Kitchen Remodeling

Gary Nealon asked:


As a contractor one is constantly looking for a great deal and a way to save a few dollars. If it means a little more work, then that is no problem because your work is part of your own costs and you don’t have to charge your self for time. So when I stumbled upon kitchen cabinets that could be bought and assembled, I realized I could save money. It is simple; I am not paying someone else to assemble the kitchen cabinets.

I was in one of those big box home supply centers and was going to buy my kitchen cabinets the usual way. I already had them loaded onto one of those flat carts when I casually complained to another customer that there has got to be a better way than hauling all these pre-assembled kitchen cabinets around. The other customer said buy them online. Of course I thought it was a joke. Then I was told that the kitchen cabinets get shipped to you, you avoid any store hassles, and the best part is that the cost was 40% less than the big box home center prices. Part of the reason these kitchen cabinets cost less is because they are considered RTA cabinets which stands for ready to assemble cabinets.

So I decided to do a search and see what I could find online. I was floored! There are many choices out there and it was easy. When the kitchen cabinets arrived, I was shocked again. Not only were the kitchen cabinets solid wood, but they did not have one piece of cardboard or particle board. The reason I mentioned this is because the big box stores have solid fronts but very little else in the areas of real wood.

Finally, I thought these cabinets might be a hassle to assemble. The kitchen cabinets were easy to assemble. Each kitchen cabinet came with a single page of directions and needed only a flat head screw driver to put them together. The cabinets with drawers were a little more time consuming and I used my electric drill to make the assemblage go faster, but overall the kitchen cabinets are easy to put together.

Finding an RTA kitchen cabinet store might be difficult in some areas of the country, but if you look online you will be able to find these sites quite easily. There is a shipping cost; however, if you buy enough cabinets the shipping is reduced or actually free. Keep in mind that after I added shipping costs, my overall spending was still a lot less than what I would have spent at a super center.

So the secret to in-expensive kitchen cabinets is to go online and find them yourself. So start searching, it might be a little more effort but it is worth it.



Residential Hot Water Heater

jan asked:


I am thinking about refinishing my kitchen cabinets and to have it painted white. It doesn’t seem like I can get concealed hinges . Should I not worry about exterior hinges as being passe and buy white hinges to blend with the cabinet color or should I spend twice the amount and reface only to get the concealed hinges. My cabinets are in great shape with 3/4 inch solid wood. Also I have a contemporary/traditional decor

Scented Gel Candles

Carmen Fontana asked:


Seems old Ben Franklin was ahead of his time. With the nation in economic turmoil, in no other day and age has the adage, “A penny saved is a penny earned” been more relevant. And while it may seem like an impossibility in today’s financial climate, there are many ways to save a pretty penny when it comes to revamping your kitchen. To simplify matters, let’s focus our cost-saving efforts on the heart of the room: the kitchen cabinets.

In a recent article titled “Be penny-wise with your kitchen,” the Post-Bulletin offered some “common cents” tips to bring about satisfying kichen results. Among their advice was:

Paint/Finish - “Not only is it (painting) the least costly of almost anything you can do, it can have the largest impact. Changing the color will create a fresh canvas for updating the look in just a day or two.” That advice is fine and dandy if your existing kitchen cabinets are in sound shape, but what if they need an overhaul? Look for a kitchen cabinet manufacturer that provides preassembled and ready-to-assemble cabinetry in a variety of finish colors. Cream and white cabinet finishes give a fresh, clean appeal to your kitchen. Warm woods like cider, oak, bay and hickory lend a cozy kitchen cabinet appeal. Darker woods like Nile gloss, burgundy and Ruxton brown lend a rustic cabin flavor.

Cabinets - “Shop stock items or semi-custom cabinets that can give you custom craftsmanship.” Opting for preassembled and ready-to-assemble kitchen cabinets saves you not only money but also time. That means you’ll be able to start enjoying your new kitchen much more quickly than you would if you had to wait for custom cabinetry options. Don’t, however, feel that you’ll lose out on that personalized attention to detail by choosing preassembled or ready-to-assemble kitchen cabinets. Select a kitchen cabinet manufacturer that offers a variety of customization options on its preassembled and ready-to-assemble cabinetry. Some of the add-on features you can still expect to enjoy include decorative molding, lazy Susans, roll-out trays, fillers, light rails, matching toe kicks, speciality end panels and heat shields.

Increasing storage - The Post-Bulletin’s expert “sees clients changing from a U-shape design to an L-design and adding an island or increasing the size of the island to include an eating space. … the homeowner can get a new look and more storage and efficient usage of space.” To that end, seek out a manufacturer of ready-to-assemble and preassembed kitchen cabinets that offers an online design tool. That way, you can plan your new kitchen right down to the last detail, thereby ensuring that your new preassembled or ready-to-assembled kitchen cabinets fit correctly. In this case, there’s another old adage you can ignore: “Measure twice, cut once.” That’s because the well-prepared kitchen cabinet manufacturer take all of the guesswork out of the equation for you!

