| It has often been said that what goes around, comes | | | | are interested in having them! |
| around, and so it seems to be with metal kitchen | | | | While metal kitchen cabinets can have a virtually |
| cabinets. From their heyday in the 1940's and 50's they | | | | unlimited life (shelf life?), eventually they will lose their |
| eventually fell out of favor. Now, however, interest in | | | | luster. If you want to renew them you have a variety |
| them is resurgent. Whether newly manufactured units | | | | of options. At the high end, you can have them |
| or recycled vintage kitchen cabinets, an increasing | | | | stripped and powder coated or professionally |
| number of people are opting for this venerable style. | | | | re-painted after disassembling them. Some painters will |
| While metal kitchen cabinet's popularity suffered in | | | | do the work in place, however. For those interested in |
| recent decades as manufacturers came out with a | | | | a do it yourself project, there are options. Probably the |
| broad range of relatively low cost units, often made of | | | | most cost-effective for the results gained is to buy |
| particle board with applied veneers, today the solidity | | | | cans of appliance epoxy and apply it according to the |
| of metal cabinets has renewed appeal to many. They | | | | instructions. There is not a great deal of color choice in |
| are very low maintenance and easy to keep clean. | | | | doing so, however. |
| While new ones are not the lowest priced of available | | | | Applying an epoxy style paint is another good option. It |
| options, bargain hunters who are willing to invest some | | | | can be sprayed on, but it is really not a good choice |
| time and effort can often locate vintage units over the | | | | for someone lacking experience. Applying such paint |
| internet, and there is at least one website dedicated to | | | | with a brush or roller tends to give a sort of 'orange |
| bringing together buyers and sellers. | | | | peel' appearance, which is not generally considered |
| The market for used metal kitchen cabinets tends to | | | | desirable, although some people like it. They can also |
| be very local, as they are expensive to ship, so | | | | be painted with ordinary latex paints by brush/roller or |
| Craigslist is a good place to look for them. In one case | | | | spray. However, a good oil based paint is generally |
| involving a friend of mine, he owned a house that was | | | | preferable, as it will provide a harder surface and more |
| re-assessed at a ridiculous level by the county, so he | | | | gloss in return for the extra effort required to work |
| abandoned it. He soon saw an ad in the Craigslist | | | | with oil paint. |
| "wanteds" seeking a whole set of metal kitchen | | | | If you want to have an exciting new look in your |
| cabinets, which he had left behind. Long story short, he | | | | kitchen, and perhaps cannot afford quality real wood |
| ended up selling the set for $2,000, and the buyer | | | | cabinets or just do not want them, and are tired of the |
| dismantled and hauled them away. Moral of the story, | | | | particle board look, consider new or vintage metal |
| be proactive and place an ad seeking such units if you | | | | kitchen cabinets. |