PBS star Norm Abram has spent hours stewing in the kitchen: Not over what's cooking on the stove, but rather helping homeowners with expert construction and craftsmanship advice.
As master carpenter on "This Old House" and woodworker in "The New Yankee Workshop," Abram is experienced in kitchen cabinetry materials, hardware, and building techniques. His newest series, airing now, creates a custom kitchen built in the Workshop. The "smart kitchen" uses innovative materials and hardware but has the look and feel appropriate for an 1850s Greek Revival farmhouse.
"Improving your kitchen is one of the best investments any homeowner can make," says Abram. And with cabinetry being a basic kitchen component, the hardware that makes the cabinetry work - pulls, knobs, hinges, drawer slides, and more - is an essential part of design. "You want your cabinets to function properly for decades, and the hardware is part of that."
But shopping for hardware can be a little overwhelming with all the colors, shapes, sizes, and materials available. You can choose from pewter, ceramic, nickel, chrome, and more, in a wide variety of styles.
"I think of hardware for a cabinet like putting an addition on a house," says Abram. "You don't take a Colonial house and put on a modern addition. The hardware needs to be architecturally appropriate."
And make sure the cook in your family is comfortable with the choice of hardware. "Some cooks may prefer a cup pull, others a knob. Make sure your choice is not purely aesthetic but that you're making the kitchen comfortable with the new equipment."
For his latest kitchen project, which is airing through March 1, Abram uses concealed European hinges on the doors, which are self-closing hinges that can be adjusted to align and level cabinet doors. The exterior hardware is a polished brass knob and hinge, which gives a rich look to the cherry cabinets.
Abram recommends using state-of-the-art hardware, such as soft-close mechanisms that operate when you give the door or drawer a gentle push, causing it to automatically close smoothly and quietly. High-quality drawer slides, likewise, operate efficiently and effortlessly. "You want hardware that has some adjustability because wood moves and you need to adjust it as the wood contracts or expands," says Abram.
In fact, he says, using drawers instead of traditional cupboards is a good option for homeowners: drawers pull open completely, allowing you to easily view contents, whether pots and pans, lids, spices, or canned goods.
Before selecting knobs for all the cabinetry, buy a sample and bring it home. If you fit the new cabinet hardware into the existing holes, you can eliminate the need to drill new ones. Abram recommends taking measurements of the existing hardware or bringing the cabinet to the store with you for size comparison. "Hang the hardware on an existing drawer and try it out," says Abram.
If you put a little thought into it, hardware is a great way to update a tired kitchen, says Abram. "Hardware can make all the difference, whether you're just replacing a few knobs or accenting brand new cabinets."
