding your cabinets has been dealt with. No one likes to get to the end of a project and realize they forgot something and now have cost overruns. You can rarely count on cabinet salespeople to ensure your kitchen has everything you need and want. That might sound cynical, but it's true.

Savings example: We built the maple bath vanity pictured at right. It features a "flat" marble top. You can get the look of solid surface countertops in your bathroom for a lot less money by ordering a regular marble top with a "flat" finish. It cost's more than a regular marble top, but a lot less than a solid surface countertop, and it really looks like solid surface. For more information about countertops, link from our Kitchen Cabinet Idea page to our Compare Kitchen Countertops page. You can also check out our Cultured Marble Countertops page for ideas.

KITCHEN CABINET IDEA: BE SAVVY - 20 THINGS YOU MUST CONSIDER BEFORE YOU BUY:

Layout of your kitchen

Design of your cabinets

Appliances you do or don¡¯t want to include and their sizes

How you are going to be using your space

Are you going to have a soffit above your cabinets?

How tall do you want your upper cabinets to be? Are you going to stagger heights?

Do you want a valance above a window area?

Door and drawer styles

Any glass doors?

Do you have to change your flooring? To what?

Don¡¯t forget: you will probably need to paint walls, maybe patch them too.

What options do you want your kitchen to have (appliance garage, garbage rollout, drawers, bread board, rollouts, etc.)

Do you want wood, and if so, what kind?

What stain color, if any?

Would you rather have laminate?

Sink and faucet styles

Countertops (what type, edge style, color)

Top Trim

Toe Kick

Handles (if any)

If you follow the above guidelines, you will be a savvy consumer. Remember, there is more than one kitchen cabinet idea. You will find useful information throughout our entire website ¨C so check it out!!

Return to our Home page from this Kitchen Cabinet Idea page.

For many other related, more in-depth topics (and you might find a new kitchen cabinet idea!), please see below.

And remember - HAVE A HAPPY KITCHEN!!!

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