Kitchen remodels can be quick, easy

The kitchen usually becomes the family gathering place in a home.

If asked, most people would tell you that they spend more time in the kitchen during their waking hours at home than in any other room. So it is easy to grow bored with the way it looks.

Yet making a change to update a kitchen of which you have grown tired is usually an expensive proposition. Appliances are costly. Cabinets and countertops are costly, too, and since they are permanently positioned, making a few little changes to freshen the look is not an easy thing to accomplish.

That is why decorators and even large retailers are coming up with ways for homeowners to change the look of their kitchen cabinets without changing the cabinets themselves.

The fact is most homeowners don't object to the configuration of their cabinets or the storage capacity they offer. They object to the look of the cabinets, which they have simply grown tired of or outright dislike.

IKEA has come up with an interesting way of allowing homeowners to freshen the look of their cabinets without replacing them.

Homeowners who purchase IKEA cabinets of any finish may opt to purchase alternate doors and drawer fronts to mix and match when the mood suits them.

Cabinets at IKEA come in 21 different colors and looks ranging from a stark white to painted black and from oak or beech veneer to high gloss red or dark brown.

Once the homeowner has chosen a basic look for his or her cabinets, he has the option of purchasing additional doors and drawer fronts in colors like bright painted orange, bright painted yellow, green tempered glass, stainless steel and more. There are a total of eight alternate front options.

And the actual task to change the doors when the mood strikes is very easy, according to Christopher Garcia, an IKEA spokesman at its Schaumburg and Bolingbrook stores.

The hinges that attach the door to the cabinet are easily detached. Once the old door is removed, the hinges allow the new cabinet face to be snapped back into place without using any tools, Garcia said.

Changing out drawer fronts does involve unscrewing two screws, but that, too, is quick and easy, Garcia said.

"At IKEA we like to offer options 'for the many' with different living situations," explained Garcia. "That's why our designs are so versatile. Our modular system gives customers the flexibility of changing their cabinets when their own lives change."

IKEA tries to make sure that its furniture remains relevant in its customers' lives as years pass, Garcia said. That is why those who purchased cabinets from the Swedish company five years ago can still add new features like interchangeable doors, new knobs and their new dampener innovation, which prevents cabinet doors and drawers from slamming when they are closed.

Every kitchen is different so the total cost of a set of alternate doors and drawer fronts depends on the size and configuration of your kitchen, Garcia said. But the average price of an IKEA door is $50 and the average price of an alternate drawer front is $20.

And while Garcia said he cannot comment on whether having this option of changing door and drawer fronts would add value to a home when the time comes to sell, he did admit that "the option to refresh your kitchen over and over at an affordable price would be a value for anyone."

Decorators like Lori Ambler, a faux finisher based in St. Charles, are also changing the look of kitchens without ripping out existing cabinets.

"There are a lot of kitchens that are still in good shape, but they just need a little facelift," Ambler said.

"It is amazing what a little paint can do," she added. "I go in and spray tired old cabinets with paint and then finish them with a crackle finish or some plaster and the cabinets look brand new."

"If you have good, solid cabinets, there is no reason to get rid of them just because they are out of style or you have grown tired of the look," she added.

Ambler can change the overall mood of a kitchen or an entire home with just the touch of her brush.

"I can stencil, add plaster for texture, do a crackle finish, whatever," she explained. "It depends on the look the homeowner wants."

"I charge by the door and its surrounding cabinetry and the cost depends upon the condition of the cabinets and the detail the homeowner wants, but my charges usually range from $75 to $175 per door," Ambler said.

She also has faux painted backsplashes and removed soffits to give kitchens extra pizazz in a cost-effective manner.

For instance, in her own kitchen, Ambler said, she removed the old soffits to add height to the kitchen and then she faux painted her old cabinets and some new ones she added in place of a closet; faux painted the backsplash and then stenciled over the new painting; and changed the laminate on her countertops with the help of a handyman.

"Faux painting is for anyone who is sick of looking at their walls and cabinets and wants something different or for someone who buys a home and doesn't want to spend a fortune tearing everything out," Ambler said.