Kitchen is one of the most essential parts of your home. Without it, you might end up relying on fast foods to sustain your daily needs, making it very costly on your part. That’s why you need to make sure that it is very serviceable, clean, and convenient for you even down to the replacement kitchen cabinet doors that you will supply to it later on.

After all, you might not like imagining how it would look should you fail to consider some important parameters that might affect its long-term benefits to you. To avoid them altogether, you should at least have the following in your list of preferences and requirements to protect yourself:

1. Security Features

Even if your cabinet looks sturdy especially with the new kitchen door, you will not profit a lot from it when the locks are weak. Security is not only assured with strong structures of cabinets. Definitely you should check the locks.

There are some locks which are very easy to break into with the use of pins and the likes, just like what you see in spy movies. There are also locks which keys easily breaks after some wrong twists. That kind of situation would frustrate you especially if you need something really important from the cabinet.

2. Choice of Material

Another thing that you have to pay careful attention to is the choice of material. If you want to have a cabinet which would last longer and at the same time maintain its high quality, do not go for metal. Metal rusts and bends.

Instead, go for premium wood. Wood cabinets could last longer than expected and can even give an outstanding look to your kitchen. Your kitchen would also look more valuable and as a result may attract female buyers easily if you are going to sell your house.

3. Quality of Workmanship

There are a lot of homeowners who would go for DIY when installing a new kitchen door. It sounds really amazing when your friends hear that you are installing it that way and practical, too. But in truth, going DIY is risking the quality of workmanship.

If your door looks beautiful, you might be ruining it by a series of incorrect installation. It does not do any harm if you hire someone who is used to doing cabinet door installations just like carpenters. You are assured that they would install it as precise as possible.

If you have a baby at home, you may be tied up with a lot of things that you have to do while he is asleep. You are forced to multitask and to take several naps throughout the day because you can’t do it straight. Soon, you will have to childproof the entire house by the time he learns to crawl and walk. Kitchen cabinet doors should have locks for him not to reach items which could do harm.

Childproofing is indeed a life saver and also a way to organise your home even when the baby is always onto everything he finds interesting. So how are we actually going to do it? Does it need to be expensive? Below are some suggestions:

1. Remove Dangling

Babies are really fascinated with everything which hangs and sways by the wind, including the hair. It’s the same reason why they stare at someone for a long time especially when wind is blowing. You will soon find them reaching for it and not letting go.

Remove dangling items within their reach. It is very dangerous if they get hold of something hard or sharp as they end up in their mouth. Babies just put anything they can hold on to their mouths.

2. Put some gates

Gates are really essential to limit your child’s access in the home. This is very important especially if your house has a lot of areas which could most likely hurt him. You can have 2 or more gates in the home. These gates are designed to fit the width of doors you can install them at the nursery’s door, kitchen, and by the stairs.

Don’t worry if you invest on gates because you can sell online once you are done using them. Be sure to install the gates securely. Read the manual carefully so you don’t miss some important points.

3. Add some bumpers

By the time children would already know how to climb over the gates, you have to be ready. They can then be anywhere; in your bedroom, in the living room, and even in the kitchen. Your furniture sets which have sharp corner should be installed with bumpers. Bumpers would lessen the impact if your child hit himself to the furniture by chance.

Bumpers could also prevent abrasions from happening. Buy a lot of bumpers and install them to almost all sharp corners in the house to make sure that your child is safe everywhere he goes.

So you want to be a wise spender but want to groom your kitchen at the same time. That might sound dreamy but it is actually possible. The small details that you decide on like kitchen replacement doors or choosing the right material for your sink are all essential to achieving an incredibly practical kitchen.

Being practical is not necessarily spending a little money all the time. Below are some of the things that we can do to achieve that in our kitchen:

1.    Get power-saving appliances

We know that most of our appliances have their own life span. For example, you might change your refrigerator or freezer in 10 years just because you are starting to get high power rates. Or it does not cool your goods the way it should be. And definitely, changing it with a new unit would save you from stress.

But that is not all. When buying a new appliance unit, make sure that you get those which have power-saving capacity. They might be priced higher compared to ordinary ones but you can be assured that you can save a lot in your power bill.

The amount that you are going to spend for them is just a portion of the savings that you will get.

2.    Go for space-saving furniture units

If you have a small kitchen, you do not necessarily have it renovated to increase the space. You can trick this by going for space-saving furniture units. For example, go for rectangular tables rather than round ones. Rectangular tables can be placed even closest to the walls.

When it comes to cabinets, go for tall ones. The floor area which will be covered by tall cabinets is just a small portion, but the amount of goods in can store is more than that.

3.    Don’t hesitate to invest on quality

Don’t be fooled by “sale”. This often happens near the end of the year and people are rushing to the mall rather than haggling for new products. The rate of the product’s depreciation is often missed. This means that those items which were sold at very low prices do not really have high quality at all. And soon, they would also break down.

Invest on quality when you are buying kitchen units and items. The price maybe higher but you are assured that you can use them as they were designed and they would last for a long time.

