Kitchen Remodeling Ideas - The Hidden Fridge

If you're planning out your kitchen remodeling project, consider a hidden refrigerator.

You can put a large cabinet door over the door of your fridge to make it blend in with the rest of the kitchen. If you're not going with a new fridge or you simply want a cleaner look to the room, have your kitchen remodeler or cabinet company make a custom door for you. You can do the same with a few other kitchen appliances, such as your dishwasher or your garbage compactor.

However, if you've got a lot of new cabinets and cabinet door fronts, you should consider varying the cabinet doors. If you've got all the same cabinet doors at all the same heights, it can look too uniform. Add a door with glass and lighting inside the cabinet.

Also, add a wine rack or appliance garage to break up an overwhelming "same-ness" in your kitchen cabinetry.

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Budget Kitchen Remodeling: Cabinet Replacement

Everyone wants to save money. But everyone also would love a new look in their kitchens. One of the most expensive elements to any kitchen remodeling plan is the installation of new kitchen cabinets. Whether you go with stock, semi-custom, or fully customized kitchen cabinets, they are expensive. A great idea to revitalize your kitchen, and save your cash, would be to leave you current cabinets in place and to have the surface, or visible area, of the cabinets replaced.

It's not for every kitchen remodel. If you need additional cabinet or storage space or if you're unhappy with the current layout of the room, this won't help you. You may be able to add a kitchen island for more counter and storage space, if you have the room, but a door replacement is cosmetic and not structural. It's sort of like painting your car - it's not giving you a new car, it's giving you a fresh new look on your current one.

If you'd love a new look in your kitchen, you can save by replacing the cabinet doors and hardware. Add to that a new countertop and maybe even new flooring, and you could save thousands over a complete kitchen remodeling project.

In a cabinet door replacement job, you can replace them with completely new doors and hardware. You can choose the new style, the new color or stain, and the finish on the hardware. If you're doing a budget kitchen remodel, you should start with your cabinets - once you've decided on the style and design of the cabinet doors, you can build the rest of the renovation around them. Matching or contrasting the new stains or color of cabinet doors can really change the look and feel of the room. You might even be able to bring more light into a dark kitchen with lighter colors on the cabinet doors and countertops.

Another aspect to changing your cabinets is that you can upgrade the hinges on the doors. You can switch from the standard hinges that are visible on the outside of the doors to the hidden, or Euro, hinges that are within the cabinets. They can give a much cleaner look and feel to the design of the room.

Cabinet door replacement companies can also make minor adjustments to your cabinet and storage spaces. Lazy Susan spinning cabinets can be installed in existing spaces. Wine racks can replace a single cabinet. Appliance garages can also be added to countertop areas or underneath your current cabinets. Lighting can be added underneath, as well.

A great contemporary option is to add transparent or nearly-transparent cabinet doors along with lighting inside the cabinet (and maybe even glass shelves.) It makes a powerful impact to the room and can considerably lighten a darker kitchen.

A final option - if you've got cabinets that are quality, handmade, or custom in nature - you might consider finding a wood restoration company. These company won't simply replace the doors, they will resurface the existing doors. The door can be cleaned, sanded, wet burnished, and new stains or dyes added. Damage or gouges can be refinished. Coats of gloss or semi-gloss sealers can be added as a final touch. These new finishes can make cleaning easier and protect the surface from any UV damage.

If you need to locate a kitchen cabinet replacement company, or cabinet resurfacing pros, you can post your project for free at Construction Deal. Click through this blog and give us your details - we'll send your request out to as many Cabinet Experts as you would like (which save you time by not having to call them all yourself!) And you can choose how many of the companies in our network will contact you!

Always get multiple bids on any remodeling project so that you can get the job done for the right price in your budget.

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The Perfect Kitchen Floor?

What is the best material to use on your kitchen floor? Whenever anyone plans their kitchen remodeling project, it's usually the 2nd question -- after deciding on the kitchen countertop material. What type of flooring you use in the kitchen is very important. The kitchen has become one of the most important rooms in the house. More and more homeowners are spending more time in their kitchen. Kitchens usually have a lot of foot traffic. Even people who do not cook extensively in their kitchen still spend a large amount of time, on their feet, on those floors. The kitchen flooring needs to be comfortable, durable, low maintenance, and aesthetically pleasing.

