For many homeowners, the kitchen is the most important room of the house. For increased efficiency, many families opt for a kitchen remodel. Here are a few of the essential components of any successful kitchen remodeling project:

Electrical and Plumbing

Homeowners tend to forget about the plumbing and electricity aspects of the kitchen, but they’re perhaps the most important features. Every kitchen should have several easily accessible outlets, and the plumbing should be reconfigured to accommodate the sink, refrigerator, and dishwasher, as necessary.

Countertops

Choosing the right countertops for your kitchen is important for two reasons. First, you need to make sure they can handle heavy usage and are scratch-resistant. Second, since countertops take up such a large area of the kitchen, it’s important to utilize eye-catching textures and colors.

Flooring

The floor of your new kitchen is also incredibly important, both functionally and aesthetically. For a contemporary look, try a vinyl floor, or for a more rustic appearance, consider hardwood floors in the kitchen.

Cabinets

A great set of cabinets should not only look pretty, but also have plenty of room to store plates, cereal, and any other kitchen items you require on a day-to-day basis. Explore different wood and paint options to complement your new countertops, floors, and appliances.

Are you thinking about remodeling your kitchen this summer? Take advantage of Fine Cabinetry’s extensive inventory of green cabinet designs! At Bucks County’s Fine Cabinetry, LLC, we have a wide selection of finely-crafted, environmentally friendly cabinets and countertops suitable for your kitchen, bathroom, or any room in the house. For more information about our services and products, call us at (215) 478-6249.

Deciding to remodel your kitchen can be a big commitment. However, having a more functional and aesthetically pleasing kitchen will not only increase the value of your house, but it will also help you turn your house into your home. Have a say in your new kitchen! Check out the resources below for some ideas on how you would like to design your new kitchen.

Finding the right hinges is another important part of selecting kitchen cabinets.

Raised panel, flat panel, recessed panel—when it comes to cabinet door styles, there are a lot of options. Get help sorting through them all with this helpful page.

Are you trying to decide whether to replace or reface your cabinets? This article from ThisOldHouse.com will help you out.

Keeping your cabinets clean is the key to lengthening their lives. For great cleaning tips, take a look at this article.

Are you thinking about remodeling your kitchen this summer? Take advantage of Fine Cabinetry’s extensive inventory of green cabinet designs! At Bucks County’s Fine Cabinetry, LLC, we have a wide selection of finely-crafted, environmentally friendly cabinets and countertops suitable for your kitchen, bathroom, or any room in the house. For more information about our services and products, call us at (215) 478-6249.

When remodeling your kitchen or bathrooms, you don’t have to settle for the most simplistic options. When it comes to cabinets, homeowners have endless options for stains, paint, styles, and add-ons.

Stains

If you want natural wooden cabinets, then consider all your stain options. If you want light, shiny wood that shows all the grain and lines in the wood, then get a clear finish or a light and glossy stain. But if you want your wooden cabinets to look dark and bold, then purchase fixtures with a darker wood or have them stained to your preference. A popular option today is an aged wood look. Apply a finishing coat over your kitchen or bathroom cabinets so they are protected from mold and other bacteria.

Paints

Paints for cabinets come in a wide variety. No matter what color you image, you can find it or have it specially mixed. Paint forms to the grain in the wooden cabinets, so be sure to get paint that will not change as the humidity changes, which could lead to cracks and splintering.

Styles

There are more cabinet styles than you can imagine. Do some research about different kitchen remodeling themes and styles so you do not settle for less than the best. You can choose simple, flat, and solid colored cabinets, or intricate wooden cabinets that have special designs carved in. There are modern and traditional styles, styles that represent other cultures, and cabinets that are versatile to any theme. Consider choosing more than one style of cabinets for your kitchen to add to the personality.

Add-Ons

Do you want handles and knobs that make an impression? Consider the effect of simple cabinets with intricate handles or knobs made of nearly any material in any shape or color. Add-ons do not stop at knobs. Homeowners can even have custom hinges to spruce up their cabinets.

Are you thinking about remodeling your kitchen this summer? Take advantage of Fine Cabinetry’s extensive inventory of green cabinet designs! At Bucks County’s Fine Cabinetry, LLC, we have a wide selection of finely-crafted, environmentally friendly cabinets and countertops suitable for your kitchen, bathroom, or any room in the house. For more information about our services and products, call us at (215) 478-6249.

