Give your old cabinets and drawers a second chance

Rita Deo Rita Deo
asian by Orchid, Asian
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By repairing old cabinets and drawers you are conserving precious natural resources and also saving money on your old cabinets and drawers remodel by effacing your cabinets instead of replacing them.

Cabinet refacing can save the cost of replacing a new cupboard by 50 percent and during this whole process   you don’t need to move the cabinets or drawers from their regular place which will save cost of handling and transportation too. As the cabinets or drawers are being repaired in-house your rooms and kitchens can be functional. Here are some interesting ways to repair and maintain your old cabinets and drawers so they can last a few more generations.

Loose Handles

If your cabinet door handle is loose and screwing it back in doesn't help it could be either because the wood in that area is worn out or that screw type handle itself is rusted and worn out. One of the easiest ways to fix a loose cabinet door handle is by using wood glue. Try to completely ease out the loose handles and spread a good quality thread locking liquid and fix them back into the drawers. The quaint vintage style handles attached to this window seat will be difficult to replace and you cannot use others as it will spoil the symmetry of the country style living room.

Doors are crooked and do not align

Crooked doors generally occur due to lack of strength or alignment in the hinge/s when the doors are fixed to the cupboard making them hang out. Setting up cupboard doors is a trial and error process and cabinet doors can be misaligned from poor installation or from getting slammed too hard. Due to improper alignment their edges and rims twist and bend after installation so doors become crooked or uneven with use. When hinges are fixed properly by pushing them back to their proper place then doors will fit perfectly.

Sticky Drawers

Both metal and wooden drawers can get stuck if they are made with poor quality materials that bend and warp with use or due to weather conditions. But sometimes even branded furniture drawers get stuck if something is wedged in between the edges or the roller slides are damaged due to rough use. Large cabinets like the one here with multiple small drawers that are fitted close to each other can get stuck if contents from drawers beside them are overflowing. When faced with stuck or jammed drawers, try to first remove the drawer completely out of its slot and check for broken joints and make repairs where necessary. If the drawers are perfect then just apply dry lubricant like wax on the edges and slide the drawer into position. Try pulling it back and forth a few times to check if it is working properly which will also allow lubricant to spread evenly.

Greasy surfaces

Cabinets and drawers in the kitchen and garage tend to turn greasy over a period of time as people in these areas work with sticky substances like oil and grease which either get splashed around or leaves smudges on the surfaces. Instead of allowing these sticky substances to sink into the wood and leave ugly stains it is best to clean the surface of cabinets and drawers with simple homemade cleaning solutions like baking soda and lime on a regular basis. To remove thick layers of grease that is mixed with dust and grime you may have to first rub lime juice all over the area and the scrub away the grease with a mixture of warm water and baking soda. In this mobile cupboard with wheels built by Little Tree Furniture the grease may not be easily visible which will reduce your cleaning chores but the grease can get embedded in the unpolished grooves of wood that may become tricky to remove.

Scratches in the wood

Just as glass and laminated surfaces of cabinets get nicked and scratched, wooden cabinets also develop signs of use after a period of time. While some people wait for the wood door or drawer to get completely battered before replacing them sometimes these scratches look very embarrassing before guests. You can either get a professional wood expert to do the job or try out some DIY techniques available on internet or ask friends for suggestions to reduce visibility of the scratch. A commonly used technique is to immediately rub a mixture of oil and lime juice firmly over the scratch on the wooden surface until it disappears. To cover deep scratches you have to fill the scratch and this can be done by using wax crayons, candle wax and few more kitchen items. If the scratch is a deep gouge then a tablecloth or DIY patchwork coaster will do the trick.

Tidy and short and used often

These vintage style cabinets characterised by ornate carved surfaces and curvy legs have tidy and short drawers that can be used for a wide variety of purposes. The pink dresser that looks more like a girl’s dressing table can become a study table if the mirror is removed and it is given a fresh coat of neutral paint. If some parts of the table are broken beyond repair do not throw away the pretty short drawers by fix them into some other table to make a unusual combination.

Doors will not stay shut

Stubborn cabinet hinges are usually the result of long abuse like shutting and opening them roughly. Cabinet doors that overlap or refuse to stay closed are ugly and can be cause of serious injury. To ensure that old cabinet doors like these stay shut you can fix a small knob on top of the doors that can be pushed back into place after closing the door. If the door is sturdy enough to manage hinges then remove chipped wood around the hinges and tighten the screws in place.

Drawers with bowed bottoms

Drawers made of poor quality materials or those that are exposed to extreme weather conditions tend to sag. Sometimes drawers that are stuffed with heavy stuff also sag if they are filled with goods than they can bear. To ensure that vintage furniture like this lasts for a few more decades first remove heavy stuff and push the bottom back into the drawer’s groove and stick it. To keep the sagging bottom in place cut a small block of plywood that is of similar size as the drawer and stick it to the bottom and leave it overnight to dry.

For informative tips on maintaining furniture that can last a lifetime refer to this ideabook.

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