Many love the look of natural stone - like marble, slate, granite, or travertine - for their flooring material. It can be very durable and could withstand a lot of traffic. But most natural stone flooring needs to be sealed to avoid stains, and there can be a lot of potential for staining on a kitchen floor. It's also too hard to stand on for lengths at a time.

Decades ago, people put carpeting in their kitchens. Carpeting was certainly comfortable to stand on. But, again, because of spills and stains, carpeting is not a great idea for the kitchen.

Your best bet is to consider a tile, wood, or laminate flooring. Vinyl, laminate, or linoleum flooring brings back horrifying images of bad kitchen designs from the 60's and 70's, but check out some of the latest versions of these materials. They've come a long way to looking more like wood but with less maintenance requirements.

Wood is also a great option for kitchen flooring. Nothing can compare with the look and feel of natural wood on kitchen floors. It can be purchased in a contrasting color or stain to the cabinets to really stand out and make a statement. But keep in mind that wood is not impervious to moisture and there can be a lot of moisture in a kitchen.

Two materials to consider as a slight alternative to wood - Bamboo flooring and Cork flooring. Both are similar but have less environmental impact and can be more durable and less expensive than a traditional hardwood floor.

The nice thing about going with vinyl, wood, cork, or bamboo is that you can soften the material further by adding non-slip rugs to the room.

To help keep installation costs down, make sure you go with a compatible flooring material that will match up with your current kitchen floor substrate. If you've got a concrete substrate in your kitchen, your flooring contractor may need to install additional materials before installing a hardwood floor. This can add to installation costs. Especially if adding a thick wood flooring affects cabinet and door height in the room. If you've got a wood substrate, you may not be able to go with ceramic tiles directly applied to the wood because of structural weakness. Adding to the wood substrate could also increase installation costs. It's best to save money if you can make sure your flooring choice matches your kitchens substrate.

If you need to find a local Kitchen Remodeling Company, look no further than ConstructionDeal.com. We'll match you with Kitchen Remodeling Pros in your area - and you can post the job free of charge. It's the fast, free, and easy way to find a Kitchen Expert!

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Kitchen Remodeling Budgets

We discovered an interesting survey in the latest issue of Kitchen & Bath Design News. It could be something to consider when you're planning out your budget for your kitchen remodeling project. Many always want to try and save as much money as possible - no matter what your overall wealth or fiscal situation is. Everyone wants to get a good deal.

The study involved some 10,000 consumers who had recently had their kitchens remodeled. When asked what they would do differently, most responded they wish they'd taken more time to plan and budget their project. Many times this had to do with not knowing about new products and what they could do. Hindsight is always 20/20.

It was also interesting to note that 3 in 10 surveyed said they would have spent even more money on the project if they could start over and do it all again, while only 7% said they would spend less...

The survey was conducted by Research Institute for Cooking & Kitchen Intelligence (RICKI).

Another interesting aspect - two thirds hired professionals to do their kitchen remodeling work, but that means that one third did some or all of the work themselves. When asked about the experience, 33% of those who did some or all the work on their own said they would bring in professional help the next time they were to undertake such a big remodeling project.

Contact ConstructionDeal.com to find a local kitchen remodeling specialist to help plan and budget your renovation project. It's a free service to have kitchen designers contact you instead of you having to try to call them all by yourself - it's the smart way to find a contractor.

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Kitchen Remodeling: the Banquette

Kitchens have become the new dining rooms. In fact, many are expanding their kitchens by knocking down a wall or two and invading the formal dining room space. Why? Because people love to spend time in the kitchens. While mom or dad is preparing dinner, they like to be able to talk to the kids as they do their homework. Or perhaps the guests want to talk with their host at a dinner party as the meal is being prepared.

