How to choose Kitchen Cabinet Colors

Picking kitchen cabinet colors can be a big decision. You may have paint chips & swatches taped up all over your kitchen. Since you will probably have to paint several coats, you want to make sure you get the color right the first time. There is nothing worse than finishing a diy project that took several weeks only to discover that you hate the finished result. Here is how to pick kitchen cabinet colors that you will love for years to come.

Instructions

1

Base your kitchen cabinet colors around a subtle theme. This doesn't mean that your kitchen has to end up looking like a tacky restaurant. Instead follow the lead of Trading Spaces designers & look at food or flowers for your inspiration. It might seem like a kitchen based around a lemon would be too bright. However, if you cut open a lemon you will notice that there are many tones of yellow & even white. Stop thinking of an asparagus as being just green & really look to the things surrounding you for inspiration.

2

Keep it neutral. After you finish painting your cupboards, you will probably never want to do it again. So, choose kitchen cabinet colors that will work with a lot of different styles. This way you won't have to repaint when your decorating sensibilities change in a few years. This also ensures that if you need to sell your house you probably won't need to go through all of that work again.

3

Think of the kitchen cabinet colors en mass. Bright turquoise might be your favorite color so it seems like a fantastic idea to slap it on the cupboards. However, you probably have more cabinet space than you do wall space in your kitchen. This means that bright color will be the dominate one in the room & it will probably seem overwhelming. Instead, use a funky color on the window treatments, light fixture or get a new set of fun dishes.

4

Open up the magazines. Usually, if you are trying a diy project, the decorating magazines can be discouraging. Everything seems too expensive & requires a team of carpenters. However, you can probably see what the popular kitchen cabinet colors are. This is one thing that you can actually afford & emulate. A pretty paint color costs the same price as an ugly one.

How to Make Cabinet Doors With Moulding

New cabinets are a great way to transform an old kitchen or bathroom. They are also a very expensive way to do it. Simply replacing your cabinet doors can achieve much of the effect, with little of the cost. Just by using commonly available moldings and plywood, you can easily and quickly upgrade your doors and your kitchen or bath.

Instructions

1

Make a diagram of your cabinets. Measure the height and width of each cabinet door opening and record it on the diagram. Regardless of whether you choose to list height or width first, whichever dimension you list first should be the first dimension on all the doors. This saves a lot of confusion and remeasuring down the line.

2

Add a 1 inch to both dimensions on each door opening. Gang ripping the plywood is the fastest method, as opposed to cutting out one door at a time. Most of your doors should have some common dimensions. Simply rip a sheet of plywood to a common dimension, and then cut the individual doors out of the ripped sheet. For example, a lot of base cabinet doors will be the same height. Just rip the sheet to that dimension and then come back and cut the doors out according to width. That will save several cuts for each sheet of plywood.

3

Determine molding dimensions. There are two ways to do this. The first is more accurate but also more time consuming. Place a piece of molding where it will go on the door and use a pencil to mark the two corners. The second involves measuring each side of the door and recording the measurement. It is best to write the dimension on the side of the door as well as a separate cut sheet. Then use the measurements to mark the molding so you know where to cut each piece.

4

Using the marks made in Step 3, cut the molding. Each mark is a long point of a 45 degree cut. That is, the saw will cut from the mark, or long point, across and into the body of the molding, so that the front side of the molding is shorter than the back side.

5

Place the molding in place on the door and check to see if any pieces need to be recut. When all the molding is ready, apply glue to the back side and then nail in place. Fill the nail holes with wood putty and caulk the seams where the molding meets the plywood panel.

How to Get a Designer Kitchen Backsplash

A backsplash will really give your kitchen a beautiful custom look. Here's how to design your backsplash.

Instructions

1

The very first thing you will have to decide is what look you would like to achieve. If you have a modern kitchen, country kitchen, traditional kitchen, euro kitchen or any other type of style, it must be considered first.

2

The next step is to think about the colors you would like to bring into your kitchen. Most kitchens are in the neutral color family and could really use a little color to jazz it up. The backsplash is the perfect place to do it.

3

Glass mosaic tiles are becoming more popular now than ever with new kitchens. Glass mosaic tiles come in square and subway but that doesn't mean you have to confirm to those shapes. It is possible to cut glass tiles with a tile cutter and make any design you like.

Glass mosaic tiles look wonderful in modern kitchens, traditional kitchens and euro kitchens and the colors are limitless!

