Add corresponding hooks to the top edges of upper cabinet doors and the bottoms of lower doors and drawers, where the holes left behind won’t be visible. A sprayed-on finish is the smoothest option, but there’s a learning curve for doing it properly. Choose the right paint and primer to give your kitchen cabinets a high-quality finish—without breaking your budget. This Old House painting expert Mauro Henrique shows host Kevin O’Connor the proper way to paint cabinets for a new, updated look.
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Forming so much of a kitchen’s wall area, kitchen cabinets essentially create the look of the kitchen. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to install a certain cabinet style—slab flat panel contemporary, for example—in a kitchen intended to go another direction like traditional or farmhouse. Most semi-custom kitchen cabinet boxes are made from a combination of furniture-grade plywood and engineered wood (either low- or medium-density particleboard).
Cabinets are an often overlooked part of the kitchen, but they can really make or break the room. We’ve all seen kitchens that don’t have enough storage space, but this is a problem that’s easy to fix! Build custom cabinets that fit the space and watch how it transforms your kitchen.
New drawer pulls, cabinet knobs, and even hinges can make quite the impact on your tired old kitchen cabinets. Just unscrew those white enamel ones you’ve got and attach the new ones—after you given those cabinets a good cleaning, that is. Keep in mind that you might need to touch up the old screw holes if the new hardware doesn’t cover them up. The ‘70s were a groovy time for a number of reasons, including home decor. So groovy, in fact, that vintage colors like avocado green and harvest gold have marked a triumphant return to the kitchen design palette. But if you have wooden or wood laminate kitchen cabinets that have been around since those hues first hit the scene, you might not feel so nostalgic. While a bit tedious, cleaning kitchen cabinets isn’t a difficult task, nor does it require the use of odiferous or potentially toxic chemicals.
These pros are more suited for small, quick jobs around the house, such as repairing a leaky faucet or installing a new appliance. For painting projects where speed, neatness, and precision are paramount, it’s worth investing in the extra cost for professional cabinet painting. Leave the abrasive cleaners and scrub brushes to your sink; harsh scrubbing can damage kitchen cabinets’ finish or paint. Instead, prepare your own gentle cleaner by mixing one part mild dishwashing soap with two parts hot water, or the same ratio of distilled white vinegar to hot water. Order doors from a company that specializes in building cabinet doors, or find a local cabinetmaker to build them.
Read more about Maine Custom Cabinets here.
How to Refinish Your Kitchen Cabinets
Every item on this page was hand-picked by a House Beautiful editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Lexie is a Deputy Editor who is responsible for writing and editing articles over a wide variety of home-related topics. She has over five years of experience in the home improvement space and harnessed her expertise while working for companies like HomeAdvisor and Angi (formerly Angie’s List).
Various dishes, cookware, and utensils require different kitchen cabinet organization ideas. Without a specific method for how to organize kitchen cabinets, they can end up looking like a jumbled mess.
It’s natural to focus on looks when deciding on a new kitchen countertop, but there are other factors to consider too. “You want to make sure the countertop will fit into your budget before you fall in love with it,” she says. “How the material wears and how hard you’ll have to work to keep it looking new are also key to the decision process.” An impact machine is used to determine a countertop’s ability to withstand dents and dings, like those from a falling cast-iron pan. Over the decades, we’ve also installed various countertops in our Labs and the homes of our experts, which enables us to assess performance, longevity and maintenance in real-world conditions. The glaze on porcelain countertops means they don’t need to be sealed. For daily maintenance and cleaning, use hot water and a mild dish soap applied with a soft cloth.
Have another person help you or use a cabinet jack to carefully lift the cabinets from the floor. Gently place them onto the cleats and push the cabinets flush against your wall. Squeeze clamps won’t be strong enough to hold the cabinets in alignment. Use a 4-foot (1.2 m) level to check that your walls are plumb. Take a long level and place it up right against your walls.
