Kitchen is the most important room in the house as kitchen is where a family breaks bread together. I often quote the popular saying that 'A family that eats together stays together' while deciding anything for my kitchen. Hence, one should take care to ensure that the kitchen is well planned out and warm and cozy where the family can get together and enjoy themselves. Kitchen cabinets help organizing the kitchen and making it clutter free. In essence, they basically sum up the look of our kitchen. A lot of effort should therefore go into designing and the final look of the cabinets.
The complete set of hardware used in the making of the kitchen cabinets are:
- Knobs & Pulls - Glass, Ceramic, Iron, Wood, Brass, Bronze
- Door Catches
- Latches
- Hinges
- Lockset
The variety of cabinet hardware available today helps design a kitchen that can either be very traditional or ultra modern. The existing look of your kitchen can be changed by a simple change of cabinet doors. The hardware can be bought from home decorating stores. But before going to the store, make sure that you have decided on your budget, which also plays a major deciding factor on the cabinet hardware.
Installing the kitchen cabinet hardware is an art by itself. If you can work your way around a toolkit and consider yourself patient, then you can take it up a project for yourself. However, if you are getting it installed from a professional, then it is always advisable to buy the hardware from stores that have these professionals working for them. This will ensure that you get a good deal.
Kitchen Cabinet Hardware Buying Tips
If you are unsure about the look that you want for your kitchen, then looking up pictures in lifestyle magazines helps. In addition, some stores actually have the entire kitchen assembled in their shops, which again helps in choosing the right kitchen for you. Below are some tips that you must keep in mind:
- The best kitchen cabinets are those that use solid frames, doors and drawers and are fully self contained that is they have closed backs and the corners are reinforced.
- Re-facing is a cheaper and a much faster option when compared to pulling down everything and starting afresh. It involves covering up your old cabinets with new ones and is completed in 1 or 2 days. The downside to this option is that though the kitchen gets a new look, the appliances and the cabinets still remain the same.
- Before finalizing, compare cost estimates provided by different stores and also have a look at the quality of the material offered.
- Stock cabinets are an excellent option as they are least expensive and are constructed in various shapes and sizes.
- If you are replacing existing door handles, then ensure that the new hardware has the same drill centers as the previous model. Else, you will be left with extra drill holes that will have to be covered separately.
- Kitchen cabinet knobs are easier to install when compared to handles as they require only one screw while the handles require two.
- While buying kitchen cabinet handles and knobs, it is always advisable to buy a couple of extra pieces because if they break sometime in the future, you will not be able to find an exact match
- Solid hardwood cabinets such as Cherry, Maple, Birch and Oak usually cost much more than laminate or veneer finished cabinets.
- Kitchen cabinets are available in a variety of standard shapes and sizes. However, custom sizes can be bought at an additional cost.
- Always select cabinets that have high- end hinges and mechanical hardware.
- Match the finish of the door handles and knobs on the cabinets with the finish of the kitchen appliances.
There are plenty of new and alternate hardware options available for kitchen cabinets these days. Sliding doors is one of them. In a sliding door system, two doors of the cabinet move vertically up and down at the same time. It looks very nice in top mounted cabinets and provides a beautiful alternative to pull outdoors. Another new concept is to install fluorescent light tubes inside your cabinets, especially if your kitchen cabinet doors are made of glass. Apart from the fact that you will find it easier to find everything in your cabinet, the glow of the light will make your cabinets look very attractive.
To conclude, you can use the most expensive materials to make your kitchen cabinets or use the less expensive ones...it does not matter. What matters is that you and your family enjoy spending time in your kitchen together.