4

Homeowners looking to design their kitchen with a Tuscan theme will enjoy stone tiles or ceramic tiles that look like stone. Many people choose to paint these tiles but you if you are not very artistic you may buy a backsplash that is pre-painted.

5

Stainless steel backsplashes are really making a comeback with kitchen designers these days. A stainless steel backsplash is one of the easiest backsplash to keep clean.

Stainless steel backsplashes can be installed as a sheet or tiles and come in several patterns and textures. The more interesting the texture or pattern, the more expensive the stainless steel backsplash will be.

6

A quartz backsplash is stylish and easy to keep clean. This look goes with almost any type of kitchen and comes in a variety of colors that will should suit almost any kitchen design.

Quartz is nonporous, stain resistant, heat resistant and scratch resistant so if you are looking for a really sturdy stone, this alternative to granite or marble may be just what you are looking for.

Quartz is sold as engineered stone and is 93% quartz and can be found almost anywhere granite and marble are sold. It can also be found at Home Depot, Lowes and other large home repair retailers.

Engineered stone is very heavy so this project should be left to the professionals and do not try to do this yourself.

7

Look at home magazines to get ideas of what other kitchens are doing. When you go shopping for your backsplash, bring pictures of what you like so the sales person is on the same page with you and knows exactly what you are looking for.

How to Cut Marble Counter Tops

Renovating the counter tops in your home can be a challenging task. You must measure correctly and make quality cuts to make your job look as professional as possible. Marble is a beautiful choice for counter tops, but cutting marble can be tricky.

Instructions

1

Mark the marble counter with a grease pencil where you want to cut it.

2

Put on your protective goggles and gloves.

3

Screw in a hose to the water connection on the wet saw. Plug the wet saw into a standard 110 V outlet. Turn on the water source.

4

Line up the wet saw with the cut line. Pull the saw's trigger and slowly push the wet saw through the marble. Don't go too fast as the marble won't get wet enough and the saw may crack the marble.

How to Install an Aluminnum Backsplash in a Kitchen

An aluminum kitchen backsplash can add a sophisticated, contemporary vibe to your kitchen or vintage charm depending on the pattern and finish you choose. Either way, it's economical, easy to install, less time-consuming than tile, and will give your kitchen a fabulous new look.

Instructions

1

Measure your backsplash area and purchase aluminum panels that most closely match your height. For example, 18 inches between counter top and the bottom of your overhead cabinets is most common, so you would purchase aluminum panels 18 inches high to minimize cuts. Measure the total length needed to complete your backsplash and order at least 2 or 3 extra panels to allow for mistakes.

2

Many merchants offer stamped designs or patterns. Choose one you like for your backsplash, but try and keep the pattern repeat to 6 inches if you are working with a smaller area (like the common 18-inch height).

3

Use tin snips with pointed blades (wear protective gloves) to trim your first panel to fit (if necessary, perhaps to accommodate an outlet or light switch in the wall) starting at an outside edge of your backsplash. Once it's trimmed and dry-fitted to the wall to ensure a snug fit, coat the back of the aluminum panel with adhesive, like Acrylpro Tile Adhesive. Make sure you spread adhesive into the stamped designs for the best protection against dents.

4

Press the buttered panel firmly in place against the wall. Then, hammer decorative brad nails into each corner to hold.

5

Cut the next panel. There will be a 3/8-inch overlap channel to help lock the 2 panels together for a snug fit. Still coat the back with adhesive, making sure to coat the stamped design well, but this time add a bead of clear caulk to the overlap channel before securing against the wall. Once placed on the wall, add the decorative brad nails in the corners and continue with the rest of the panels.

6

Once all the panels are in place and secured with brad nails, apply a bead of clear caulk between the countertop and bottom of panels. Let dry completely.

7

Sit back and enjoy your new backsplash.

How to Install a Shutoff Valve for a Kitchen Faucet

It is convenient to be able to turn the water off under your kitchen sink if the faucet is in need of repairs or replacement. This is only possible if there is a shut-off valve installed on the hot and cold water lines feeding the kitchen faucet. Adding shut-off valves to the supply lines sounds more intimidating than it really is.

Instructions

1

Turn the main water supply valve to the whole house or building off and turn a water faucet on in another room to relieve pressure on the water system.

