Kitchen Doctors | Blog

Cabinet Refacing for Spring

administrator — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 22:50:24 +0000

Spring is a time to look at what is old and outdated and bring it to new life. Many people are fertilizing and seeding their lawns, planting flowers and putting a fresh coat of paint on front porches. But what about the inside of the house? In this time of renewal you may find yourself looking at your outdated kitchen and wondering how you can up date it for a price that will fit within your budget. Cabinet Refacing is an option that will give your kitchen a completely new and up-dated look for a fraction of the cost of complete remodeling. Call us for a free estimate and let us help you bring new life to your outdated kitchen – 804-897-7982.

Modified Kitchen Remodeling

administrator — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 01:56:29 +0000

Homeowners today are shopping for innovative and cost-effective ways to remodel their kitchens and baths. Kitchen Doctors offers an ideal solution – what we refer to as Modified Kitchen Remodeling.

Most of the kitchens we see have elements about them that are sensible, from the layout to the appliances and work areas. However, we also see within certain layouts; limited work space, tight walk through areas, and aspects of the layout that are just not practical. The Modified Kitchen Remodel approach allows the customer to keep the cabinets that are useful and remove the ones that are not. We then add new unfinished cabinetry to create the layout and storage needs the customer desires. At that point, Kitchen Doctors applies all new matching top grade pre-finished real wood veneers, or laminates to the outer surfaces of both the new and existing cabinets. After the veneer process is finished, we then hang all new doors and drawer fronts that are finished and matched to the veneers.

Kitchen Doctors also offers both the traditional and full overlay Euro look on all of the door styles we offer. Cabinet aids such as roll-out drawers, spice pull-outs and trash pail roll-outs are also available as well as many different types and styles of countertops.

For more information on Modified Kitchen Remodeling and Kitchen Cabinet Refacing, please contact Kitchen Doctors today:

Give us a call: 804-897-7982

Send us a note: Email | Online Form

Request A Quote Online

E.P.A. Lead Safe Practices Law

administrator — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 18:53:59 +0000

Kitchen Doctors is a Certified Lead Safe Practices firm. For many people reading the previous sentence, I am sure the sentiment is either “So What!” or “What does that mean?”

EPA rules are not guidelines or recommended practices, they are law. In this case the law regarding Lead Safe Practices states that all houses built prior to 1978 have the potential for a percentage of lead in the paint. The older the house, the better chance for lead to be present. When contractors work on homes built prior to 1978 they disturb the lead and it can spread in the form of dust. Inhalation of lead is said to have long term negative health effects especially on children.

The Safe Practices program requires contractors to properly quarantine the area of the home being worked on and then clean the affected work area using HEPA filters. The EPA is not blowing smoke here. There is a $37,500 fine and even the possibility of jail for contractors that do not follow the Lead Safe Practices guidelines.

There is a simple lead test that shows whether lead is present or not and all testing and cleanup information is documented and kept on file for at least three years. There has been a discussion on whether testing for lead is even necessary or a good idea. You do have the choice of not testing, BUT you then must follow the Safe Practice guidelines whenever doing work on your home and this adds a layer of cost to the project. Why would you choose not to test for lead in your home? Whenever a house is sold a HUD required Lead Based Paint Disclosure Form must be filled out stating if lead has been found in the home to be sold. The benefit of your choice is that you will be able to honestly disclose on the HUD form that your house has not been tested for the presence of lead and that you are not aware of the presence of lead in your home. Whereas, if testing was done and lead was found in your home, you must disclose this on the form regardless if the Safe Practice program was followed. This can be a red flag to any potential buyer.

For more information or to schedule a FREE estimate, please contact Kitchen Doctors today:

Give us a call: 804-897-7982

Send us a note: Email | Online Form

Request A Quote Online

Seven Benefits of Cabinet Refacing

administrator — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 22:15:05 +0000

Cabinet Refacing is the process of replacing cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and applying a new matching veneer to all the externally visible parts of the cabinets. Changing hardware is optional, but adding different knobs or handles enhances the new look of the cabinets. Instead of breaking down all of the cabinets and installing new ones, refacing the existing cabinets in the kitchen or bathroom saves money, labor and time. Cabinet Refacing is very popular due to the remarkable benefits it offers.

1. Less Expensive. Cabinet Refacing saves an average of 50% off the cost of replacing with all new cabinets. A lot of money can be saved whether this option is used in the kitchen, bathroom or somewhere else in the home. In the majority of cases, the cabinets that look drab and dull on the outside are solidly built and in perfectly good condition. If the layout of the cabinets is staying the same or only being changed or modified slightly, then giving them a face-lift through Cabinet Refacing offers an economical and perfect solution. Unnecessary money is wasted when perfectly good cabinets are ripped out to install new ones in a similar layout.

