Philadelphia Kitchen Cabinet Remodeling Ideas

One of the most popular home improvements in the country is a kitchen remodel. As the heart of the home, the appearance of your kitchen is truly an expression of the rest of the house and those who live in it. This is probably why remodeling a kitchen tends to be one of the best investments you can make to increase the value of your property.

Unfortunately, kitchen remodels can also be very expensive, making them a formidable financial strain in many cases. One way to get around the high price of total kitchen renovation is to do it piece by piece over a few years time, and one of the most noticeable and cost effective changes you can make to your kitchen is to remodel your cabinets.

Hiring a Contractor
If you're looking to hire a contractor to work on a kitchen cabinet, Philadelphia homeowners will probably be better off looking online (at a site like ServiceMagic) or having a friend recommend someone, simply because you'll get a lot more information using these methods than you would skimming through the phonebook.

Cabinet Remodeling Options
Contractors generally offer four basic ways to spruce up your cabinets: repairing, refinishing, refacing, and replacing. While the benefits and drawbacks of replacing are pretty obvious, each of the others has its pros and cons, too. Picking the right one for your remodel will depend on your budget, what your existing cabinets are made of, and the condition those cabinets are in.

The process of refacing actually attaches a thin layer of new material, often about 1/4 inch thick and often hardwood, to the surface of your existing cabinets. This operation can be performed on most cabinets, regardless of their condition or the material they are made from. It is usually less expensive than replacement.

Refinishing means that the surface of a wooden cabinet will be stripped, sanded, and resealed. This will reveal a fresh layer of wood, and by removing old stains and blemishes, greatly improve the look of the existing cabinets. Refinishing is not an option for cabinets that are not hardwood or covered in a thick hardwood veneer. Refinishing and replacing do very little for the actual function of the cabinets.

When checking prices for kitchen cabinet remodels, Philadelphia residents need to pay close attention to what they'll be paying for. You could find statistics that say refacing a cabinet and installation of a cabinet are very similar in price. Both operations will run well into the thousands, however, refacing is generally less because you don't have to purchase new cabinets. In Philadelphia, kitchen cabinets that are custom built can run as much as $5,000 or even higher.

Philadelphia Kitchen Cabinet Remodeling on a Budget
For families on a strict budget in Philadelphia, kitchen cabinet remodels can be little more than a quick repair of some lower functioning components mixed with some do-it-yourself painting. In Philadelphia, kitchen cabinet repairs done by a professional will run a few hundred bucks. Coupled with the paint, you'll have a great looking kitchen and still have plenty left to treat the whole family to some sandwiches at Geno's or an afternoon at the ballpark.