By adhering to the aformentioned helpful hints and planning guidelines, you can create an attractive, functional kitchen, as well as ensure your project is completed as smoothly as possible … all without wasting a single penny. Our sage founding father, Ben Franklin, would surely approve.



Breckwell Pellet Stoves

Liz Wood asked:


People don’t often realize it, but kitchen cabinet doors can dramatically change the look and feel of your kitchen and add to the overall beauty. The quality of cabinets plays a major role in the way they will make your kitchen look. Cabinets of poor quality will make your kitchen look worn and unflattering, but quality cabinets can completely change that look. And it’s simple because all you have to do is change the kitchen cabinet doors to achieve your new look.

The first thing you should know about kitchen design is that cabinets can be made from a wide range of woods which include:

Oak

Maple

Pine

Cherry

Hickory

Poplar

Alder

Birch

Cherry, Birch and Maple are popular choices for cabinetry. If you are looking for a more affordable option, Alder and Poplar are great choices and also work well with glazed finishes. Pine is a soft wood that is also popular among many homeowners. Hickory and Oak are the heaviest of your choices. Keep in mind, particleboard and plywood is also used in the cabinet construction.

The style of the door is also important. The four main types of doors include inset, lipped, partial overlay and full overlay. There are five main types of cabinet door shapes which include flat slab, recessed panel, raised panel, beadboard panel and curved panel.

Common cabinet design styles include traditional, country, shaker and contemporary. Raised panel doors create a more traditional design. Full overlay doors create a more contemporary look.

When it comes time to purchase your new cabinets, there are three main types of kitchen cabinets to choose from. These include stock kitchen cabinets, semi-stock kitchen cabinets, and custom kitchen cabinets. Stock kitchen cabinets are limited in design options, but also very affordable. Custom kitchen cabinets allow you to get exactly what you want with a very high level of craftsmanship. However, be expected to pay for such customization. Semi-stock kitchen cabinets are a happy medium between stock and custom cabinets, offering a certain level of customization.

Cabinet construction types include framed and frameless. Framed cabinets consist of two components, the cabinet box and the face frame. These two components are assembled together. Frameless cabinets, also referred to as European-styled cabinets, consist of a box with no face frame. Frameless cabinets provide better accessibility and extra interior space.

The last thing to know about cabinet design includes the decorative pulls and knobs. Not only are knobs and pulls put in place for aesthetic purposes, they also protect the wood and finish of the cabinets. They are available to many shapes, sizes, and styles which include but are not limited to brushed chrome, plastic, ceramic, glass and iron.



Kohler Plumbing Fixtures

RAYMOND NWAMBUONWO asked:


Building kitchen cabinets is certainly within the reach of most people, especially if they are of a regular size. Even though carcasses come in different sizes, they are all essentially built in exactly the same way, so once you have put the first couple together the rest should be a lot easier to manage.

But admitting your kitchen isn’t a regular square or rectangle shape? What if you have a sloping roof? Or an awkward recess? Or simply an irregular wall that needs to be hidden behind your kitchen cabinets?

In this case, building kitchen cabinets might not be as easy as you think. Proper preparation is required here to make sure the finished kitchen looks as good as it should. Here are some tips for making your ideal kitchen come true.

Building kitchen cabinets of an irregular shape needn’t be as hard as you think. In fact, in some cases such as the above example of the irregular walls you might not need to butcher regular size cabinets at all.

Find out if the kitchen range you are considering has wall cabinets that are the same height as floor cabinets. If it does, simply buy a wall cabinet in place of a floor cabinet. They are not as deep and will save you the trouble of trying to cut an awkward shape in the back of your floor cabinet.

Building kitchen cabinets that need to go under a sloping roof can be done in two ways. The easiest option is to buy several different heights of cabinet, so that the cabinets are staggered in height. Attractive boxes can be bought to fit in the gaps, or alternatively you can use the space for storing cookery books.

Secondly, and depending on what style door you choose, you can cut down both the door and the cabinet, so as to allow a perfect fit between the sloping roof and the cabinet itself. Make sure the door won’t scrape against the wall when it’s fitted.

When you are building kitchen cabinets, it’s important to fit all the carcasses in place first, before you fit the doors or interiors. This is the quickest and easiest way to install any kitchen, and it means your doors will stay wrapped up and safely stored away while the main building work is done.

Imagine how you will feel once you hang the doors and get them level, you can then stand back to admire your new kitchen. Your joy will be infectious to everyone around since you designed and built it.



Fireplace Design Ideas