Nine ways to bring your kitchen out of the past
Over the decades, kitchens have become much more than utilitarian, functional spaces. They’re also the heart of the home.
Whether it’s a weeknight family dinner or an evening of entertaining, people always seem to gather here, connecting while they cook, clink glasses, or clean up.
Given that the room gets so much use, it’s no wonder that it’s typically at the top of people’s renovations wish list. And such redos can give homeowners a terrific return on investment.
However, a major reno has its downsides: there’s the disruption in daily lives and the potential for overspending. That’s why it often makes more sense to reface than to replace.
If a kitchen’s cabinetry is sound—and, in many cases, older homes have more solid construction than new ones— and homeowners are satisfied with the room’s basic layout, they can get far more bang for their buck by refacing rather than starting from scratch.
“We can create what looks like a brand-new kitchen without having to tear everything out,” says Ken Nicholl, owner of Reface Magic, a leader in environmentally friendly kitchen and bath renovations.
“When you tear everything out, it can take weeks. We can be in and out in a few days, which helps save on labour costs.”
In fact, refacing saves homeowners 40 percent on average; it also has an ecofriendly aspect, with less waste going to landfills.
Here’s how it works: Reface Magic takes away existing door and drawer fronts then orders custom-made new ones according to the size required and customers’ choice of colour and style. It then uses a combination of high-quality vinyl and laminate materials to re-skin the exterior of the existing cabinet boxes. This covering matches the new door and drawer fronts. Anything on the inside of the cabinets stays the same, such as shelves or the inner edges of a framed cabinet box.
With more than 1,500 door- and drawer-front styles and colours to choose from, Reface Magic can also update countertops and enhance organization and efficiency inside cupboards and drawers.
1. Swap wood grain for fresh-looking laminate.
“Prominent wood grain on cabinets make a kitchen look dated and worn. We focus on high-quality, non-wood products, which suit Alberta’s dry climate: wood reacts negatively to lack of moisture and humidity and is hard to maintain. It’s common to see homeowners go for realistic-looking laminate.”
2. Remove bulkheads.
“Bulkheads at the top of upper cabinets give it away that the kitchen is old. We’re seeing homeowners extend the cabinets right up to the ceiling. That makes the room seem taller and more spacious, and you get more storage space.”
3. Prioritize slideouts and drawers.
“You can have purposebuilt slideouts for spices and cooking oils, for utensils, or for cookie-sheets and pots. People like to be organized, and you don’t want to be crawling on your hands and knees to get to the back of a cabinet. With slideouts, you won’t have that experience of finding five-year-old cans of food at the back of the pantry. Custom drawers can be made to fit any cabinet space and given drawer fronts. You could do an entire kitchen without any doors with hinges.”
4. Do away with dated, dark-seamed laminate countertops.
“Today’s countertops are seamless. We have Corian and quartz, as well as the new laminates that look like granite and other more expensive materials.”
5. Get rid of large fluorescent lighting panels.
“These make a kitchen look outdated. A great option is lighting on the underside of upper cabinets with hidden LED tape lights. The look is modern and warm.”
6. Consider crown mouldings.
“Crown mouldings on the cabinets that match the door style is an inexpensive way to make a big difference.”
7. Extend the backsplash.
“Instead of having the backsplash only go a few inches, extend it all the way up to the upper cabinets.”
8. Lighten up.
“Fresh paint is a low-cost way to make any room look better. Go for classic, neutral palettes to brighten up the space.”
9. Change the sink.
“Older stainless-steel sinks can get really scratched, and enamel sinks could be chipped. A good way to make your kitchen look better is to change the sink, especially if you’re updating the counters. A popular type is one made of granite composite. Ours come in several colours.”
Reface Magic offers free inhome consultations and has a large showroom at 2988 Parsons Road N.W. in Edmonton. Its virtual showroom can be found at refacemagic.ca/.
For more information, call 780-466-6660.
So what are upgradeS that your kitchen could uSe the moSt? nicholl ShareS nine wayS to bring your kitchen out of the paSt.