2

Wrap Teflon tape around the supply connection (the connection that the supply line for the hot and cold water for the faucet will be hooked up to) of the shut-off valve that will be installed under the kitchen sink. Look at the photo of the two valves above. The supply connection is the small hook-up pointing forward on the top valve and the small hook-up pointing upward on the bottom valve.

3

Clean the hot and the cold copper supply lines coming out of the wall under the sink with a piece of emery cloth to remove any dirt and debris. Cleaning the copper pipes will help the connection between the copper pipe and the shut-off valve become stronger and minimize the possibility of leaks.

4




Realize a leak-free connection between the copper pipe and the shut-off valve is made possible by what is called a compression fitting. A compression fitting is composed of a threaded nut, a compression ring and the shut-off valve itself. Slide one nut onto each copper pipe with the threading toward the ends of the copper pipes, followed by one compression ring for each pipe.

5

Slide the valves onto the ends of the pipes and slide the compression rings and nuts toward the valves. Tighten the nuts into the valves with a pair of crescent wrenches. Tightening the nuts onto the valves smashes the compression rings onto the copper pipe creating a water-tight seal. Be sure the valves are in the "off" position so all of the water pressure does not hit the faucet all at once.

6

Thread the hot and cold water supply lines that feed the faucet onto the supply connection of each valve and tighten with a crescent wrench.

7

Turn the main water supply to the house or building back on. Then turn the valves to the kitchen faucet to the "on" position.

How to Build a Kitchen Pantry

A kitchen pantry is a necessity, especially if you have a family to care for. Whittle out some space for one in your kitchen. It takes some carpentry skills and time, but it's worth it to have a space to put your cereal.
This one is a bare-bones design, but you can make it as nice as you like by using better wood. The quantities and exact materials will vary according to your own specific needs.

Instructions

Making a Kitchen Pantry

1

Find a place where you can place a pantry. In the pictures, an unused closet whose back wall was in the kitchen was used. You may have a similar closet.

2

Block off your space with a plastic sheet hung from the ceiling down and taped shut; this next bit is very dusty. If you don't, drywall dust will get all over your home.
Knock out the drywall with a hammer. In a closet, there should be no wiring or plumbing that will get in the way. Cut the edges with a box cutter or reciprocating saw to neaten.

3

Measure the empty space. You'll need the height, the width and the depth. Measure in several areas; the insides may not be square.

4

Design your pantry. Look at what you'll need to put in it and how much space you need between the shelves. If you like to buy large bulk cereal boxes, for instance, you'll need more space.
Consider what kind of cooking you like to do. For example, you might like to have a shelf just for your baking goods, like your flour and sugar containers.

5

Install plywood on the sides, bottom and top of your pantry, securing with screws. If you are more concerned about appearance, you can use a nicer wood or laminate. Also note that if you want to paint or stain this wood, do it before you install it.

6




Make your shelves. The most difficult thing about making pull-out shelves is making sure they're sturdy enough to hold the weight of groceries like canned goods.
These have a fiberboard bottom and sides created from 1-by-2s. Do one shelf at a time, to make sure each one works.
Before you attach the pieces together, take the sides of the shelves and rout the outer sides near the bottom to make a groove for the hardware to work properly.
Also, rout the inner sides so you can sit the fiberboard bottom tightly inside the grooves.

7




Put the shelf together, using wood glue and screws.
To make the shelf look a little nicer, countersink the screws on the front face. Measure the hole, then cut a piece of dowel in that circumference.
Glue the dowel piece into the countersink hole.

8




Screw the slide-out hardware onto the sides of the cabinets. Take care that this is level.
Attach the hardware to the bottom of the shelves.
Repeat with as many shelves as you need.

9




Reinforce the shelves. Doing this is a good idea because they'll hold a lot of weight. Here, 1-by-2 pieces of wood were measured to the correct width, then placed underneath the shelf with metal brackets.

10

Make a place to store cookie sheets and large pans by attaching a nonsliding shelf. Look at your pans and decide how far apart you want to make the niches. Cut spacers made out of plywood (or wood strips of your choice) and glue them to the top and bottom of this space. Then, measure plywood (or wood of your choice) to make the vertical spacers. Slide in the vertical pieces of wood to create the niches.

11

Finish the pantry. Add molding to the raw edges of drywall.
Add cupboard doors (you may have to adapt off-the-shelf doors or make your own). You could also install a curtain instead.