Kitchen Cabinet Knobs and Hardware

In the all encompassing goal of refacing or replacing your kitchen cabinets, homeowners tend to completely overlook the hardware they're going to use (the door and drawer pulls) until the last minute. Usually this cabinet hardware is prominently featured next to the cabinet displays in major home improvement stores, but even then people either overlook it or ignore it. The differences between one style and another can make a major difference in the overall visual effect.

Ask yourself, do you want the hardware to blend with your cabinets or stand out as an accent piece? Perhaps you want something in between.

Consider these factors when picking out your cabinet hardware:

• cost
• size
• ease of use
• ease of installation
• color
• material (wood, brass, etc)

Round kitchen cabinet knobs produce a different impression than oblong or elongated handles. Shiny hardware gives a different statement than muted finishes. Homeowners who mix the two styles will usually stick with one style for doors and the other for drawers. You don't want to mix and match styles however. Do you best to stick with matching pieces for a complete look.

Where to Buy Hardware

Generally its best to visit a hardware store so you can easily compare the handles and knobs available, and match them for size and color against your cabinet doors and drawers. It can be very difficult to look at a picture of a door handle and know if it's going to provide the right visual effect in your kitchen. Your computer monitor resolution could be set so that it appears larger or smaller than actual size, and the colors available may be different from real life.

If you do find hardware in a store that you like, write down the item numbers and prices. You could take that information to the internet and search for the numbers to see if they are available at a cheaper price online. Be sure to factor in shipping and the total volume of pieces you need. Some suppliers requie you to buy a certain number of pieces to meet a minimum quota, others have high shipping fees. If you only need a few pieces you're often better off just buying them at the hardware store and saving yourself the hassle.

Online shopping is best when searching for highly unique pieces that are not among common stock materials at your local store.

A few places online are:

http://www.dlawlesshardware.com/

www.kitchencabinethardware.com

At the very least these places can give you an idea of the variety of styles available so you aren't overwhelmed when shopping at the store.