When you are buying cabinets for your home, you should get what’s best and right. Click here for a kitchen cabinet buying guide.
When it comes to improving the appearance of your home, updating your kitchen is one of the best decisions you can make.
Even if you can’t afford a total kitchen remodel, making a change like installing new cabinets can have a big impact on the way the room looks and feels.
We can’t forget the way it affects your home’s resale value, either. A minor kitchen remodel can add more than $16,000 (on average) to the sale price of your home. Who doesn’t want that?
If you’re beginning the process of buying cabinets for your kitchen, keep reading. Listed below are some tips that will help you choose the best option for your home.
Set Your Budget First
Before you take on any kind of home improvement project, it’s best to sit down and figure out how much you can afford to spend.
Having a budget in place will help to guide you through the project and ensure you don’t go too far in debt in order to get your ideal kitchen. It’ll also help you weed out styles that cost way beyond what you’re comfortable spending before you get attached to them.
Choose the Right Style
When it comes to kitchen cabinets, there are tons of styles from which you can choose.
One of the main styling decisions you’ll have to make is whether you want framed or frameless cabinets.
Framed cabinets feature a box and face frame, and the doors and drawers attach to that frame.
Frameless cabinets have no face frame and have doors and drawers attached directly to the box.
Frameless cabinets have a more contemporary look, and framed cabinets tend to have a more classic, homey feel.
Know Your Wood and Color Options
In addition to deciding between framed and frameless cabinets, you’ll also need to decide what type of wood you want and what color you want to paint it.
There are tons of different wood and color options for you to consider. Whether you want classic dark cherry cabinets or want to lighten things up with a bright white paint job, your choices are pretty much limitless.
You may want to talk to a designer to get an idea of what will look best in and add the most value to your kitchen.
Consider the Construction
When you’re inspecting cabinets, be on the lookout for signs of good construction. The following are some indicators that your cabinets are well-built:
- Solid wood drawers with dovetail joints
- Full-extension drawer guides
- Solid wood doorframes
Your cabinets also should be made with solid wood or plywood panels. Avoid ones that are made with particleboard or fiberboard, as they’re less sturdy and less durable.
Don’t Forget the Little Features
Sometimes, it’s the little things that make the biggest difference.
Choosing the right hardware for your cabinets, for example, can help to create the right vibe in your kitchen and turn it into a room where you love to spend your time.
Don’t forget about other features like adding springs for a lift cabinet or installing a pull-out cupboard for your trash can.
Consider the Need for Customization
When you’re making a plan for your kitchen cabinets, be sure to think about how much customization you’ll need to do.
For example, do you have a kitchen with a unique shape or one that’s smaller or larger than average? If so, you may need to have special cabinets made to fit into your kitchen without causing it to feel cluttered or too empty.
Focus on Function
Make sure you choose cabinets that fit your specific functional needs, too.
Do pull-out drawers for the base cabinets work better than swinging doors? Do you need a special storage area to keep certain kitchen tools away from young kids?
It’s easy to get caught up thinking about aesthetics, but don’t forget about the everyday use of your kitchen while you’re at it.
Think About Organizational Needs
Be sure to keep organization in mind when making decisions about your kitchen cabinets, too. For example, do you want to install things like lazy susans or storage racks to help you keep everything sorted and easily accessible?
Adding these features to your cabinets can make them more functional and make your kitchen a much more enjoyable place to be.
Maximize Your Space
In addition to prioritizing the organization, make sure you’re utilizing as much space in your kitchen as possible.
Even if you have a small kitchen, you can make it feel larger and get more bang for your buck if you use the space in the right way. For example, you could get a lot more out of your kitchen if you considered adding some cabinets under your island to allow for more storage.
Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box.
Look Into Lighting
If you want your new kitchen cabinets to look great in your home, you need to make sure your kitchen is lit properly, too. Once you’ve made all the decisions regarding your cabinets themselves, don’t forget to spend some time thinking about your lighting options.
You may need to add some more lights to your kitchen to brighten the place up and showcase your new cabinets. You may also want to consider installing some under-cabinet lights or motion-sensor lights so you can find what you need even in the dark.
Start Buying Cabinets Today
When you first decide that you want new cabinets for your kitchen, you might feel a little (or a lot) overwhelmed.
There’s a lot of decisions to make when it comes to buying cabinets. However, if you keep these tips in mind, you’ll have an easier time deciding what you want and need for your kitchen. It’ll also be easier for you to stay within your budget and avoid breaking the bank.
If you want more advice on choosing cabinets or making other kitchen remodeling decisions, head to the Home Improvement section of our site today. There are tons of helpful articles there that will get you up to speed and help you feel confident moving forward with this big project.
