There are a few things you can do to refresh your kitchen cabinets without breaking the bank.

Cleaning the cabinets is the first step. Remove the doors. Use mineral spirits and steel wool and gently rub the door, as well as the facing that the door hangs on to clean it. If you are worried that you may damage your wood with the steel wool you can also use oil soap specifically for wood and a nylon scrubber.

You are now ready to put a new finish on your cabinets. You can now apply clear wax-free shellac to the natural color or you can make them a dark stain of wood before the shellac. You can also paint them if you choose to. Also depending on the type of accent or embellishment, you wish to use that may need to go on before or after the clear shellac.

Types of accents for kitchen cabinets

The most popular today are;

Shaker –Works with just about any décor from contemporary to traditional.
Louvered –typically used on windows they add a distinct style to the kitchen.
Flat –simple and elegant.
Inset –sits inside the cabinet frame with a classic look that will last for years.
Distressed –these will fit perfectly if you wish to have the antique look.
Beadboard –similar to an old-style wall covering that would be a beautiful cottage-style look for your kitchen.

Thermofoil –durable and cost-effective made by molding MDF and then wrapping in a plastic coating and baked at intense heat for a complete seal.
Custom–made by professional woodwork, these are expensive however if you can’t find a style from those listed above this may be your best choice.
Other ways to accent are glass panels in the door, placing tin punch-outs over the wood in each corner of the door face. The embellishment will be a customization that fits your unique style.

Then you can apply new hinges and handles to the door. Here the possibilities are all most endless. Depending on your style – cottage, contemporary, traditional – you will need to then choose a finish. Finishes can be bronze, nickel, chrome, iron, antique, and brass. Then you will have to choose a handle or knob. This is where you have to be able to visualize these on the door against the finish you have chosen and the style you have chosen to go with.

Now that the outside has been renewed and fits the style you have chosen, you may want to think about cabinet organization. There are small things you can do to help organize and create more space inside your cabinets. By adding wire coated corner shelves for smaller plates to sit on over top of larger plates. Both are then within easy reach and you no longer must pick up the smaller plates to get the larger plates. The same thing can be done with a spice rack on the inside of the cabinet door.

Divine Cabinetry strives to be the leading provider of cabinetry solutions to our partners throughout the country. One of the keys to Divine's continued success lies in the commitment to continually improve both the product quality and the design style with customers’ needs in mind.