Home Repair and Paint Guide

... Older appliances can look dated when matched with new kitchen cabinets. There are a lot of kitchen cabinet companies to choose from. For something unique, you can hire a custom cabinet shop to build one-of-a-kind units made from your personal choice of wood. The custom approach works especially well in cases where wallspace is limited or has a lot of angles to deal with. Traditional base and wall cabinets come in standard sizes. The base cabinets are usually around 34 inches tall and 24 inches deep, and widths start at 12 inches. Wall cabinets average about 12 inches deep and 30 inches tall and are built in the same widths as base cabinets. Wall cabinets also come in heights ranging from 15 inches up to 48 inches. Of course, there are custom sizes available from a lot of cabinet companies. One of the nice features of custom kitchen cabinets is that they can be made as one common unit instead of separate boxes that are screwed together. The advantage is the lack of vertical seams where two cabinet boxes would mate to each another. This provides a clean, professional look to the installation. The main difference in quality (besides the type of designs) are the materials used to build the cabinets. Lower priced cabinets are made with engineered lumber that’s selected for low cost instead of quality. Over time, these have a tendency to separate or sag. This is especially true if you place heavy objects in them such as traditional china ...

... When selecting kitchen lighting, stay with the general theme of the area. Consider the color of walls, countertops, ceramic tile patterns, floor color, etc. Surface mounted ceiling lights should enhance the overall look and feel of your kitchen. You can purchase these fixtures in fluorescent (round or straight), or bulb. You could also install a kitchen chandelier or ceiling fan that has lights attached. When planning the lighting, take into consideration where switches and power lines are located. If using a ceiling fan, the mounting box must be rated for the size of fan to be used. Don’t just attach a fan to a regular non-rated box. That’s a good way to be wearing the fan as a hat! Fluorescent lights consume less power than conventional bulbs for a given output. Good quality fluorescent fixtures will come on instantly instead of the annoying blinking action of the older units. You could also go with the new CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulbs in standard light fixtures. Be aware that CFL bulbs throw a different color spectrum that standard bulbs and can change the perceived color of an area. ... Kitchen lighting can turn your kitchen into an inviting environment and also provide good task illumination. In order for this to be successful, careful planning and layout are necessary. Remember that the main purpose is to provide sufficient light during meal preparation. The most important part is to eliminate shadows on work areas such as countertops and tables. Recessed lights are a good choice for general task lighting over kitchen countertops ...