Replacing Your Cabinets

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Cabinets have two basic styles -- framed and frameless. Framed cabinet have stiles and rails behind the cabinet doors; frameless cabinets don't . There's no difference in quality between the two; only looks. Framed cabinets are more traditional; frameless are more contemporary. Their main difference is the type of hardware they use. When replacing hardware on your cabinets, be sure to get the correct type.

Concealed hinges are not as forgiving to replace as other types of hinges. They must be fitted precisely to the type of door you are using. If possible, take along one of your cabinet doors when shopping for replacement hinges so that you can get exactly the hardware you need.

Replacing your existing cabinet hardware is an easy and inexpensive way to dress up your whole kitchen or bathroom. There are so many styles and shapes to choose from that you can change the entire mood of a room with new hinges, door and drawer pulls. Add a dash of formality with polished brass, or go rustic with wrought iron. Changing hardware is a simple job that anyone can do.

You can buy ready-made replacement doors and drawer fronts or have doors custom built to your specifications. Remember that custom doors can take several weeks to build -- plan your kitchen remodeling accordingly.