Kitchen Remodeling Ideas Using RTA Kitchen Cabinets
If you are thinking about remodeling your kitchen, you first need to have a budget. This will determine if you can replace the cabinets, flooring and appliances, or if you will do only cosmetic changes.
When it comes to kitchen cabinets, there are three levels of remodeling. You can sand the cabinets, refinish or paint them, and add new hardware (or polish or paint what you have). White cabinets against colored walls (with a bit of matching paint on the cabinet trim or as stenciling) is a popular color choice for this kind of remodel, and especially works well in small or poorly-lighted kitchens. This is the cheapest option and can make a world of difference to a dark or outdated kitchen.
The second option for kitchen cabinet remodeling is to have a professional replace the cabinet doors and hardware with something more modern and add laminate facing to the other parts of the cabinets so they will match the doors. This is more expensive than just painting the cabinets, but you can achieve a more formal look. Both methods take roughly the same amount of time.
The third option is to have the cabinets totally replaced. This is very expensive compared to the other two options, can only be done by a professional, and will take much longer and create a larger mess in your home. However, if you are expanding or rearranging your entire kitchen as part of the remodel, total cabinet replacement is usually necessary so that the newly added cabinets will match the old ones.
Appliances are another very expensive item to replace. It is best to stick with white, black or steel appliances because they will match any future color schemes and will never go out of fashion (unlike avocado and brown appliances). If you don’t have the money to replace outdated appliances, you can check home improvement stores for panels that can be glued onto the front of the dishwasher to change its color, or there is now paint that is made for painting refrigerators. Unfortunately, there is no hope for an avocado-colored stove, however $100-$200 can usually buy a used stove in an acceptable color.
Likewise, if your counters are outdated, but you can’t afford to replace them, there are laminates and paints which you can apply to your existing counters to give them a newer look.
If you have a linoleum floor which is in need of replacing, you can replace it with self-adhesive vinyl tiles. Depending on the quality of your current floor (and how well it is glued down), you can pull it up or you can put the adhesive tiles directly on top of it. There are some great new adhesive tiles which are textured and look like stone tiles. They’re very expensive-looking when laid, but are roughly the same price as other vinyl tiles-which, in turn, are cheaper and easier to lay than linoleum. If you choose to have real tile laid in your kitchen, you will need to have a professional lay it, and it will take longer to finish than the adhesive tiles.