Whatever the reason, it's important to make sure you include a place to dine or sit and talk or do your homework when you remodel your kitchen. A great idea from days long gone is being resurrected in the modern kitchen. The banquette has made a comeback. It's a great seating and dining option and you may have room in your new kitchen design plans. Talk with your kitchen remodeling company about having a banquette installed in the room.

The banquette comes in several forms. It can be two benches, with a table between, and chairs or stools as an optional seating choice for the exposed end. The banquette could also be U-shaped with benches surrounding the table on three sides. If you have limited space, you can set up a banquette with benches in an L-shape with chairs or stools on the other ends. Finally, you could even do one bench and a table with chairs on two or three sides.

The great thing about the banquette benches in your kitchen is they provide additional storage. It's almost like having two or even three whole new cabinets to handle kitchen items that are used infrequently.

No matter what your kitchen style is like, you can incorporate a banquette. If you've got a retro 50's kitchen with black and white tiles, you can insert a diner-like red vinyl booth. With a country flair kitchen, you can add a pine table with curvy, stylish ends on your bancquette benches and cushion material to match your kitchen linens. Asian, French, contemporary... no matter what your kitchen style, the banquette can be a great choice when you're remodeling the most important room in your house.

If you need to find a local kitchen designer or kitchen remodeling company, post your project for free with ConstructionDeal.com and we'll help you find a qualified company in your area. It's the smart way to find a contractor!

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Kitchen Remodeling Components

What's involved in a major kitchen remodel? There are 5 components to any kitchen renovation project. A kitchen owner can have all four completed at once, or have them done separately to avoid complete disruption or a longer remodeling time. It's usually best to have them all done at the same time by the same company to make sure the finished product works aesthetically and functionally.

Cabinetry
New kitchen cabinets are the biggest part of any remodeling project. They set the tone for the rest of the room, they usually cost the most, and can bring the most overall value to the project. Choices in styles of cabinets, types of wood, and dimensions are the first major decisions. Placement of the cabinetry and overall storage come next. Finally, the kitchen work triangle, that allows the entire room to be a functional cooking area, is planned out as part of the kitchen renovation design. All things to consider with your new cabinets.

Countertops
The kitchen counters on top of those new cabinets are the next component to revitalizing the room. Choices of countertop material is the key element - it's got to tie in to the cabinets and the floors to make a cohesive decorating style. A quality kitchen designer can give you countertop choices that will match existing or new cabinets to make sure the room's separate components works as one. Also, remember that the countertop spaces are going to be heavily used and very visible. It's necessary to review choices and look over large sections and not just small samples to make sure you're happy with your final decision.

Flooring
Next, flooring is going to fill the room and surround the cabinets. The material must be able to withstand your family's foot traffic as well as be able to handle plenty of moisture. If you're a cook or just like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, it's important to make sure the flooring material is not too hard on your feet or legs. You may love marble floors, but they can be hard to stand on for hours at a time in the kitchen. Also, to save money, don't put in your flooring until after your new cabinets have been installed. This way, you're not extending the floors to places you'll never see.

Lighting
Your kitchen's lighting scheme is usually an afterthought to a remodel. Lighting can highlight your new surfaces, make it easier to do kitchen chores, and can make the room safer while handing hot foods or working with dangerous appliances and cutlery. Make it part of your design and make sure you have a multitude of lighting choices. Adding dimmers, recessed lighting, hanging lights, and being able to have a variety of lighting settings can add wonder and value to your new kitchen.

Appliances
Many homeowners are adding new appliances, additional appliances, and storage options in their new kitchens. Plan out what you want your kitchen to have. Think about the colors and styles of new appliances. Consider if you have room for additional ones (a second microwave, dishwasher, or fridge.) It's your change to make sure your kitchen is right for you and your needs. Don't just go with what's popular. If you don't drink, don't install a wine cooler unit. If you don't entertain a lot, don't add a second dishwasher. Seems to make sense but sometimes people add something because it's in style but don't really need it.

When you're ready to remodel your kitchen, consider ConstructionDeal.com - our mission is to help you find a local, reliable contractor or kitchen designer to bring new life to the most important room in your home. Post your project for free, receive a multitude of bids from local remodeling companies, and save yourself some time and money in the process.

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