How to Update Your Kitchen
It seems after every winter, in early spring the spring fever hits homeowners
across the nation. From the single mom living in a condo to the handyman father
of 3, everyone knows springtime is for cleaning. A great place to start cleaning
and updating is the kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where
memories of mom making chocolate chip cookie dough with her food processor,
or making homemade hamburgers with her manual meat grinder are made. This is
why it is not surprising that the kitchen is where most people invest their
money for renovations.
Here are a few tips to update a kitchen with a fresh look.
1. Paint the Cabinets
Depending on a person's budget this may involve a simple paint job, or it might
involve tearing the old ones down and putting up new ones. To paint the cabinets
is obviously your cheapest option and involves a few easy steps. It is easiest
to paint the cabinets when you remove them from the hinges and find a work area
which is low in humidity. If it is too humid, the paint will take a very long
time to dry. Begin by cleaning the cabinets with warm soapy water and a rag.
Make sure all grease and other grime is removed. Next, using sandpaper with
a 200 grit or less, 150 grit is better, lightly sand each cabinet. This allows
the primer to adhere to the cabinet.
Use a damp rag to clean any sand debris off the cabinets. Then apply your
primer. Primer helps the following layer of paint to stick to the cabinets.
It also allows the previous color of the cabinets to not show through the new
layer of paint. Finally, paint the cabinets the color of your choice.
2. Redesign Cabinet Spaces
If you do not want to repaint your cabinets, you can look at buying new ones.
There are many designs which suit many different living styles. For example,
some cabinets are designed specifically to lift up and out allowing you to place
bulky appliances in them without having to strain while reaching into the cabinet.
The cabinet comes out to you.
These are great solutions for people who have small kitchen spaces, but enjoy
using common electronic appliances such as a food process like the Cuisinart
prep 11 plus 11 cup food processor, or even meat grinders. These are fairly
light appliances which weigh less than 20 pounds. In fact, many home
meat grinders weigh very little - such as the Waring Pro MG 800 at 13 pounds.
3. New Hardware
There are other additional steps which can be taken to update the look and feel
of your kitchen. Getting rid of old handles or knobs and replacing them with
newer ones is a great way to add a nice touch. This is a good tip when selling
a home on a low budget. Broken, cracked or dulled handles add nothing to a kitchen.
Replace them with a nice design that matches the style of the kitchen.
4. Clean Your Kitchen
A no cost way to update your kitchen is simply cleaning it. Clutter to any degree
will detract from the attractiveness of a kitchen. Go through everything that
is on the countertops and either toss it out, or find a new place for it. Go
through all your kitchenware gadgets and junk drawers and look for things that
have not been used for at least a year and can be donated to charity. If you
cannot use them, maybe someone else can.
5. Create new storage opportunities.
If updating your cabinets is not an option to provide more space, try adding
a rolling cart or island to your kitchen. These come in a variety of styles,
designs and sizes. Not only do these often provide additional working space,
but they also offer a new place for storing kitchen items, such as small appliances
like a mini food processor, coffee grinders, or even stackable mixing bowls.
Updating your kitchen does not have to be an expensive task for everyone. There
are many solutions to the issues of space and decor. From a simple paint job
to rolling in some extra work space - you can soon find your own solution for
your kitchen.
SimpleItalianCooking.com provides easy
Italian recipes and reviews on various kitchenware products.
across the nation. From the single mom living in a condo to the handyman father
of 3, everyone knows springtime is for cleaning. A great place to start cleaning
and updating is the kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where
memories of mom making chocolate chip cookie dough with her food processor,
or making homemade hamburgers with her manual meat grinder are made. This is
why it is not surprising that the kitchen is where most people invest their
money for renovations.
Here are a few tips to update a kitchen with a fresh look.
1. Paint the Cabinets
Depending on a person's budget this may involve a simple paint job, or it might
involve tearing the old ones down and putting up new ones. To paint the cabinets
is obviously your cheapest option and involves a few easy steps. It is easiest
to paint the cabinets when you remove them from the hinges and find a work area
which is low in humidity. If it is too humid, the paint will take a very long
time to dry. Begin by cleaning the cabinets with warm soapy water and a rag.
Make sure all grease and other grime is removed. Next, using sandpaper with
a 200 grit or less, 150 grit is better, lightly sand each cabinet. This allows
the primer to adhere to the cabinet.
Use a damp rag to clean any sand debris off the cabinets. Then apply your
primer. Primer helps the following layer of paint to stick to the cabinets.
It also allows the previous color of the cabinets to not show through the new
layer of paint. Finally, paint the cabinets the color of your choice.
2. Redesign Cabinet Spaces
If you do not want to repaint your cabinets, you can look at buying new ones.
There are many designs which suit many different living styles. For example,
some cabinets are designed specifically to lift up and out allowing you to place
bulky appliances in them without having to strain while reaching into the cabinet.
The cabinet comes out to you.
These are great solutions for people who have small kitchen spaces, but enjoy
using common electronic appliances such as a food process like the Cuisinart
prep 11 plus 11 cup food processor, or even meat grinders. These are fairly
light appliances which weigh less than 20 pounds. In fact, many home
meat grinders weigh very little - such as the Waring Pro MG 800 at 13 pounds.
3. New Hardware
There are other additional steps which can be taken to update the look and feel
of your kitchen. Getting rid of old handles or knobs and replacing them with
newer ones is a great way to add a nice touch. This is a good tip when selling
a home on a low budget. Broken, cracked or dulled handles add nothing to a kitchen.
Replace them with a nice design that matches the style of the kitchen.
4. Clean Your Kitchen
A no cost way to update your kitchen is simply cleaning it. Clutter to any degree
will detract from the attractiveness of a kitchen. Go through everything that
is on the countertops and either toss it out, or find a new place for it. Go
through all your kitchenware gadgets and junk drawers and look for things that
have not been used for at least a year and can be donated to charity. If you
cannot use them, maybe someone else can.
5. Create new storage opportunities.
If updating your cabinets is not an option to provide more space, try adding
a rolling cart or island to your kitchen. These come in a variety of styles,
designs and sizes. Not only do these often provide additional working space,
but they also offer a new place for storing kitchen items, such as small appliances
like a mini food processor, coffee grinders, or even stackable mixing bowls.
Updating your kitchen does not have to be an expensive task for everyone. There
are many solutions to the issues of space and decor. From a simple paint job
to rolling in some extra work space - you can soon find your own solution for
your kitchen.
SimpleItalianCooking.com provides easy
Italian recipes and reviews on various kitchenware products.
Posted by : SimpleItalianCooking
@ Sep 17, 2010
