Cabinets are among the most important features for storage and organization in the home, mainly in the kitchen, but also in the bathroom or any room that is dedicated to holding hobby and craft materials. A home will always come with cabinets, but sometimes they may fall apart, go out of fashion, or end up being too small for the homeowner’s storage needs. Or maybe the homeowner simply does not like the material used in a cabinet, such as the wood or the handles. Even extra features can be added to cabinets, such as combination locks, concealed hinges, a cabinet hanging rail, or new furniture paint. Related furniture and features such as drawers, dressers, and more can also get upgrades so storage is easier, safer, and more stylish. Anodized aluminum is another option for cabinets and other storage materials, and for those unfamiliar with anodized aluminum, learning about this material and the process of making it can be helpful. Between anodized aluminum, various wood species such as cedar and cherry, and features like locks and even LED lights, a homeowner has endless options for remaking his or her cabinet array.
Remodeling and Materials
Remodeling homes is not something for a bored homemaker to do to pass the time; it is a dedicated, sometimes house-wide project that can totally re-engineer a home’s interior for style and comfort, storage, and more, and doing so can also vastly improve a home’s resale value when the current owner plans to move out. This makes it a good investment not just for the self and the family, but for attracting customers when the property goes on the market. Kitchens are one particular area to focus on for remodeling. It has been found that 47% of Millenials, or young adults born between 1982 and 1995, are likely to paint their kitchen cabinets white, while 41% of Baby Boomers prefer that color. And every year, homeowners all together remodel some 10.2 million kitchens, and 14.2 million bathrooms. For kitchen remodeling, it has been determined that cabinets often make up for 40% to 50% of the remodeling cost, and the American kitchen cabinet demand is expected to grow to reach nearly $17.1 billion by the year 2021. How can these cabinets be remodeled or replaced for maximum kitchen appeal?
Remodeling Cabinets and Drawers
Remodeling the kitchen can be costly, but there are smart ways to save money and get the best job done. According to This Old House, if the kitchen’s cabinets are already in good shape, they can simply be repainted a new, more appealing color, and this is an inexpensive way to remake the kitchen. It can be a DIY project, requiring only the paint and its brush, sandpaper, and a cleaner to get the job done. For a slightly more dedicated remodel job, the cabinets can stay in place, but their scratched, chipped, and food-caked exteriors can be resurfaced with the assistance of a wood working company, making the cabinets look new again without the huge expensive of replacing the entire thing. Under-cabinet lighting is another possibility, such as with LED lights both for the convenience of illuminating items and for the visual appeal.
Anodized aluminum means to change a metal’s surface chemistry to protect it from corrosion and other ill effects as well as improving its aesthetics, according to Star Rapid. The metal surface should first be rinsed and cleaned off of any debris or dust, and placed into a bath of electrolyte solutions. Positive and negative ions in the aluminum and the solution swap with each other rapidly, which results in a regular geometric pattern appearing on the meal, as well as an aluminum oxide layer that further protects the metal from damage and contaminants. Afterwards, the metal is rinsed off with water. Such aluminum can be useful interior decor, anything from counter tops to pots and pans to the handles on cabinets and drawers, not to mention the drawer slides. Anodized aluminum is a good option for those who like to have metal surfaces in or around the home.
