Quick And Easy Things You Can Do To Spruce Up Your Cabinet Doors Today

Achieving a fresh new look for your kitchen does not necessarily mean you should go for a full renovation. If you have limited time or budget, sometimes just zeroing in on one element of the kitchen such as the cabinet doors would already make a big difference. Short of replacing your cabinets entirely, here are three things you can do today to spruce up your cabinets.

Adjust loosened hinges.

Over the years, the regular opening and closing of your cabinet doors will loosen the hinges and cause the doors to be uneven and scrape or bump into another. Most of the time, the remedy for this is just to loosen the screws, adjust the cabinet door/s to the correct height, and then tighten the screws again. Frameless cabinets usually have four screws - adjust first the screws at the top and bottom of the hinge connected to the cabinet base, and then work on the remaining screws. The number of screws on the cabinet base of framed cabinets may vary - loosen each screw one at a time (best if you have someone else hold the door in place as you do this), fit the door into place, and re-tighten the screws. Close the cabinet doors to see if both fit well in the frame, or else loosen and re-tighten once more to get the correct fit.

A few tips:

• It would be easier not to remove the screws all the way, just loosen enough to adjust.
• Do one door at a time.
• It is recommended to use a plain screwdriver instead of an electric drill or driver. A manual screwdriver will give you better control and precision when you loosen and re-tighten.

Spray paint your cabinets for a fresh new look.

A new coat of paint on your cabinets is another surefire way to make it look as if you have new cabinet doors. Here are some pointers to make this undertaking as stress-free as possible:

• Paint the doors and drawers in a separate area such as your patio or garage as paint mist is difficult to control even if you cover well all parts of your kitchen.
• Take note which of the doors, drawers, handles, and knobs go with each cabinet box for easier re-assembly afterwards.
• Don't forget to sand lightly all surfaces, patch cracks and holes, and prime before spray painting.
• Spray lightly and evenly, avoiding drips and splatter.
• Wait a few hours for the first coat to dry before adding the second coat.
• Wait for at least 24 hours before putting everything back into place such as the handles and door knobs.

Install new handles.

If painting is not your thing, here is an even easier way to spruce up your kitchen cabinet doors: just install new handles. Replacing your old cabinet handles with ones that are more colorful or with designs that make them pop out is definitely one of the easiest ways to make the doors of your cabinet look like new. You can even go further by checking if the handles can be positioned a little it off the center. Don't go too far from the center though, as this will affect the ease of opening and closing the doors.

When remodeling your entire kitchen or replacing all your cabinets is not needed just yet, these few easy retouching efforts can still achieve the effect of a newly transformed kitchen.