Lighting For Your Kitchen And Cabinets

Kitchen lighting

Kitchen lighting is a form of home lighting specifically for the functional purpose of a kitchen. In the kitchen several requirements need to be met and these must be aided by precise lighting. Thus kitchen lighting is mostly task lighting and ambient lighting and less of decorative lighting. Good kitchen lighting, from an aesthetic and functional standpoint, incorporates both ambient and task lighting.

From the perspective of a professional lighting designer, the kitchen is one of the more interesting and versatile projects one can tackle. Filled with numerous nooks and crannies, cabinets and appliances, shelves and other specialized areas such as islands, kitchens can present more lighting challenges than any other room in your home.

Start with the task areas. These are best lit with bright, shadowless light. Fluorescent tubes are particularly well suited for this. You want to get the fixture close to the task area so as to get maximum light concentrated on the area you wish to work. In kitchens this would be counters, sinks, and tables. Spot lights and directional lights also provide task lighting in kitchens. For pantries or other closets, small Under Cabinet Lights provide good illumination. They can be mounted inside the closet above the door header to provide glare free lighting on the closet contents.

Ambient light is the general, overall light that fills in shadows, reduces contrast, and lights vertical surfaces to give the space a brighter feel. Fluorescent tubes are well suited to the job of providing ambient light. They provide broad, even illumination and their efficiency makes it possible to fill the space with light without turning it into an oven. Incandescent down lights are more dramatic and give a brilliant white light but require several fixtures to avoid shadows in a kitchen. Direct lighting is achieved by using conventional recessed lights, surface lights or light fixtures that are on a pendant or chain. These types of lights work well to provide bright lighting for work surfaces and general purpose lighting in the kitchen area. Rope lighting and small recessed lights are budget friendly.

Add a layer of accent lighting. You may be lighting artwork, architectural details, collectibles, or a food presentation area.

Kitchen occupancy sensors can be used in place of expensive complicated 3-way switches in kitchens with multiple entrances. If the sensors can "see" all the entrances from their mounting location, they will turn on the lights automatically whenever anyone enters the room from any direction.

The importance of kitchen lighting is often overlooked. The traditional kitchen has been replaced by a modern one where people interact in quietude over the counter. Thus kitchen lighting is evolving with the needs of modern households.

Cabinet lighting: make your cabinet attractive as never before: When it comes to interior, cabinet d?cor is a matter of high attention as beautiful cabinets make the place more attractive specially kitchen. Normal type of lighting has a problem of shadows and reflections and it hampers the quality of light. There are under cabinet and cabinet lightings having different types of uses and specialties. Cabinet lighting has a variety of old and new-fashioned lights with a great variety. Polished with brass and silver the lights look more attractive and they make the cabinets look brighter. These days there are a lot of lights having a great finishing touch with a variety of colors. There is a great lighting including ambience lights and halogen lights that are used for enhancing the quality of cabinet brightness.

Types of cabinet lighting: The types of lights depend upon brightness, consumption of voltage, color and temperature. There are some adjustable lights that can be moved in a full circular motion. Some people have a problem of heat from the lighting so for them lights with an effect of florescence can be of a great use. Like the halogens radiate heat and create a problem for the people who cannot sustain heat these are a convenient option. There are some lights that have a brightness adjustment effect and they are very useful in each time of the day. Another good point is efficiency of energy and flickering free technology that can cut down maintenance cost. The life of lamps is more due to usage of xenon and hence they are worth of their price.

Usage of cabinet lighting: Most of the cabinet lighting is used fro display of things or to provide a sufficient amount of light for normal working. Most of them are used in the office for desktops, at hospitals, studying rooms or library, bathroom closets, bedroom shelves, nooks and corners along hallways and stairways, living rooms, family rooms and anywhere else where a little brightness is required. For the kitchen installation one thing should be kept in mind that it should be in front or near the cabinet. It will be beneficial for providing the exact amount of required light with an added elegance of brightness to the kitchen cabinet. Hence by the usage of these tips you can enhance your cabinets.

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Old Cabinets Look New!

There are many different types of cabinets. Everyone has kitchen cabinets, some people have built in cabinets, there are medicine cabinets, toy cabinets, garage cabinets, curio cabinets and bathroom cabinets. No matter where the cabinets are located however, they all serve one purpose ? to store things.

Sometimes we store things in a cabinet for a long period of time and they rarely get opened like a curio cabinet. Other types of cabinets are more functional and receive a lot of wear and tear and daily usage like the kitchen, garage or bathroom cabinet. Regardless of how a cabinet is being used or what it is being used to store, after a while they begin to need some sprucing up. There are a few ways to give old cabinets a new life.

