Your Home Improvement Resources

It is a common misconception that decorating our home is expensive. Often we think that you need to spend a fortune decorating our homes and this is enough to put us off altogether. As we assume the cost is going to be so high it is often only the main rooms that we live in that get any real attention and rooms like our kitchens can be neglected.

The reality is that there are plenty of ways for us to decorate our kitchens at a reasonable cost and if we only paid more attention to the ways to do this, we could all have the beautiful homes that we so desire without having to break the bank.

One of the major resources that we need to look at when it comes to decorating our home is eBay. Many people assume that the auction website is merely only people selling off their 2nd hand/unwanted goods. The truth is that eBay has changed over recent years and many retailers now have stores on there. It is simply another outlet for sellers to advertise their goods and you will often get bargain deals for all rooms of your house (including kitchens!) on the site. As the sellers using the site have far less overheads than they would if they had a shop for example, you usually find that the costs they are able to give you are far less.

Of course the internet is not the only place we should turn to when it comes to decorating our kitchens. If you go to a local DIY store they often have sales on end of line and one off pieces. These are usually taken off the shelves to make room for new products, given massive discounts and dumped on the end of an aisle. This is a great of picking up a local bargain. You can really find anything this way including kitchen sinks! They also sometimes have ex display models for sale. These can have slight cosmetic damage but it is not usually recognisable and they are always cheaper than the products on the shelves were!

So people don’t neglect your kitchens. There really is no reason at all why it can’t be just as beautiful as the rest of your home

Painting your kitchen cabinets is a great alternative to purchasing new cabinets. Not only can you save a lot of money but if done correctly the results are fantastic.
The most simple way to complete this project is to leave the inside of the cabinets unpainted . The inside is only seen when the cabinet is open so I would recommend that you leave them unpainted. Plus if you don’t paint the inside of the cabinets you don’t have to remove everything from inside the cabinets.

Be sure the room is well ventilated because the primer and paint have a strong odor. You may need to use a fan placed close to a door or window in order to pull some of the fumes out of the house.
The ways are :

1. Take off all of the cabinet hardware including all knobs, handles and pulls. Cover all countertops and flooring using drop cloths or tarps. Leave the doors attached. Using painters tape, tape all the hinges on the doors.
2. You will need to clean the cabinets using a cleaning solution such as TSP. This is a cleaning agent which is readily available at most hardware stores. Wash the exterior of all the cabinets that are to be painted using your cleaning solution. Allow the cabinets to fully dry and then sand them to a dull finish using a fine grit sandpaper.
3. Prime cabinets using a good oil based primer such as BIN which you can also purchase at most hardware or paint stores. Apply a thin coat of primer using a short nap roller and a brush. Prime the front of the doors first then open and prime the backs of the doors. After priming the doors, prime the remainder of the exposed cabinets. After the primer is completely dry, take your fine grit sandpaper and lightly sand the cabinets.
4. Paint the cabinets using a brush and short nap roller the same way you applied the primer. You can use either oil or latex ( water based) paint. The oil is going to be more difficult to apply but will be more durable than the latex. If using oil, you may also need to thin the oil using paint thinner in order to achieve a smooth even finish. Be careful and do not thin the paint too much. Start out by thinning the paint a very small amount and thin more if necessary. You will also need paint thinner for cleaning up the paint and primer.
5. Once the cabinets are completely dry, lightly sand any bubbles that formed in the first coat of paint using fine grit sandpaper. Do not sand so hard that you remove the paint you just put on. Paint the final coat using the same method as before. Allow the cabinets to dry at least 24 hours before reattaching the knobs and pulls.
6. If you used an oil paint , clean the brush and roller sleeve using paint thinner. If you used latex paint you can use regular tap water to clean your brush and roller sleeve. If you used an inexpensive brush and roller sleeve you may want to discard them instead of trying to clean them.