2. Less Complicated. Complete kitchen remodeling where all of the cabinets are being ripped out and replaced is a huge task that takes days to complete. Cabinet replacement requires extensive planning and changes in schedules to perform. However, with the correct personnel performing the task, Cabinet Refacing an be completed in as little as a day or two.

3. Less Wastage. There is absolutely no need to replace perfectly good cabinets. They will most likely end up in a landfill somewhere contributing to the accumulation of hazardous waste. Then unnecessary money will have to be spent on brand new cabinets.

4. Offers a Variety of Options. There is a wide variety of options available with Cabinet Refacing. Dark cabinets can be transformed into bright white; old fashioned styles can become modern or traditional; flat doors can be replaced with raised panel doors; knotty pine can be replaced with solid cherry or maple in a variety of stains and glazes; and peeling discolored thermo foil can be transformed into solid wood. By applying new veneer to the exterior of the cabinets and adding new doors and drawer fronts as well as new hardware, older cabinets will end up looking like new ones.

5. Several Finishing Options Available. There is a wide variety of veneering options and colors to choose from when refacing cabinets. Real wood veneers such as oak, cherry, hickory, maple, alder, and birch are available, as well as a huge selection of laminates. The look and grain of the wood can be changed by choosing the desired door and matching veneer. All new trim and molding completes the job, and there is even an option of adding some glass doors to showcase collectibles.

6. Going Green. The majority of cabinets contain a substance called formaldehyde, which is an hazardous compound if it ends up in a landfill. This can be prevented by refacing cabinets rather than replacing them. Kitchen Doctors recycles the removed parts such as the cabinet doors and drawer fronts where possible. Refacing prevents the destruction of more trees required to build new cabinets and, therefore, Cabinet Refacing is a green, eco-friendly option.

7. Provides a New Look. The end result of choosing Cabinet Refacing over cabinet replacement is very similar; a brand new look in a style and color that the customer desires. There is absolutely no reason to not choose Cabinet Refacing when the cabinets in question are not in bad shape. This saves money, time, and also the environment.

For more information or to schedule a FREE estimate, please contact Kitchen Doctors today:

Give us a call: 804-897-7982

Send us a note: Email | Online Form

Request A Quote Online

Significant Remodeling Likely As Boomers Age

administrator — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:32:37 +0000

An article of the same name appeared in the May, 2011 edition of Qualified Remodeler, which is a trade magazine for those of us in the remodeling business. In the article, a study conducted by the Cambridge, Mass.-Based Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) at Harvard University stated that the turnover of housing units, especially as members of the Baby Boomer generation face retirement, has considerable implications for home-improvement spending. Homes sold by Baby Boomers are older and typically more affordable and therefore a large majority of them are purchased by younger buyers who update or remodel the older homes to fit their needs. According to the article “The sale of older homes to younger households generates a particularly high level of home-improvement spending.”

This spending is going towards Kitchen Remodeling, Cabinet Refacing, new countertops, new or refaced bath vanities, full bath remodeling, add-on cabinets or other cabinet modifications such as roll-out shelving, as well as other forms of remodeling.
The article also states that “the mobility of Boomers has been trending downward during the past two decades, suggesting more Boomers may choose to stay in their homes and age in place.”

Those deciding to stay in their homes are also deciding to remodel.
Kitchen Doctors has been remodeling and refacing Kitchens and Baths for thirty years. We have extensive experience in designing to fit your budget, and 100% customer satisfaction is our goal. At every FREE estimate, we give the prospective customer a list of approximately 40-50 names of past customers to call for a reference. This list is constantly updated with the permission of every customer.

Call us to schedule your FREE estimate and let us help you complete your remodeling project exactly the way you envision it.

Phone: (804)-897-7982

Email: kitchendoctor@clear.net

Kitchen Doctors introduces the full line of Bishop Cabinets

administrator — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 20:46:55 +0000

Bishop Cabinets offer an extensive line of cabinets that include Oak, Maple, Cherry, Birch, Hickory, Knotty Alder, etc…Oak, Maple and Cherry are also offered in a Rustic series. There is a wide variety of stains, paints, glazes, and special finishes available on all species.

Bishop offers three framed cabinet options that include Value, Standard, and Deluxe series. Drawer upgrade options include solid wood dovetailed drawer boxes with full extension soft-close glides. There are four Tru-Euro style cabinets to choose from with full overlay Euro-style doors and drawer fronts. Also offered by Bishop are exotic woods that include Zebrawood, Rosewood, Bamboo, Wenge, Red Gum, and English Sycamore, as well as solid color and wood grain foils, Brushed stainless steel and Aluminum finish doors, and various glass inserts.

