Metal Kitchen Cabinets -- Are They The Right Choice For You?
When considering a kitchen remodel, most homeowners will at least briefly consider whether or not to install metal kitchen cabinets instead of the more-traditional wooden ones. Are metal kitchen cabinets a good choice for you? Given the wide variety of designs and colors available, it's a safe bet to say that you should be able to find metal kitchen cabinets to complement just about any kitchen decorating scheme or theme. And while brand-new metal kitchen cabinets can be a pricey investment, there is a good alternative: find, and purchase used metal kitchen cabinets instead.
You see, while wooden kitchen cabinets are subject to a certain amount of warping, splitting and even rotting over time, metal kitchen cabinets can still be found in great shape, even after decades of continuous use. And used metal kitchen cabinets that do have some slight blemishes can be easily fixed up -- saving you lots of cash over the cost of new ones.
Where Can I Find Used Metal Kitchen Cabinets?
Your first big priority is to locate some used metal kitchen cabinets that are still in good shape. It really isn't as hard as you might think to find them: the Internet is a great resource in that regard. Auction sites (such as eBay) may list them, as well as sites where home estate sales are listed. Also if there are institutions such as hospitals and schools which are doing remodeling of their kitchens/cafeterias, you can sometimes purchase their used metal kitchen cabinets at a significant savings.
What's the Best Way to Refinish Metal Kitchen Cabinets?
Of course, before beginning work on refinishing your metal kitchen cabinets you will need to take off all of the hardware and doors from the cabinets -- these can be painted separately when the time comes. You will need to make sure that any rust spots are sanded out, or at least sanded smooth, before applying any new layers of paint.
If the surface of your used metal kitchen cabinets are glossy, you will need to either use sandpaper or purchase a liquid deglosser which will remove this glossiness. It is normally not necessary to remove all of the underlying paint on your used metal kitchen cabinetry -- but you will need to apply a primer coat (lightly standing after it dries if necessary) before adding the top coat of paint. For best coverage, you should apply at least two top coats of paint to your used metal kitchen cabinets.
Here's a tip: If doing all of this work seems a bit daunting to you, check out one of your local auto body establishments -- the kind that do repainting and restoration work on car bodies. These guys are very experienced in preparing and painting all types of metal surfaces. They might even be willing to handle the painting of your metal kitchen cabinets for you (you'll have to pay them for this, of course).
In fact, I've had two sets of used metal kitchen cabinets repainted at a local auto body shop, and the results were perfect in both cases. Another plus if you use an auto body shop, is that these guys can also mix and spray a custom-designed paint color for your cabinets, so you won't have to rely on standard paint colors that you might buy in a paint store.
Finally, once your used metal kitchen cabinets have been properly refinished, you can reattach the doors and the hardware. A great way to update the look of your metal kitchen cabinets is to purchase some new hardware (door pulls and hinges) -- if these are not available, you can try and find some use hardware, and repaint/refinish it. This is a good option if you are trying to go for a "retro" look from the 1940s-1950s and can't find any brand-new hardware.
