Practical ways In Cabinet Refacing
Kitchen DIY > Home-diyHaving to change your cabinets would mean spending more money if you intend to purchase new ones. In situations wherein you made some improvements in your home and did some renovations, having the same old, beat-up cabinets would ruin how your new room would look like. Unless you have prepared a huge amount for your home improvement, cabinet refacing is a better way to enhance how these cabinets look. It would be a better solution than to throw them away in exchange for new and more expensive o
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The very first thing you need to do in cabinet refacing is to make sure these cabinets are still sturdy and undamaged. Termites are the very worst enemy that can ruin your furniture’s as well as your entire home. If during renovation you didn’t find any trace of these pests then more likely your cabinets and other furniture are also in a very safe condition. But still, you need to make sure, so check the front, back and sides of these cabinets you want to continue using and see if it can still serve its purpose.
After checking on it and making sure all parts are still in great condition, you can dismantle it piece by piece. If there are parts that show the need for a replacement, you can take its measurement and buy plywood and some pieces of wood to use as frames. However, if everything is usable then it is time to restructure each piece. After unscrewing everything and having them separated, you can begin with the back part of the cabinet. Use a medium to coarse grit sandpaper to even all outer parts of the wood cabinet. You can fill holes and uneven areas with putty to make sure it comes out smoothly. Wait until the putty dries and sand it again.
Once you are done in smoothing all surfaces on all parts of the cabinet, you can start applying the paint on it. If you want a natural look, you can use varnish but if you want a longer lasting color, it would be best if you choose to use a water based acrylic paint. You can use any color you want and paint it thinly and evenly on the first application. Starting from the back parts then the doors and the drawers. Painting all parts while they are separate from each other allows you not to miss on any hidden part making sure that everything is painted evenly.
After painting everything, wait for two to four hours to make sure the paint is totally dry. After checking all pieces, you can screw them back together back to its original structure. This will definitely change how your old cabinet looks and a lot cheaper compared to buying new ones. Replacing furniture will hit you hard on your finances but cabinet refacing will absolutely cost you much much lower. This is a time to be practical and to be more creative. Learning to do it yourself will even make you feel good about yourself so why not try it out.
May 5, 2013 at 6:06 pm | DIY, Home DIY | No comment
Having Your Own Kitchen Gadgets
Kitchen DIY > Home-diyIf you are a person who loves to stay in the kitchen and cook then you must want to acquire all kinds of kitchen tools and gadgets. From pots and pans down to dessert makers, you would want to see all of these lined up on your counter or cupboards and cabinets. Although it is a lovely thought having all of these in your kitchen but they are also seriously expensive. You do not have to give up on wanting to have them though since you can improvise and make your own kitchen gadgets.
Pancakes are perfect for breakfast and if you have children who loves to eat it every morning you can create the perfect shaped pancakes without purchasing a pancake maker. It would cost you a couple of bucks to buy one but if you have an empty easy squeeze ketchup bottle you’d be surprised to see how perfect your pancakes can be. All you need to do is wash the ketchup bottle and fill it with pancake batter. Once your griddle is hot and ready to cook, you can just squeeze consistent amount of batter. You can use these kitchen gadgets every day.
Dinner time is an important meal preparing time and smoked viands are always a treat for the family but the tools used for smoking foods are a little bit expensive. Improvising what you have in your house can still provide you with quality products. What you need is your grill that has a lid, a tin can, can opener, soldering iron and wood chips, pliers and safe edge can opener. After preparing all the materials then you are ready to begin with your venture.
First, you need to make a keyhole where the soldering iron’s business end fits through it. You can use the can opener to open it and pliers to pry the lid outward to complete these kitchen gadgets. You should also make sure that the hole is big enough to have the wood chips inside the can. Creating a keyhole as tiny ventilation at the bottom will generate more smoke. You can fill the can at least 1/3 full to provide you with around 30-40 minutes of smoke. Adding spices on the wood chips like a cinnamon stick and star anise can also provide a better result.
