Cabinet hardware gives the last touch to your kitchen. It might seem like an unimportant detail, but it is not. A good design needs these touches of style, they are what makes a design appealing and differentiate it from the rest. Cabinet hardware will add continuity to your kitchen, and in certain cases even to your whole home.
There are plentiful of choices. Depending on the desired look, you might choose between sleek, modern, conservative, solid cabinet hardware and much more. If you are not installing a complete new kitchen, but just remodeling an old one, your choices might be limited to the design.
First you’ll need to consider that not every piece of cabinet hardware fits in every cabinet. The earlier footprint will determine what you can choose, since it has to fit in the old hole. That applies, obviously, to all knobs, hinges and pulls.
Another element, which might also limit your choices, is the sinks, appliances and faucets. If for example, they are of stainless steel, then you probably should only consider stainless steel cabinet hardware. If they are of painted metal in red, white or whatever color, then you should go for cabinet hardware in red, white or whatever color.
However, don’t choose the new cabinet hardware only based on appearance. An intricate design might be beautiful, but difficult to clean. If you are not the kind of person who has many hours to spend cleaning the kitchen (and who has actually?) then think about it before you buy.
Consider also if someone in your home has any medical condition, which debilitates them. People with Parkinson or arthritis often cannot use well certain kinds of small knobs.
Finally, go for good material. This almost excludes plastic, but not necessarily. There is also quality plastic cabinet hardware; the only problem is that most cheap cabinet hardware is made of plastic.
Prices vary widely, depending on all variables above, but also depending from other factors. Material and design are the two more important facts that push the price up. Buying online may save you a lot of money. Buying from unknown companies may save you more, and often they don’t have lower quality. Since it is difficult to find replacement or order additional cabinet hardware, decide first what you need and buy it all at once. Some people install matching cabinet hardware across their home and not only in the kitchen. One of the most common times to change out the hardware is when people look at cabinet refacing or replacing.
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