It has often been said that what goes around comes around, and so it seems with metal kitchen cabinets. From their heyday in the 1940s and 1950s, they finally fell from grace. Now, however, interest in them is resurgent. Whether it’s newly manufactured units or upcycled vintage kitchen cabinets, an increasing number of people are opting for this venerable style.
While the popularity of metal kitchen cabinets suffered in recent decades as manufacturers introduced a wide range of relatively low-cost units, often made from particle board with applied veneers, today the robustness of metal kitchen cabinets metal has renewed appeal for many. They are very low maintenance and easy to keep clean. While new are not the lowest priced options available, bargain hunters who are willing to invest some time and effort can often locate older units on the internet, and there is at least one website dedicated to gathering buyers. and sellers.
The market for used metal kitchen cabinets tends to be very local, as they are expensive to ship, so Craigslist is a good place to look. In one case involving a friend of mine, he owned a home that was reassessed to a ridiculous level by the county, so he abandoned it. He soon saw an ad on Craigslist “finders” looking for a complete set of metal kitchen cabinets, which he had left behind. Simply put, he ended up selling the set for $ 2,000, with the buyer dismantling it and taking it away. Moral of the story, be proactive and place an ad looking for such units if you are interested in owning them.
While metal kitchen cabinets can have a virtually unlimited lifespan (shelf life?), They will lose their shine over time. If you want to renew them, you have a variety of options. At the higher end you can have them peel and powder coated or professionally repainted after disassembly. However, some painters will do the work on the spot. For those interested in a do-it-yourself project, there are options. Probably the most profitable for the results obtained is to buy cans of epoxy for household appliances and apply it according to the instructions. However, there are not many color options when doing it.
Applying an epoxy-style paint is another good option. It can be sprayed, but it’s really not a good option for someone lacking in experience. Applying such paint with a brush or roller tends to give a kind of “orange peel” appearance, which is generally not considered desirable, although some people like it. They can also be painted with ordinary latex paints by brush / roller or spray. However, a good oil-based paint is generally preferable as it will provide a harder surface and more gloss in exchange for the extra effort required to work with oil paint.
If you want to have an exciting new look in your kitchen, and maybe you can’t afford quality real wood cabinets or just don’t want them, and you’re tired of the particle board look, consider new metal kitchen cabinets or ancient.