After preparing everything then you can place the food you want to cook on the grilling plate and the can assembly next to it. You just have to wait for at least 30-40 minutes after you close the lid of the grill. You can expect to have the best tasting smoked salmon or meat after a couple of minutes. This is just two of the many things you can use out of the things you have inside your house. If you find time to learn about creating kitchen gadgets you will surely be able to create all the food you want to cook without buying those expensive products in the market.
April 17, 2013 at 3:45 am | Home DIY | No comment
Fixing Your Cabinets
Kitchen DIY > Home-diyMoney is always the issue whenever you think of renovations or even tiny improvements in your home. Sometimes you decide on working on each part one by one to avoid spending beyond your budget. It is really fortunate that you can learn a lot of ideas from magazines which are related to home improvements as well as those programs on televisions showing how to improve your homes by yourself. If you are one of those people who are technologically inclined then you are luckier since you can pick up a lot of grand ideas from DIY websites and blogs which gives you step by step instructions in improving your place.
Kitchens are sometimes neglected since the only time it gets to be visited is when someone prepares food. However, this shouldn’t be the case because the kitchen is also an important portion of one’s home and it should look as cozy and comfortable like any other room. Using what you learned from those DIY discussions on TV as well as the ones available on the internet. Hand painted kitchens are absolutely a great way to improve the way your kitchen looks plus the fact that it is entirely cost effective.
Instead of hiring professionals to beautify your kitchen, you can repaint your kitchen doors and windows and the cabinets using the colors you like. Hand painting your kitchen can be laborious but it will give you extreme satisfaction after you are finished with the job. You first need to decide on the color that you want to use on your doors, window frames or cabinets. Once that is taken care of, you can now proceed in completing your task.
Hand painted kitchens doesn’t entirely mean painting the whole room so you can either choose to paint your choice especially if you are keeping a budget. Usually, kitchen cabinets are the focus when doing hand painted kitchens. Take note of what you need to have and these are:
- Paint- can be oil based of acrylic latex
- Primer
- An Angled brush
- Sandpaper- 100 grit or 220 grit
- Sponge
- Degreaser or TSP
- Tack Cloth
- Gloves
Once you have the materials, you can start your painting job. First, remove all parts of the cabinet and clean it thoroughly using the sponge with a degreaser or TSP. Wearing gloves can help a lot to avoid touching the chemicals. After cleaning all parts, rough up the surface using the sandpaper then wipe all sawdust and dirt. Apply your primer to make sure the surface is smoother and then wait for it to dry then sand it again to even all surface. Clean the surface again to ensure that no sawdust or any kind of particle sticks to the paint. Put another coat of primer at least two more times and sand it to make everything even after that it should be painting time.
You can start at the back panels of the cabinets the same way you did it with the primer. Just apply a thin coat and wait for it to dry thoroughly. DO the same thing with all other parts of the cabinet while making sure there are no dust particles sticking to it. Once dry, apply a second coating then wait for it to dry. Assemble your cabinet after you are sure the parts are dry. It usually takes a day or two before it dries up. You can actually take a glass of drink while appreciating your product, something you truly deserve after you attach it back on the wall.
April 15, 2013 at 3:54 am | Home DIY | 1 comment
Kitchen Extension Ideas
Kitchen DIY > Home-diyFresh Kitchen Extension Ideas
The time for conventional kitchens just ended. Home owners are now looking for a kitchen that is both functional and efficient, a kitchen that can be turned in to a “eat in” kitchen. Modern kitchens are no longer just a place where you cook, it is a place where you can entertain and even become a place to relax. It is no surprise why more and more home owners are moving towards a makeover – to make their kitchen a showcase of themselves.
Here are some great Kitchen Extension Ideas to a more modern and functional kitchen in your home. (more…)
March 14, 2011 at 6:39 am | Home DIY | No comment