Painting is obviously one of the least expensive and most dramatic methods to update your kitchen, but do not just begin and stop there. First, assess the current state of the room. Is there enough storage space? Are your cabinets nicked? Are there any burn marks on your countertops? Is your kitchen more than 10 years old? In your kitchen, you get the biggest bang for your remodeling buck by addressing the issues mentioned above. To increase the value of your house, perform these five kitchen improvement projects:
Install new cabinets: Cabinets are a prime visual focal point in any kitchen They're also by far the greatest percentage of price in most kitchen remodels-as much as 70 percent of your whole budget.While hardwood cabinets are the most durable and of the highest quality, they are also probably the most expensive. Typical high-quality cabinetry in a 10-foot-by-12-foot kitchen can cost upwards of USD 40,000.
If custom cherry cabinets are out of your cost range, think about cabinets constructed from manmade materials, like pressboard or particleboard, but faced with real hardwood doors. These cabinets fall into the USD 7000 to USD 15,000 cost range. Use caution, though, when selecting these. Particleboard frequently cannot withstand the weight of heavy canned goods more than time and you will find often drawer-glide problems and warping.
Repainting your cabinets may also save you a lot of money, however it does not make sense to complete so if your cabinets are falling apart, says builder Steve Hendy. "It's like putting a new paint job on a car that does not run," he says. If your cabinets are in shabby shape, try to save money elsewhere and get the bestquality cabinets you can afford.
Install new countertops: Nothing improves your kitchen's look and feel quite like new countertops. Today, countertops are made from a dizzying array of materials, including laminate, an amazing variety of domestic and imported tile, Corian, and polished stone, such as quartz and granite.
Do-it-yourselfers and contractors use them all, but granite is definitely in large demand right now. According to Tony Paulos, president of award-winning Block Builders of Bethesda,Maryland, granite countertops "set the tone for the kitchen and the rest of the home" and say "quality" in a way that the others don't.
Granite countertops for an average 18-by-20-foot kitchen (including an island) cost about USD 5000 and are definitely on the high finish of the expense spectrum, followed by Corian. Although Corian has a number of various price points, the highend products are nearly as expensive as granite, so many kitchen designers advise their clients to go with the granite instead. This trend has not gone unnoticed or unchallenged by DuPont. The company has produced a white paper comparing Corian and granite.
The main difference between Corian and granite, besides cost, is that granite only comes in a handful of colors and is porous (allows liquid to seep in), so a surface sealer must be applied and maintained.Corian is nonporous and comes in more than 90 colors.
While it's true that a hot pot will leave scorch marks on Corian, it is also true that a hot pot will damage granite's sealant coat and, more than time, may discolor the stone. In either case, trivets or heat-resistant tile will solve this issue.
Replace outdated appliances: Besides the knotty pine cabinets, nothing dates your kitchen quite like a harvest gold gas range with 4 burners on top along with a two-rack oven beneath. Now is the time to appear into updating your stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher-and perhaps adding a trash compactor if you do not already have one.
Simply because technology changes so fast, chances are good that if you haven't shopped for appliances in awhile, you will be amazed. Appliances now have so numerous functions, gadgets, and gizmos that you may feel you need a license to make use of them. Wish to bake chocolate chip cookies in 4 minutes? No problem.
Investigate buying a fast-cook oven that uses halogen lights and microwaves to cook a whole roasted chicken in much less time than it takes to walk your dog 4 blocks and back. GE's Advantium models cost anyplace between USD 749 and USD 1,999 and are designed to fit above most cooktops, ranges, or countertops. The built-in wall oven could be installed either above a conventional single wall oven, above a warming drawer, or by itself.
Subzero wine chillers, with temperature settings for red and white wines,Viking and Bosch cooktops and ranges, and whisper-quiet Miele dishwashers-what contractor Tony Paulos calls the "Mercedes Package"-are on most homeowners' ultimate wish lists. Yet these amenities, together having a state-of-the-art stainless steel cook hood, can cost you upwards of a budget-busting USD 52,000.
Don't despair. It is perfectly feasible to update your whole kitchen with good-quality brand-name appliances such as GE, Kenmore, Kitchen Aid, and Amana for USD 5000 to USD 8000. Nevertheless, Paulos says his remodeling clients "in the know"still choose European-made dishwashers simply because the most well-liked models are virtually silent.
Install new flooring: You do not have to break the bank to put in a new floor that will have a large impact on the general appeal of your new kitchen. The choices are nearly limitless, but each type of flooring has its pros and cons.
When shopping for flooring, you must think about your lifestyle as well as your budget. Do you have young kids? You don't want your toddler falling on tough ceramic tile.Will there be dogs running via your kitchen on the method to their water bowls? Then you do not want flooring that will show scratches, such as wood.
You must also consider the environment right outside your kitchen door. Is there a patio with gravel? Then think twice about installing vinyl that is susceptible to "ground-in" bits of dirt and tiny stones - unless you can train your kids to wipe their feet before and after they enter the kitchen.
An additional well-liked option for kitchen flooring is laminate, which is similar in construction to Formica countertops. Laminate flooring is really a tongue-and-groove interlocking flooring system that comes in either planks or squares produced of layers of resin, wood fiber, or paper bonded together for strength. The flooring has both a decorative layer (a print of a photograph of real wood, marble, granite, or ceramic) along with a wear layer, which is applied towards the decorative print layer to protect the pattern.
Update your lighting: Today's multitasking kitchens demand versatile lighting. Gone are the days when a single 100-watt fixture centered in the kitchen's ceiling was enough. "I see individuals every day who are saddled with one light in the middle of the kitchen," says Geoff Dent, president of Dent Electrical Supply in Danbury, Connecticut. "This indicates that everywhere across the perimeter, exactly where most of the work is done, is done in one's own shadow."
According to Dent, the best recipe for lighting your kitchen depends on the size and complexity of the room. Little kitchens may require only a central ceiling fixture and job lighting tucked beneath a cabinet.More elaborate kitchens will demand a blend of general, task, and accent lighting. The good news is that lighting is a relatively small portion of your kitchen remodeling budget, but it has the possible to deliver dramatic results that add value to your home.
Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article. Webworldarticles.com is a free articles resource thus practically any visitor can submit an article. However if you notice any copyrighted material, please contact us and we will remove the article(s) in discussion right away.
This article was sent to us by:
William Hall at
01282011
1. Eclectic style is one of the most popular interior decorating styles
All articles in this directory are property of their respective authors. Additionally, read our Privacy Policy
© 2010 WebWorldarticles.com - All Rights Reserved. Partners: Gunblade Saga