Low Budget Home Improvement Idea For Kitchen Cabinets

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I’ve seen many low budget kitchen upgrades in my thirty years of cabinet building. To succeed at remolding you just need a couple of ideas that will look good, but don’t cost a lot of money. I’m going to give you one proven to make an improvement to your cupboards without spending a ton of cash.

If your kitchen has flat Formica cabinet doors or older painted wood, you can spruce them up by adding some decorative molding around the edges. The only thing you really need to be cautions about is the positioning of the molding in relation to how they open.

It may be necessary to inset the fancy trim an inch or so from the edges of the doors so that they will open without any problem. You can paint or stain the molding prior to attaching it onto the cupboard doors.

Adding Decorative Molding to Cabinet Doors

Tools Needed:

* Miter Saw
* Electric Drill With Small Bit
* Hammer
* Nail Punch
* Paint Brush
* Pencil
* Tape Measure

Materials Needed:

* Decorative Wood Trim
* Paint
* Colored Caulking
* 220 Sand Paper
* Paint Brush
* Small Finish Nails
* Wood Putty Stick

You have two options for finishing your door trim. You can either paint it with a solid color or stain it and then put a clear coat over the stain

Using Solid Color Paint on the Molding

First off, you can get colored caulking that will match Formica sample chip colors from a local cabinet supply company. I suggest that you choose the color that you want to paint the decorative door molding from a Formica plastic laminate chip chain. Then, order colored caulking from the cabinet supply company to match your selection. The caulk will be used to fill-in the miter joints and also to fill the nail holes.

Staining the Kitchen Cabinet Door Molding

When you choose to stain your molding, you are going to need to pick up a wood filler putty stick to match the stain color.

You will need to measure for the amount of decorative molding that you will need for your kitchen cabinet door improvement. Make sure to double and triple check your calculations and then add a little extra.

Make a trip to your nearest home center (Home Depot) to purchase the materials and tools you need. If painting the trim, use your Formica sample color to have your paint custom mixed to match it. While you are there, discuss the cabinet door remodeling project with the paint department expert so that you get all of the proper primer and paint that you will need.

During your kitchen remodel, be patient. If you do not take your time, you will blow your budget by making mistakes. Allow plenty of time. You are trying to get professional results on an affordable budget.