Home is where we spend most of our time. We want to do everything we can to make it as beautiful as possible for ourselves and for our guests. However, not all of us have the resources to pay for remodeling. Here are a few ways you can subtly remodel areas of your home without undergoing a major renovation.

Improve lighting: You may have a beautiful home interior, but guests might have trouble seeing it due to a lack of proper lighting. Lighting not only highlights the details of your home, but it can also give any room a feeling of cleanliness and freshness. You might consider buying a few more lamps for certain areas of your home; or, if you’re feeling adventurous, install track lighting or a skylight.New cabinets: Cabinetry is both a stylish and practical way to give your home’s interior a new look. If your home is often choked with clutter, you’ll find cabinets to be an aesthetically pleasing storage option for any room.Kitchen remodel: Yes, we said “without renovation,” but if you were to choose one room of your home to remodel, it should be the kitchen. For many people, the kitchen is a focal point of the home, and can have significant influence on the way guests perceive your sense of style. For a successful kitchen remodel, make sure you carefully coordinate the positions of your appliances with the floors, cabinets, and countertops.

If you’d like some help selecting and installing cabinets or planning your kitchen remodel, then contact us at Fine Cabinetry, LLC. We have a wide selection of finely-crafted, environmentally friendly cabinets and countertops suitable for your kitchen, bathroom, or any room in the house.

Designing a new bathroom is full of challenges. It’s most likely the smallest room in your house, yet requires the most fixtures, lights, and plumbing, per square foot.

That means the highest, best use of available space is crucial. Who’s going to use the bath, what fixtures will be needed and how can they be placed to code and for the most convenience?

Among the most exciting resources for homeowners is the National Kitchen and Bath Association website, where there is a wealth of information and ideas. The NKBA’s Kitchen and Bath Planning Guidelines with Access Standards (ANSI) is a terrific guide to make sure you get the most accessible, safest, and attractive new both possible.

Naturally, you have some limits in what you can do – space, budget, priorities, but with the NKBA’s guidelines, you can more easily choose what’s most important to you and your family.

Accessibility

Being able to enter and use the bath is easy to take for granted if you don’t personally have a disability or injury.  But as our population ages, more people will benefit from designs that allow for wheelchairs, walkers, or weaker hands and knees.

These concepts are included in the concepts known as universal design, but that doesn’t mean your new bathroom will look like a hospital facility.  It simply means you can include wider doorways, roll-in showers, or door handles instead of knobs.

The doorway entry to a bath is recommended to be at least 32″, depending on your state or local codes. But if you have older household members, or entertain relatives or friends who use a wheelchair or walker, you may consider the Access Standard of 34″, which is large enough to accommodate a 3′-0 door.

Because a bathroom space is typically tight, also pay careful attention to all clearances. Could the door bang into an open cabinet door or drawer? Is there plenty of room to exit the tub without getting bruised by a cabinet edge or another fixture?

Lavatories should be operable with one hand, and not require “tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist, suggest ANSI 309.4.

Safety

One of the reasons tile is so popular for baths is that water can seep into the grout, making flooring much more slip-resistant. Flooring with textured or uneven surfaces such as slate also work well.
Shower floors should slope so water doesn’t accumulate underfoot.

One of the most important improvements for any bath is electrical outlets. Many older baths only come with one outlet, while newer building codes may require only one GFCI receptacle outlet every six or eight feet. Consider rewiring the bath and putting outlets on every corner where you use an electric appliance, but away from showers and tubs for all your hairdryers, curling irons, shavers, nail dryers and more.

Grab bars can be placed in water closets and above tubs for greater ease in getting up and down. Try to design the bath with no steps if possible, particularly none around the tub.

Attractiveness

Covering the shower walls with a waterproof material such as tile or glass is recommended, but you can also take the covering much higher than standards did in the past. It’s a luxurious look.

Include as much space as possible for storage – towels, linens, grooming and cleaning supplies. A bath is the most important area of the house to keep clean and tidy. If storage is at a premium, think creatively. For example the space above the tank of the commode is a perfect place to build or install portable shelves. Just be sure to allow enough clearance for maintenance.

Sometimes new lighting fixtures can update a bath with very little investment. Think in terms of task lighting – lights by the vanity mirror, for example. Overhead light fixtures and ventilation fans are also useful.

