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Bring Your Kitchen into the 21st Century Without Spending a Fortune
(ARA) - As real estate prices around the country go up, more and more people
are making the decision to stay put. Rather than invest their money in a move
across town, they’re spending their investment dollars on remodeling projects
that will bring their tired homes into the 21st century.
According to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), one of
the first places to renovate is the kitchen. The organization estimates that
some 4 million Americans will embark on some kind of kitchen remodel this year
alone.
While complete makeovers -- which can cost in excess of $40,000 -- are out of
most people’s reach, there are some simple upgrades you can do to make your
kitchen more modern.
Cabinets
If your home was built in the 1970s or earlier, your cabinets are probably a
lot darker than you’d like them to be. If the cabinet door style works for you,
a good option instead of replacing them is refinishing. You can either paint
over the current finish with white paint or lacquer, or have new cabinet doors
manufactured and fastened to the existing framework. Either option will cost
just a fraction of the amount you’d spend on replacement cabinets.
Making the cabinets more functional is just as easy. Most older cabinets can be
retro-fitted with drawers that slide in and out to make them more accessible.
This option comes standard with today’s new cabinets.
Appliances
When it comes to appliances, a popular trend is to replace the old yellow,
green and brown refrigerators, stoves and dish washers with stainless steel
ones, making a room look more modern and clean.
The new trend in refrigerators is units with freezers on the bottom and
refrigerators on the top. Because of this configuration, they are more energy
efficient and thus less costly to operate. A lot of people are also replacing
stoves equipped with cast-iron or gas burners with glass cooktops that are
easier to clean.
Sinks
The focus on cleaning ease is also apparent in today’s new sink styles. The old
standard -- self-rimming sinks -- are being replaced in popularity by
undercounter sinks. Without a sink rim to contend with, crumbs and other food
debris wipe easily into the sink.
"These sinks are very versatile from a design standpoint as well," says Andy
Barber, kitchen products marketing manager at Kohler Co. "Cast iron
undercounter sinks in neutral tones are an excellent choice as the colors blend
seamlessly with granite and other solid surface countertops."
Because they are heavier than stainless steel, installing a cast iron kitchen
sink has traditionally been cumbersome and time consuming for plumbers,
cabinetmakers and countertop installers; but Barber says that with a Kohler
Undermount Installation kit, even do-it-yourselfers can complete the job
easily.
Counter tops
Because it adds such a refined look to a kitchen, is extremely hard, and is
resistant to scratches and heat, granite is one of the more popular countertop
materials today. At $55 per square foot installed, the material doesn’t always
fit in with many people’s budgets, so remodelers are turning to alternative
countertop materials like laminates and tile.
These are just a few ideas to give your kitchen a new look on a tight budget.
For more kitchen remodeling ideas, log on to
www.kohler.com/kitchens.
(Courtesy of ARA Content)