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Cabinet Refacing

Cabinet Refacing

by | May 23, 2018 | Architects, Cabinets 101, Contractors, Homeowners, Interior Designers

The term refacing refers to the process of changing the face or look of your home office, entertainment center, bathroom and kitchen cabinets by installing new doors and drawer fronts, and changing the appearance of the face frames of the cabinets to a new stain, and quite often a new wood species. Cabinet refacing is generally more ecologically sound than full scale kitchen remodeling, since the amount of debris put in the landfill is generally cut by almost three quarters. Ecologically sound materials such as bamboo can be selected to replace the outmoded hardwood or laminate doors and fronts. Most companies here in Phoenix, Arizona that perform a refacing service use thin layers of wood veneers, PVC plastics, or laminates to put on top of your existing cabinet frames to give it a new face or appearance. The work is very similar but you need to understand which technique they plan to use before you agree to have the work done. The process of refacing, using veneers etc. is very labor intensive and has many limitations, such as a substantial amount of cabinet preparation that needs to take place in order to properly reface your cabinets, a limited amount of stain or color choices, and a limited amount of wood species available. The plastics and laminates used do not look exactly like wood and quite often do not match very well with the new wood colors. Real Wood Refacing However, a new way to reface cabinets has been developed that eliminates many of the limitations that cabinet refacing companies have faced in the past. The newest and best way...

Guiding Clients To The Right Hardware For Their Kitchen

by | Apr 3, 2018 | Architects, Contractors, Interior Designers

  The head-spinning number of decisions needed to model the kitchen makes it the most complex room in the home to design. In “The Kitchen Island“ post, we pose a number of questions to consider before designing what’s often the ‘heart’ of the kitchen. The same goes for choosing hardware. Some may like the look of doors and drawers with no hardware - and think they’re saving money. But over time, especially in active kitchens, oil and dirt from hands can eat away the finish (even when home owners are fastidious about washing their hands!). Narrow down the possibilities by learning how the kitchen will function. When cooking’s a passion, easy-to-grasp hardware that doesn’t snag clothing works best.  This style also applies to older residents and anyone who experiences sore or stiff joints. Knob styles work well in kitchens mostly used as a place to gather or where cooking isn’t a priority. The choices range from minimal design to ‘bling’. Here’s where individual taste really makes a statement. For families with toddlers, drop down handles are a good choice as they’re harder for little ones to operate. Another consideration is how wide drawers are. Hardware that’s too small not only gets lost, but may be inadequate to open the drawer. The accepted rule of thumb is to use two knobs or pulls for drawers 18 inches or wider. The alternative is to use oversized bar pulls. Where To Start Living in a desert doesn’t limit choices to just Southwestern or Contemporary. Different kitchen styles help determine what type and size hardware complement the overall look. But this still leaves a...
Cabinet Door Shapes

Cabinet Door Shapes

by | Mar 7, 2018 | Architects, Cabinets 101, Contractors, Homeowners, Interior Designers

When the time comes to give your kitchen a facelift, the first place to look is the cabinetry. If the wood species and stain of the cabinet denote the color and feel of the room they inhabit, then the door style is what lends an overarching sense of style and refinement. There are multiple construction types, finishes, and wood species to choose for your kitchen cabinets, but you may not have realized that there are also more than one cabinet door shape. The cabinet door shape that you choose for your cabinet can solidify the design theme of your kitchen and bring thoughts of style and theme to life. Types of Cabinet Door: While there are many individual options when it comes time to choose a door shape for your home cabinets, there are basically three main types of cabinet door shapes: slab door, recessed panel, or raised wood. The slab, also know as a flat panel door, is a frameless cabinet door. The wood grain and the colors may not always match perfectly across slab doors, but it is perfectly ideal if you are looking for a more rustic theme for your home design project. If you are trying to achieve either a classic or traditional style in your kitchen, then the raised panel door may be the best choice for you. Among the raised panel cabinet door styles, there are also choices of cathedral, arched, or square shapes to determine the shape of the raised panel. This gives you a few more options to make your kitchen cabinets as custom as possible to your original ideas without...

Custom, Semi-Custom and Modular Cabinets

by | Jan 30, 2018 | Architects, Cabinets 101, Contractors, Homeowners, Interior Designers

When you think of remodeling, one of the first items to consider is your kitchen. Statistics suggest that a quality kitchen remodel can actually help to increase the value of your home. When selling your home, an updated kitchen with modern conveniences can attract more buyers and set your home apart from other similar homes in your neighborhood. Cabinetry is typically one of the more expensive items in your kitchen remodel project, so choosing the right type of cabinetry for your home is very important. Custom Cabinets What you want is what you get, and what you imagine can appear in reality. Custom cabinets are typically manufactured by local craftsmen, tradesmen with honed skills, and sometimes by expensive automated equipment. Custom cabinets offer you a wide variety of wood species, the biggest selection of door styles, an assortment of options and modern conveniences, and a vast array of stains and finishes. Unlike modular cabinets, which are cabinets made in 3″ increments, custom cabinets are made to fit and are often made in the dimensions used by “Big Box” construction methods. Door and drawer combinations are no problem, and custom sizes, angles, differing height dimensions, special finishes, stains and glazing are all traits of custom cabinetry. A buyer must be careful though: just because someone builds custom cabinets doesn’t mean the craftsmanship is of the highest quality. In choosing a custom cabinet manufacturer, always look at the manufacturer’s portfolio, ask for references, and take a tour of their shop. There are also several national companies that build custom cabinets, but add shipping costs, and the possibility of damage normally means...