How can i update my kitchen cupboards

Make the most of your kitchen's existing storage space by installing a pull-out shelf in one—or all—of the base cabinets. The shelf resembles a shallow drawer that glides out for easy access to items stored in the back of the cabinet. Our shelf was built for a standard inch-deep by inch-wide base cabinet, but its design is adaptable to virtually any size cabinet.

If you're only building one or two shelves, you can save some money by going to a home center or lumberyard that sells quarter or half sheets of plywood. And in most cases, they'll even cut the plywood to your dimensions.

If you've never attempted a woodworking project as seemingly complex as this one, don't worry. TOH Master Carpenter Norm Abram created a simplified, straightforward design that can be easily constructed with ordinary tools.

No, it's simply good lighting. The hidden fixtures of undercabinet task lighting, which are fairly easy to retrofit beneath upper wall cabinets, bathe the countertop in bright white light—a boon for everything from dicing veggies to reading recipes. Connect the fixtures to a dimmer switch, and you also have the key to dramatic accent lighting or a night light for midnight snackers.

If you're a bit tentative about working with electricity, don't worry. This installation is simple and shock-free, as long as you cut the juice at the breaker box first. For full step-by-step instructions, shopping list, and tools list, see How to Install Undercabinet Lighting. If you're going for homey and cozy in your kitchen, skip the built-in cabinet-base island and instead make the central work area a furniture-like table with a butcher-block counter.

Because these thick wood-slab tops have their edge or end grain exposed, they are stronger than wood laid on the flat. That means they resist warping and nicks better than laminate and almost as well as stone. Butcher-block islands mimicking 19th-century worktables are perfect for toning down the coldness of stone counters and metal appliances in modern cook spaces. You can bring this classic aesthetic to your kitchen by constructing a prep island from easy-to-buy materials or choosing one of the dozens of styles available through retailers and furniture makers.

For full step-by-step instructions, shopping list, and tools list, see How to Build a Butcher Block Island. Dishware, serving pieces, table linens—a sideboard packs a whole lot of storage space into a relatively small footprint, making it a handy addition to any household. A sturdy, high-quality one can leave a thousand-dollar dent in your finances, but as TOH general contractor Tom Silva demonstrates, you can enhance a few stock kitchen base cabinets with molding, furniture feet, and knobs to produce a handcrafted piece for a fraction of the cost of buying one ready-made.

Opt for unfinished or inch cabinets fitted with doors and operable drawers not the fake drawer fronts used for sink cabinets and take a day to put all the pieces together. Your handsome creation will turn heads at dinner parties for years to come. For full step-by-step instructions, shopping list, and tools list, see How to Build a Sideboard from Stock Cabinets.

As attractive as window seats are, only a few older homes with deep dormers seem to have them. And adding a window seat has always been considered impractical. First, you need a niche that features a window.

Then, the seat has to be custom-built by a cabinetmaker or trim carpenter to fit the exact width and sill height of the window.

Not surprisingly, this approach is expensive and time-consuming. Whether you add trim to the doors or paint your cabinets, you can get a great look without spending a lot of money.

This can be done using pieces of wood that are painted to match your cabinets. You can get as decorative as you want by adding trim.

If you want space you can use, you can also buy thin cabinets that will fit in the area and paint all the cabinetry to match. A very simple and quick update is to add molding or trim to the cabinet doors. You can attach using short nails, but for doors that are thin, you want to use a strong adhesive. There are many benefits to using chalk paint over latex or another type of paint on your kitchen cabinets.

First of all, in many instances you simply need to clean the surfaces and apply one coat. You will need to add a sealant over the paint and while wax is often used it is not a good fit for kitchens as it is hard to clean. Chalk paint is not only easier to use, but also gives your cabinets a great look. Check out an example: HERE. Beadboard is another great way to update the doors of your cabinets.

Beadboard can be purchased rather inexpensively and is easy to cut. You can also put beadboard around your kitchen island to add visual appeal. You can find a variety of hardware styles at your local home improvement store. You can do this buy adding chair legs or bun feet, that you find in the molding section of the home improvement store. All you need to do is cut them to fit and paint or stain to match your cabinets.

Another quick and easy trick is to add corbels under your cabinets. This adds character and is so inexpensive to do. In addition, I create a lot of smaller craft projects. I am currently a maker for a local retail boutique in our area called 6ix North. I hope my posts provide you with some useful information for your DIY projects.

If you are looking for a tall, dramatic, mid-summer display then Prairie Blazing Star is for you. This is one of the tallest varieties of Liatris you can grow, and it can make a dramatic focal point Foxglove Beardtongue is one of the showier native wildflowers in North America. Frequently seen in clearings, ditches, and prairies, the white flowers are excellent for attracting pollinators and Skip to content Honey oak cabinets are one of the most common kitchen cabinets you will find…and today you might not be too happy to find them, lol!

Consider a cream toned subway tile. GROUT — Pick a light grey to give some contrast against the tile, but to not be too busy against the wood grain of the cabinets. Be sure to check out some other great farmhouse DIY articles:.