 

When there are so many things to do but you are left with not a lot of budget, old kitchen cabinets become a headache. With just little creativity and practicality, you can save your old units in many ways just like repairing the hinges of your kitchen cabinet doors.

Doing it yourself is a big option that you can choose. Armed with the right tools, and plan on how to improve your cabinets would be a good way to start it. Below are some of the ways how you can deal with those:

1.    Re-finish

When your cabinets are made of good wood, one that you would like to save, and at the same time, displays its natural tone and texture, re-finishing should be done. Just adding some gloss on the cabinet, you can already make the old one look fashionable and appealing.

There are different kinds of finish that you can choose from. If available, always go for one which is specific for the kind of wood your cabinet is made of. If you do not know the wood type, you can always go for coatings made for general wood.

2.    Paint

Colours really give your kitchen a lift whether you are using vibrant or neutral ones. They help you fix any loopholes in the theme that you have for your kitchen. You can accentuate your kitchen more with painted cabinets. No one would even know that what you got is an old one.

Painting your cabinets would cover cracks, stains, and other factors that make them look old. If you properly choose the paint colour to be used, you can even make your cabinets look expensive. Just be sure to use wood paint to maximise the potential of your cabinets.

3.    Remodel

If there are parts in your old cabinet that are really hard to fix, or cannot be fixed anymore, you can always remodel it. You do not really have to stick with the original design. Kitchens with improvised models actually look more appealing than those which are not.

The way how you remodel your kitchen cabinets reflects a lot on what kind of homeowner you are. If you are more on the creative field, this is a good chance to demonstrate it.

Remodelling also means to increase the function of a thing. If your old cabinet would not be able as much storage that you want it to hold, you can always use it as  a preparation table instead and the likes.

Have you ever wondered when to have kitchen replacement doors? When do we exactly change ours and why we should do it? There are different reasons behind the decision of homeowners, but most of the time that is to improve the overall appearance of their kitchen. How about you?

It is a tricky question since replacement doors are not that cheap. They should be in high quality and therefore would need enough preparation before the purchase. But what do other people think about new doors? Below are the top reasons why replacement doors are quite popular:

1.    To save energy

Containing the air coming from it would make the conditioning faster if you are using air conditioner both to make the room warmer or colder. The faster we are able to achieve the desired temperature, the lesser work for your air conditioner, and of course less power consumption.

But if your kitchen is not close enough to contain the air easily, your conditioner would exert more effort just to make the area’s temperature better. This usually happens when the kitchen door is not fitted well to the jambs.

What you can do is examine why it is unfit. You can do this by placing a candle inside the kitchen, turning off the lights, and see how much light is still being seen outside the kitchen. Get a good estimate of it, and add it to the original size of your door and use the measurement to buy the new door.

2.    New members of the family

When there are new members in the family like babies and extended families, you surely do not want them to feel uncomfortable. Their safety is also your priority. You want to make sure that your home is secured from intruders that may harm them. If your kitchen door looks like it can easily be broken into, change it.

Replace your door with one which has good hinges and locks. Burglars can easily get into the house through misplaced hinges and weak locks.

3.    Squeaking sound

You surely don’t want to disturb your family early in the morning when you are preparing meals or when you are going on a business trip. Even when you have good intentions, still they can be jeopardized if your kitchen door is squeaking loud. The annoying sound coming from the door would surely disturb people in the house.

So go ahead and get a new one if the squeaking door cannot be remedied by oil anymore.

To save some money for other needs, you can actually do the kitchen replacement doors on your own. But you have to make sure that you are getting the right size of door with the previous one. As much as possible, choose one which has the same material with the first. Those will help you make your installation smoother.

It doesn’t require too much experience for one to be able to do this. There are even manuals provided by the manufacturer to make sure that you are being helped throughout the whole process. Some of those that you would find there are the following:

1.    Align the hinges properly

Hinges are very critical to make a functional door. They are essential in making your door last long. They would determine if you would be able to close and open your doors smoothly.

Make sure that your hinges are aligned properly by tracing them with a pencil. Put some markers as your guide before installing the screws. If they look crooked, do it again. If you do not, you might have a door which is very hard to open or very hard to close. That would frustrate your purpose of having it in your kitchen.

2.    Make sure that the bolts fit the holes

Some homeowners would use nails on the holes of their hinges because they found out that their bolts are not workable. This thing would leave ugly marks on your cabinet or on your door jamb. It would also make the door unstable as nails would bend easily especially due to tension unlike bolts which are staying on their own places most of the time.

Check if the bolts that you have fit in the holes of your hinges. If not, contact the shop where you bought it for immediate replacement.

3.    Let accessories be the last item installed

Accessories of doors are just made to make them look attractive. If you have some on your door, install them last. Prioritise the basics like the locks and knobs. By the time that you see the basics are already stable, install the accessories appropriately.

However, some accessories are difficult to install and you may need a professional service to have it done. If you would really want to do it your way, research properly so that you don’t waste time, effort, and resources. Utilize the manual as much as you can to avoid big mistakes.

While new kitchens are thought to be helpful to most homeowners, some still believe that it is impractical to pursue them. Some testify that their homes have become more manageable after having their kitchen done, while others are still afraid and hesitant to give theirs a lift.