Vessel sinks have been around a few years, but they still add drama and individuality to baths because of the wide range of styles, materials, and colors. From porcelain to granite to glass to metal, vessel sinks can be enhanced by new fixtures. The kitchen farmhouse sink is also attractive in a high-traffic bathroom.

No matter what you choose for your new bath, if you combine utility with comfort, you can’t go wrong. Don’t try to make the bath do more than the space allows. If all you have room for is a shower, and not a tub, create a shower with a small built-in seat. Where there’s a will, there’s a solution.

For more ideas, be sure to visit the National Kitchen and Bath Association at www.nkba.org.

Your home is a huge source of pride, and as such, you may feel a strong inclination to complete all home projects yourself. While this may be a good idea for smaller tasks, a project as large as designing and installing custom kitchen cabinets may be a bit too difficult to handle alone. Here are a few of the benefits of working with a designer on your custom kitchen cabinets:

You don’t have to worry about logistics. Each step of the remodeling process is peppered with hard-to-handle logistics—from ordering the wood for the cabinets to hiring an installation crew. You even have to take climate and usage into account to protect against warping, splintering, and cracks. Instead of juggling all these matters yourself, hire an experienced designer to assist you or take over entirely.

Professionals will bring ample experience to the project. Even if you have an eye for design, you’re most likely out of your element when it comes to cabinetry and kitchen remodeling. When you hire a professional designer for your project, he or she will bring a significant amount of experience and creative energy. An experienced designer has seen hundreds of kitchens and knows how to maximize your kitchen’s aesthetics and function while avoiding common mistakes.

You can get great suggestions when and if you need them. Though a kitchen designer can be a great help, there’s no question that you have the final say in any decision. A designer will do as much or as little as you request; but, if you’re at a loss for how to proceed, a professional designer would be happy to lend his or her creativity and aesthetic eye to your project.

Are you thinking about remodeling your kitchen or bathroom? Take advantage of Fine Cabinetry’s extensive inventory of green cabinet designs! At Bucks County’s Fine Cabinetry, LLC, we have a wide selection of finely-crafted, environmentally friendly cabinets and countertops suitable for your kitchen, bathroom, or any room in the house. For more information about our services and products, call us at (215) 478-6249.

Remodeling your kitchen is an exciting and extensive undertaking. The process of revamping your kitchen does take some planning, as you won’t have easy access to all parts of your home. Follow these tips to ensure a smooth kitchen remodeling process:

Create a Temporary Kitchen

You most likely won’t have access to your stove, oven, or fridge during the remodeling process. While dining out or ordering in is an option, you might want to try cooking outside using a grill or setting up a temporary kitchen elsewhere in your home. Try stocking up on foods that require no cooking or using appliances like slow cookers or portable indoor grills.

Make a Clean Work Area

When meeting with your kitchen remodeling team, ask where the employees will be working and how much access they need to the rest of the house. Some installers have work zones as a preparation and staging area. Once those areas are identified, clean the kitchen and work area to protect your belongings.

Seal Off Rooms

Either you or your installation company should set up a barrier between the kitchen and the rest of your rooms in order to comfortably live through a remodel. This prevents dust and material byproducts from entering into your living spaces. Ask the workers to keep barriers intact and consider choosing a designated entry point for those working on your kitchen. If there isn’t a direct path to the kitchen, protect the floors by placing old carpets or drop cloths.

Keep Track of the Process

You want to communicate your wants to the remodeling team, but you also don’t want to be in the way. The best strategy is to clearly express your desires and only check in occasionally. Writing down the progress or creating a photo journal helps you keep track of how your kitchen is evolving. You might also enjoy the before and after pictures in the years to come.

At Fine Cabinetry, LLC, we believe that people from every budget and lifestyle should have beautiful cabinets. We have a wide selection of finely-crafted, environmentally friendly cabinets and countertops suitable for your kitchen, bathroom, office, garage or living room. For more information about our services and products, call us at (215) 478-6249.

Composite materials have become widely used for the cores of all types of kitchen cabinets. To understand the differences between composite materials, you need to know the differences between hardwood and soft­wood. Hardwood comes from deciduous trees (whose leaves fall off once a year), whereas softwood comes from evergreens.