A more expensive way to liven up old cabinets is to get rid of them completely and buy and install new ones. There are many varying degrees of quality when it comes to cabinets. The wood that they are, or are not, made out of will be a big factor in the cost of your cabinets. Cherry is going to be a lot more expensive than veneer material. Also the design of your cabinets will be a deciding factor in how much they will cost as well. The fancier the design on the door of the cabinet, the higher the price tag. Another thing that will determine the cost of installing new cabinets is the number of cabinets you need or the amount of space you want to fill with cabinets.

If you like the idea of new cabinets without tearing your kitchen apart or the price that comes along with that work, you can always have your cabinets refaced. Refacing involves changing out the current drawer and door fronts only. The base of your cabinets stays intact and nothing is removed from your kitchen except the old drawer fronts and doors. The biggest advantage to having your cabinets refaced as opposed to replaced is that they will be completed in about 3 days, the cost is substantially lower and you will still feel as though you got a new, updated kitchen.

There are some things that you can do however, to spruce up older cabinets before you decide to take out a small loan and install new ones. First, try changing out the hardware or knobs on your cabinets. Although higher quality knobs will cost you a little more, you will be surprised at what new knobs and drawer pulls will do to your outdated cabinets.

If knobs and pulls are not enough for you, you can also paint your wooden cabinets. There is no need to sand them down completely before you apply paint. You do need to sand them enough to make them tacky so the paint will adhere well to the surface. Also, use a primer first that is made to improve the adhesion of paint. When choosing a paint, be sure that whatever color you choose, you choose a hi-gloss finish or enamel. Enamels or hi-gloss finishes are easier to clean and really shine and stand out. By using an enamel or high gloss paint there is no need to use polyurethane as a sealant.

Whichever route you decide to take on updating your cabinets in any room, know that you have options and choices and that starting over is not the only one.

To find more information and resources about cabinets visit: http://www.cabinetx.com

Kitchen Cabinets are The Soul Of Your Kitchen

Kitchen Cabinets are The Soul Of Your Kitchen

 by: Mike Yeager

Kitchen cabinets reflect the heart and soul of the homeowner. The cabinets you have in your kitchen have the greatest impact on a kitchen's look. They come in many shapes and sizes as well as in a rainbow of colors. Only your imagination and your bank account limit the color and design of your cabinets. You can buy cabinets pre-made at your local home supply store or have them custom built.

You can also give your kitchen a fresh, new look with a makeover for your older kitchen cabinets. If you're happy with your existing cabinet layout, and the cabinets are still in good condition, then cabinet re-facing is an alternative to replacing them. Cabinet re-facing can be accomplished in a number of ways.

Kitchen cabinet doors can be sanded and re-painted using any color and texture you choose or stripped using a variety of chemical products available at any home supply store. It is always important to read the label and precautions on any chemical stripper prior to using them. Many of these products can cause serious health problems if the instructions are not followed.

When choosing new kitchen cabinets it is important to pay attention to type of wood used and the quality of the construction. The look of your kitchen cabinets will also be reflected in the hardware you choose from the hinges to the knobs. Once you finish all the choices and have them in place you will enjoy them for years to come.

Mike Yeager Publisher http://www.a1-kitchen-cabinets-4u.com/ mjy610@hotmail.com

 

Cleaning Out The Cabinets in Your Kitchen

Cleaning out and finding space in your kitchen cabinets can be a hard, trying experience. There seems to be so many items, and just no where left to put them!

There are several methods you can incorporate into your kitchen to save shelf space, store items easier, and save time searching for the right thing. And there are also a few basic pointers I will give you along the way.

The first thing is to group like mined items together. Be sure all your spices and herbs are in the same location, and also that your pans are together, ect. Unfortunately, the kitchen is the one area of the household where the use it or lose it rule doesn't always apply. Meaning, in most other areas of the house, if you don't use something frequently, or have a purpose for it even if that purpose is aesthetic, you need to throw it away or donate it. However, in the kitchen there are a whole lot of things you may not use frequently but will need to save, such as herbs, spices, specialty pans, canned items, and more.

So now that you have clustered items together, now what? Well, you figure out which "groups" will need the most space. Start by placing the largest groups in the largest available spaces, and working your way down. At this time you may need to incorporate several space saving techniques.

The first technique is what I call the Martha Stewart technique. This is where if you have the money and resources, you go out at this time and buy all those specialty gadgets for saving space, such as lazy suzans, expandable drawer inserts and shelf racks, wall hooks, and such. This can be a very attractive and simple way to achieve organization...but I am assuming you are reading this because you know how to buy space, you just don't know how to do it with what you have, right?