Repairs are done whenever damages and malfunctions are seen---that is common. But then, it just change the kitchen environment a little bit and sometimes not at all. When those repairs are done more often, it is becoming more impractical than an overall kitchen improvement. To overcome this mind-set, kitchen myths should also be overcome. Below are some of them:

1.   Kitchen is the dirtiest area in the house

It is often believed that the dirtiest area in the house is the kitchen because that is where most food preparations are done. That is where rotten vegetable and fruit peelings go. That is where sea foods and other fishy ingredients are prepared.

Those may sound awful and would definitely make one stay away from the kitchen. But if one really knows how to manage this area, it would become the cleanest. When it is properly maintained, it would become the cleanest because bacteria build-ups should be prevented.

2.   It will never become organised

As it is the busiest part of the house, some people believe that the kitchen would never become organised. Cluttering everywhere is due to the traffic that comes in and out, especially when one household has 3 or more family members. It is busiest during the morning rush, when everybody wants to get to their appointments on time.

But if the kitchen was improved with working storage units, preventing disarray would be easy. The key is to know where one should get kitchen items and where they should be putting them back. This does not happen when the items do not have their own places in the kitchen.

3.   Equipment for kitchen is very expensive

Probably, the most common reason why one homeowner is hesitant to upgrade his kitchen is because he thinks that kitchen equipment is very expensive. When it comes to money talks, desires for improvement are delayed thinking that homeowners could not afford those.

In reality, you can actually find kitchen equipment that are of high quality without spending for premium brands. Contact a contractor and you will be surprised to know that they have a lot of connections and access to the best deals in town.

Any renovation you make inside your home will eventually lead to additional expenses. If you are hesitant in changing small items such as kitchen cabinets, it will always be under your discretion. Keep in mind though that it would result to consequences both pleasant and unpleasant.

To avoid having the undesired ones, you should know when it is really time to change these cabinets. The following guidelines should help you decide on the matter better:

1.   When repairs cannot be made anymore

Repair works would always give a temporary extension to your cabinet’s life no matter how good it was done. Especially when the main body is heavily damaged, you should never expect that repair can do the trick. By then, you really have to change the cabinets.

There are no guidelines on how to evaluate whether repair is inappropriate anymore. Just remember that you should come to a point wherein you can’t convince yourself anymore that it would still work. In any case, you can still have some time to prepare for the financial burden it will cause.

2.   While they can still be sold

When someone shows interest in your not-so-good cabinet, then it is considered an opportunity. Even if you are still worrying if you can fund for the cost of change, you better close the deal before they change their minds. After all, the money you’ll get there would still help you gain the capital for the desired change.

Thus, the concept of converting trash to treasure is applied.

3.   When they can’t accommodate goods

Growing family needs bigger house and commodities. Especially when each and every one happens to have different tastes when it comes to food, you might find your current cabinet incapable of storing them all. So instead of letting pests such as cockroaches to enjoy them before your family does, you better get an improved cabinet that can stock it all.

In addition, there are also these cabinets wherein these unwanted guests can also sneak in. If repair is possible, do it. Otherwise, it is considered to be incapable of storing your goods.

4.   When modifications is not possible

There would also be times when you encounter a cabinet that is not compatible with recent accessories and interior designs. If it would just hinder the development, you can consider changing it with something that can better fit in. That way, it will contribute to the overall aesthetics of your kitchen.

New kitchens do not mean that you have to replace everything broken and old. It means giving your kitchen a new look and a better condition. Check your kitchen if there are still items that can be saved, especially your storage units.

Spending is not the only option. You have to be creative and wilful as well. If you see that there is something that can still be done to your broken items, plan well, and then do it. Below are some of the things that you can do to save them:

1.   Refinish

Does your kitchen furniture look faded and dull? Why not refinish it? There are finishes available in hardware stores and they come with instructions on how to apply them. Check the kind of wood used and then find a lacquer or oil which is best for it.

You may need to sand it a little bit to clear out the surface and make it even from the previous finish.

2.   Repaint

Changing the theme of your kitchen would almost always require you to follow a specific colour scheme. Because you want to use some of your furniture still, why not repaint them?

If you are working with a contractor, he may have efficient ways to do it. If you are going DIY for your kitchen revamp, choosing the most appropriate paint should be done. Make sure that you also sand the furniture before the application so that you can achieve smooth results.

3.   Change the cabinet doors

When the walls of your cabinets are still good, but the doors are broken, just replace the latter. Check some cabinet shops in your neighbourhood to see if they can customise a new door for you.

Make sure that the colour of your new doors would complement your cabinets. Also ask about their soft close doors if you can avail of it. They are perfect if you are tired of squeaking and slamming cabinets.

4.   Change the hinges and locks

You would know that you can still change the hinges and locks of your cabinets and doors if the wood where the old ones were attached is still good. If the hinge area is already not in a good condition, it is best to buy a new door, or else, accidents may occur.

Most hinge replacement can be done alone, but as for locks, you may need to have a professional help you.