Rustic Kitchen Cabinet

Rustic Kitchen Cabinets

and Rustic Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

You can make your kitchen, bath, entertainment center or whatever "rustic" by adding "rustic" handles or knobs to your cabinets (if you already have cabinets and obviously can't add knots to them!!). Adding the rustic kitchen cabinet hardware can add a great accent or theme that you can continue throughout your kitchen design and decor, or even your entire house.

If you want rustic kitchen cabinets and you're lucky enough to start from scratch, that's even better.

RUSTIC KITCHEN CABINET HARDWARE

There are tons of rustic looking handles, like hammered, antiqued, and rusted looking. Using handles that depict deer, ducks and other wildlife. Will also give a rustic feel to your kitchen cabinets.

The knob at right is a brand new knob, from the Belwith Rustic Iron collection (BWP2011 RI). It looks like it has rusted, but, of course, it's perfectly safe and the look is just the finishing process the knob has gone through. With the right decor (maybe an old-time farm look or old antique car theme) these knobs would be a great addition to your kitchen cabinets, and there are several styles in the collection to choose from.

RUSTIC KITCHEN CABINETS - YOU'VE GOT TO BE A BIT ADVENTUROUS

Rustic kitchen cabinets have continued to grow in popularity, especially the last ten years or less. What makes rustic kitchen cabinets rustic is that they have knots, and the more extreme color variation in the wood the better. You never know exactly what your kitchen is going to look like until it's done, so, you have to be a bit adventurous!

If you purchase rustic kitchen cabinets from a home store (i.e. factory built cabinets, or even semi-custom) you will have to pay more for rustic kitchen cabinets.

If you purchase them from a custom cabinet shop, you may or may not have to pay more. When we built custom cabinets, like the rustic hickory pantry and cabinets at right, we didn't charge more for rustic kitchen cabinets. Notice the knotty pine ceiling in this kitchen as well, which adds to the rustic kitchen cabinet decor. Price all depends on who you go to, some places will and some won't charge more for rustic kitchen cabinets.

TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND THE INTEGRITY OF YOUR CABINETS - BE SURE YOUR WOOD IS SOLID, BUT DON'T EXPECT PERFECTION

Make sure if you get rustic kitchen cabinets, that all of the knots in the woodwork (doors and frames) are solid. If they are loose, they will fall out over time.

However, don't expect perfection, after all, you are getting rustic kitchen cabinets and they aren't supposed to be perfect. Some knots may be huge, some small, some pieces not that rustic, others really wild, all in the same rustic kitchen cabinets.

Remember - if you see a display in a showroom, don't expect your kitchen to look just like it. That is the beauty of rustic kitchen cabinets, you never really know what you are going to get until it's all installed, because no two knots or trees are just the same.

The photo at right is of a knotty pine kitchen we built and installed. The doors have a southwest motif, and the appliance garage has a regular door on it, rather than a rollup tambor door.

INTERIORS AND CLEANING

The interiors of you cabinets should not be rustic, unless it's a glass cabinet or open shelf that you want to look that way.

You need to have good, clean, solid interiors in your kitchen cabinets for easy cleanup and sanitation. The best interiors are a thermal melamine. I prefer white to easily see inside the cabinets, and for easy cleanup.

CLEANING THE RUSTIC KITCHEN CABINET EXTERIORS

If a lot of dust builds up on your exteriors, rustic kitchen cabinets are a bit harder to clean just because of divots and knots. But, if you use a little lemon oil, or even just plain soap and water, rustic kitchen cabinets can be easily cleaned. See our Cleaning Wood Kitchen Cabinets page from Rustic Kitchen Cabinets. or go to the Kitchen Cabinet Care and Cleaning page for more information about how to keep your rustic kitchen cabinets (or any cabinets) looking beautiful throughout the years.

VARIATIONS ON THE LOOK OF RUSTIC KITCHEN CABINETS

Ask your cabinet maker or cabinet salesperson about other rustic kitchen cabinet looks: like distressed wood, worm-holes, nail holes, and more.

The picture at right is a cherry door that has been distressed. Notice the tiny holes throughout. Those holes are what make the door distressed, it has no knots, just distress marks.

Be prepared to pay a premium price for distressed wood and the like, because it is usually not "natural" like knots are. The doors and frames usually go through a manufacturing process to add these distressed looks to your wood pieces.

The more a door is handled in its manufacture, the more expensive it will be to you. You'll find the same thing in cabinet finishes. Glazing is a multi-step process. It will cost you more for glazed doors than for just stained and finished doors.

MAKING YOUR EXISTING KITCHEN A RUSTIC KITCHEN

If you have an older kitchen and the right doors (like flat or laminate) you can easily make your kitchen look rustic if you are a bit handy.

Knotty pine tongue and grove is very handy and can look great. Apply it to the exterior of your cabinets, and you have an instant rustic look.

Add it to the INTERIOR of your cabinets, and suddenly you've got a beautiful, rustic, display case.

No matter what wood you have (but it works especially nice with oak or pine) you can take off your doors and finish the interior of an upper cabinet with knotty pine tongue and grove. It gives your kitchen a completely different look. You can also re-add glass doors and a curio light on the inside to show off your "rustic" cabinet.

A BRIGHT IDEA AND MONEY SAVER. The photo at right is of an oak cabinet, lined with knotty pine. Glass shelves are used with curio lighting for a nice display case. This cabinet was built for the top of a stair way. Instead of having spindles, the area was better utilized by this display cabinet. It was also actually cheaper for us to build this cabinet than purchase, stain, and install spindles and hand railing. Check it out. It might save you some money and give you needed storage space.

IF YOU DO USE KNOTTY PINE WAINSCOTING OR TONGUE AND GROVE TO JAZZ UP A CABINET:

• Finish the pine before you install it.
• Cut it to the lengths you need.
• Air-nail it into position.

You'll have to drill holes for shelf supports where you need them, but in not much time at all (a good weekend afternoon) you can have a really nice, rustic kitchen cabinet. I've done it myself, it really is easy.

ALWAYS HAVE FUN!!

Have fun with your kitchen. Your rustic kitchen cabinets should be something you enjoy, and your kitchen a place where you like to be.

Rustic kitchen cabinets aren't only for the north woods. You can and should enjoy them in your home if you love the look.

And remember -HAVE A HAPPY KITCHEN.

OTHER RELATED SITES:

Antique Kitchen Hardware - Cheap ways to get the look of antique, the latest antique looks, and the top 3 ways to find antique kitchen hardware.

Cleaning Wood Kitchen Cabinets - It's easy. You don't need to have "secret" cleaners or be a pro. This page tells you how.