Plywood is made of thin sheets of wood veneer that are laminated in alternating directions. It’s strong and doesn’t pose the warping or shrinking potential of solid wood. Both hardwood plywood and softwood plywood come in a variety of grades. A hardwood ply­wood panel for a cabinet should have one face graded A and the other graded 2 or better. Softwood ply­wood has a different system of ratings. It’s rated according to its face veneer (the outermost plies) and should be rated B or better. Used as a core material for kitchen cabinets, softwood plywood can be covered with a plastic lam­inate or wood-veneer face.

When you look at cabinetry, you can’t assume that a hardwood veneer is necessarily covering a hardwood core, so if you have doubts, ask your designer, dealer, or remodeler to clarify the matter for you.

Hardwood plywood will generally be a higher qual­ity core, although a Medium Density Overlay (MDO) softwood plywood, covered on one or both faces with a thin resin-fiber overlay, is suitable if you intend to paint the cabinets.

There are different grades of hardwood, softwood veneers and composites. Two common varieties of composite materials are used as kitchen cabinet cores.

Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is made of very fine wood fibers that are glued and compressed under great pressure. It has a very smooth surface and has greater screw-holding power than particleboard, the other composite material. It is less expensive than plywood, but more expensive than particleboard.Particleboard is a combination of wood chips, shavings, fibers, and adhesives. It differs from medium-density fiberboard in appearance, since its larger wood chips are in the core, and smaller, finer chips are on the surface. It’s heavier than plywood, but not as strong.

If a plastic laminate is going to be applied to the core material, the material shouldn’t be of lesser quality than industrial-grade particleboard. Low-grade particleboard won’t be able to support the weight of the laminate, and screws and staples won’t hold over the long term, resulting in loose cabinets or doors.

One distinct disadvantage of choosing kitchen cabinets constructed with pressed woods like particleboard, hardwood plywood, or medium-density fiberboard is the emission of a gas, formaldehyde, from the adhe­sives used in their construction. Of all the pressed woods, medium-density fiberboard emits the greatest amount of formaldehyde gas.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection agency, formaldehyde gas can cause respiratory and other physical ailments in some people exposed to elevated levels of it (above 0.1 parts per million). Although the EPA estimates that most older homes have significantly less concentration of concentrated gases in their kitchen cabinets.

Are you thinking about remodeling your kitchen this summer? Take advantage of Fine Cabinetry’s extensive inventory of green cabinet designs! At Bucks County’s Fine Cabinetry, LLC, we have a wide selection of finely-crafted, environmentally friendly cabinets and countertops suitable for your kitchen, bathroom, or any room in the house. For more information about our services and products, call us at (215) 478-6249.

There’s a lot to consider when in the midst of a complete kitchen remodel. After picking out your cabinets, it’s time to turn your attention to the countertops. Granite, ice stone, marble are just a few with so many fine choices, selecting the right countertops is no easy feat. This article will give you a few simple tips on how to match your countertops to your new kitchen cabinetry.

Consider The Whole Kitchen Aesthetic

Together, your cabinets and countertops form the bulk of your kitchen; as such, they should complement each other and the rest of your kitchen. If you’re concerned your kitchen will become too uniform and visually uninteresting, then choose a countertop that has something in common with the cabinets and a different feature in common with the floors. This approach will create an aesthetic flow of themes, colors, and materials.

Incorporate Contrast

If you want your kitchen to truly stand out, then consider installing countertops with a boldly different color to make both the countertops and cabinets appear more vivid. For instance, if you’ve selected a dark cabinet, then you may want to install Corian or another lighter countertop option. Solid, bold colors are very popular among today’s kitchen trends.

Choose A Style

When choosing or custom designing your cabinets, you probably established a theme. With the countertops, you have the opportunity to solidify your kitchen’s aesthetic. If you selected a modern cabinet design, then you may want to keep it eclectic with an ice stone countertop. If you’re cabinets are distressed and rustic, perhaps a natural stone will better suit your counters.

Are you thinking about remodeling your kitchen or bathroom? Take advantage of Fine Cabinetry’s extensive inventory of custom designed countertops and cabinets! At Bucks County’s Fine Cabinetry, LLC, we have a wide selection of finely-crafted, environmentally friendly cabinets and countertops suitable for your kitchen, bathroom, or any room in the house. For more information about our services and products, call us at (215) 478-6249.