High end inset-style doors are also offered without the high end cost. Bishop is a competitively priced American made cabinet line with a plethora of choices. They are headquartered in Alabama. Visit their site here.

Call Kitchen Doctors for more information and to make an appointment to visit our showroom at 1811 Huguenot Rd., Suite 401, Midlothian, VA. 231113. (804) 897-7982.

Cabinet Door Replacement

administrator — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 12:37:08 +0000

Lately, there is more interest in simply replacing cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Instead of a complete kitchen remodel or even a kitchen reface, more customers are considering simply replacing their cabinet doors and drawer fronts. It is most common on white kitchens. Older custom made white sprayed cabinets usually have doors made from MDF [Medium Density Fibreboard]. Over time the paint gets worn or chipped or worse, water damaged. Sometimes the customer will paint the cabinet frames to match the new doors or they will match the new doors to the white on the existing cabinet frames as they are not usually damaged like the existing doors and drawer fronts. The new doors and drawer fronts that Kitchen Doctors provides are factory sprayed with a clear coat sealer on a hard maple core. Better material than MDF. We also provide new hinges and handles and change out the mouldings. It is also popular to replace those 1980s flat panel laminate doors with white painted hard maple in a raised panel or Shaker style door.

For more info on door replacement or any other service that we provide, call Kitchen Doctors at 804-897-7982

Kitchen Doctors
1811 Huguenot Rd. Suite 401
Midlothian, VA. 23113
Ph. 804-897-7982
Fax. 804-897-7984

kitchendoctors@clear.net

Kitchen Doctors Showroom

administrator — Mon, 16 May 2011 17:35:34 +0000

Kitchen Doctors of Richmond, Virginia is in the process of opening up a showroom for Kitchen Remodeling and Cabinet Refacing. We will announce our opening date in May. It is our goal to provide our customers with a straightforward and easy to understand choice selection process. We look forward to serving the Greater Richmond, Virginia area for many years to come.

888-379-2255 (CALL)

The Case for Cabinet Refacing

administrator — Mon, 09 May 2011 16:28:57 +0000

Kitchen Cabinet Refacing has become more and more well known as a serious option for transforming your cabinets. The process has come a long way in the thirty years since I’ve been involved in the kitchen business. Back in the late seventies and early eighties laminates were the only material offered. Although laminates are still an option, the most popular materials we handle are solid wood veneers and plywoods, and real solid wood doors and drawer fronts in Oak, Maple, Cherry, Alder, Birch, Lyptus, Bamboo, and so on. The veneers make the difference. Kitchen Doctors prefers to use a phenalic backed veneer. The backing is much like a Formica laminate-type backing and avoids any glue bleed through.

If you like your kitchen layout and your cabinets are a decent quality, then cabinet refacing is a viable option that can save you thousands over the cost of replacing your entire kitchen. Kitchen Doctors serves the Greater Richmond, Virginia area and will soon be offering our services in the Northern Virginia region. Feel free to call or email us about the refacing option for your kitchen makeover.

888-379-2255 (CALL)

Choosing a Countertop

administrator — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:30:30 +0000

When it comes to choosing a countertop for your kitchen or bathroom, there are a variety of surface materials on the market to choose from. The two deciding factors that often determine what your choice will be are; budget and desire. Can you afford the look you desire? How can you have that look and stay within your budget?

The most practical and least expensive countertop material is laminate. There are many negative opinions out there regarding laminate, but it is still the most practical and inexpensive option available. In addition Formica brand of laminate has developed a new FX series laminate designed to look like granite with similar colors and patterns to the eight most popular national selling granite. You are no longer limited to only a self edge or post form edge countertop but have a choice of waterfall, half bullnose, bullnose, ogee and bevel edge. Also there is a new stainless steel undermount sink designed specifically for laminate countertops. So laminate countertops have always been and still are very practical and the least expensive option.

The next price point is solid surface material and Grade A granite. There are many different solid surface materials on the market with the most well know being Corian. A variety of colors and patterns are available from solid colors to small and large particulates. The price increases from solid colors to small particulates to large particulates. Grade A granites are the least expensive of the granite choices. Most dealers use five price categories for granite and they are based on availability. The rarer the stone, the more expensive it becomes.

Another popular material is Engineered Stone a.k.a. Quartz products. These materials are much like granite in terms of appearance and durability with a price point similar to the mid to higher priced granite.

Feel free to call or email Kitchen Doctors about any of these options and we can discuss the tolerance of each product in terms of wear and aesthetics. We look forward to answering any questions you may have regarding your Kitchen Remodeling, Kitchen Refacing, Bathroom Cabinets, or Countertop projects you may be considering.

888-379-2255 (CALL)