So the next technique is what I call the easy-find box method. This method works particularly well with spices, herbs, flavorings, and small jars. Find a box that will hold the group of items you need to store. Shoeboxes and gift boxes work well for this purpose. Take all the items in a group, and label each one on the lid using small yard sale type sticker labels stating what they are. Place all the items in the group in the box selected in alphabetical order. Then store the box, and the next time you need to get something from it you will be able to just take the lid off and quickly locate an item. If you have more than a few of these boxes, I recommend labeling them with magic marker on the side or top to be able to locate certain groups quickly. You can expand upon this idea by decorating the boxes by gluing fabric to them, wrapping them in countertop sticky paper, or whatever else suits your fancy. This method works well for storing any number of things including canned goods and pastas.

The other method we will list is the painting method. This is a great method to use if you are a creative type, and also if you have children who have difficulty putting things where they should. Simply acquire several different colors of paint ( the surface depends upon what type paint. Please use your best judgment), and a paintbrush. After grouping your items, look at and evaluate your space available. Make out a map of sorts, and be sure to leave room for future accommodations. Once you have decided in your mind or on a sheet of paper where everything will go you can do one of the two following things. First you can simply paint lines around the areas where certain groups will sit. For instance, draw a square line in the corner of the cabinet exactly where your spices will be. You can ,make the lines straight, wavy, dotted, curly...whatever your imagination desires! Then after letting the paint dry, place the items in their designated areas. The other way of doing this is to paint the entire area in instead of just drawing lines. This can be a lot more challenging, but also a lot prettier. Imagine for a moment, opening a pretty white cabinet with brass handles, and finding the inside painted with four different pastel colors, each having its own group of like minded items. Very pretty indeed! In fact, if you are an artist, you can paint any type of motif or design for a specific category.

Now, while you are doing this there are several things to keep in mind. First, remember to clean out the shelves while you have everything out. Secondly, there will be several things you find that you know won't be used...get rid of them. Thirdly, you probably will find several items that just won't have a category of their own. For this you can make a "misc" box or section, or else place it in a different room or area.

I hope these ideas will help you to create the kitchen of your dreams, and to find things easier in the meantime. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions.

Stephanie Davies is the webmaster and author of http://www.beendreaming.com - a website that focuses on cleaning, organizing, and other homemaking related topics.

 

Color, Rollers and a Little Bit of Spackling! Ready to Paint Those Kitchen Cabinets?

Please consider this article for your ezine or
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TITLE: Color, Rollers and a Little Bit of Spackling! Ready to Paint Those Kitchen Cabinets?
AUTHOR: Pamela Cole Harris
WORD COUNT: 400
URL:http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com
MAILTO:pacole3@homeandgardenmakeover.com

Color, Rollers and a Little Bit of Spackling! Ready to Paint Those Kitchen Cabinets?

So you have decided to do it! Turn those dull and lifeless kitchen cabinets into a splash of bright color! Yellow! Red! Purple (What are you thinking)! You can make the job an easy one (well, at least not a grueling one!) by following these step:

1.Remove all the hardware from the doors and drawers (yep, ALL the handles, pulls and hinges).
2.If the drawer fronts can be removed, do so. Pull out the drawers and set aside.
3.Clean all surfaces with a mixture of water and TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) and a sponge or an abrasive pad. (Pssstdont worry. Everyones kitchen doors get that dirty!)
4.Wipe all the surfaces dry.
5.Look for dents or scratches. Repair them with spackling compound applied with a putty knife.
6.Let the spackling dry thoroughly.
7.Check any new hardware to see if they fit the existing holes. If not, fill in the old holes with spackling compound. (or return the new hardware to the store and get some that will fit!)
8.Sand the surfaces to be painted will coarse sandpaper so the paint will adhere more completely. Wrap the paper around a sanding block for ease of use.
9.Make certain you sand all the nooks and crannies and rounded edges. (Yes, all of them!)
10.Paint the backs of the doors and drawer fronts first. Let dry and then paint the front faces. You can paint the doors with a standard-sized paint roller. Paint the edges with a brush.
11.Use one of those little paint rollers to paint the face frames.
12.Let everything dry completely before you begin to reassemble.
13.Screw the hinges to the doors and then back to the face frames.
14.Reattach all the handles and the pulls or add the new ones (dont give up you are on the home stretch!)
15.Apply rubber or felt bumpers on the backs of the doors to prevent the paint from sticking.

Hurrah! A new kitchen fresh and clean! Now what do you think we can do in that upstairs bath?

Pamela Cole Harris is an editor and writer with 35 years experience. Visit her website,
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com, for a free newsletter
with remodeling, home improvement and decorating ideas for the
financially challenged, creatively deficient and technologically illiterate. . Or for unique content for your website, written especially for your keywords and audience, visit http://www.pamelacoleharris.com.

Pamela Cole Harris is an editor and writer with 35 years experience. Visit her website,
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com, for a free newsletter
with remodeling, home improvement and decorating ideas for the
financially challenged, creatively deficient and technologically illiterate. . Or for unique content for your website, written especially for your keywords and audience, visit http://www.pamelacoleharris.com.