Before: White plastic handles

After: Brushed nickel handles

One of the quickest ways to update the look of your kitchen cabinets is to change the hardware. I have the cheapest type of cabinets with plastic handles. Since I have given up on putting in a new kitchen, I have finally started doing this for myself. It’s also a great tactic when preparing a home before staging for sale. Although it’s relatively simple, here are a few tips to make the job go even more smoothly.

1. Consider placement. At one time in the past, placing the handles smack in the middle of the cabinet door was in style. Now it is unusual to see. If you have this situation, putting new handles in the old holes may not update the look as well as you had hoped. If you are also planning to paint the cabinets, you can change the location.

In order to fill the old holes before painting, glue a short, tight fitting piece of doweling into the hole. Sand it off flush on both sides. You could also use wood filler, but it takes a longer time to dry and will shrink leaving dimples that will require a second application and more drying time.

2. Consider size. If you are reusing existing holes, precisely measure the distance between the centres of the two holes on an existing door pull. Buy new handles that have the exact same measurement to save yourself a lot of drilling. The holes in the doors should be big enough to allow the bolts to slide in, but not so big the heads pull through. On my cabinets I had to enlarge them with a bigger drill bit.

3. Consider door thickness. New pulls and knobs come with small bolts for attaching. They are like screws with a very fine thread and a flat tip. Murphy’s law, these probably won’t be the right length.

Before you go to the hardware store, carefully measure the thickness of the doors and drawers where the new handles will be installed. Notice that the drawers may be double thickness so measure both doors and drawers. The fasteners you will need will be 1/8″ to 1/4″ longer. If you are buying new bolts, try them in one of your new handles to make sure the thread is right. The standard ones are “8-32- x inches” with x being your desired length.

4. Count carefully. Count how many knobs and how many pulls you will need. Double check it. Some styles come in packs of 10. The cost savings could make it worth getting one or two more than you need. Having to go back to the store because you didn’t get enough is a waste of time and gas. Go count them again, and write it down!

5. Consider finish. If you have other metals in the kitchen (taps, appliances, light fixtures) you may wish to match these. If you are not going to match, consider what finish will co-ordinate the best.

For example, my friend had stainless steel appliances and brushed nickel taps but wanted a darker look in handles on both her cream coloured traditional styled cabinets and her dark cherry island. She found a brushed nickel with some rubbed black detailing at IKEA that worked perfectly.

6. Consider style. Consider the style of the cabinets. How would you describe them? Are they sleek and modern? Are they chunky and rustic? Are they elegant and finely detailed? I would say that whatever words you used to describe your cabinets should also be suitable to describe the hardware. But, that’s a generalization. Some transitional style cabinets may be able to take modern handles. Flip through some kitchen magazines to get some ideas.

Also take note of your door hinges. Are they hidden or exposed? If exposed and you are changing the finish of your handles, you should really get matching hinges too. Take one off and bring it to the store with you. There are a variety of shapes for various door profiles and you will need to get the same kind to make sure your doors will still fit properly.

7. Consider your budget. The cheapest handles are around a dollar each, but, those are probably the kind you should be replacing. The in-stock selection goes up in price to about $12.00 each. At around the $5.00 – $6.00 mark you should have plenty of options. Knobs are a little less than their counterpart handles. If you can convert from handles to knobs, it would save you a little, but you’ll have some holes to fill so I wouldn’t cost savings as the only criteria.

8. Consider your time frame. If you want to special order, you will have more choice but more wait time. You can visit kitchen stores to see what they have. If you want to buy from an in-stock selection, try the big box home improvement stores or Lee Valley Hardware if you are lucky enough to have one nearby.

Author, Martha Stanton-Smith, owner of Rearrangements, is a Certified Canadian Staging Professional who helps serious home sellers in Kingston, Ontario get full worth for their homes. She completed her staging training in 2006. Visit her profile here: