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Kitchens

Kitchens are arguably one of the most important rooms in the house. This essential space gets a lot of traffic, and usually showcases the personal style and interests of the owners.  At the same time, kitchens are inevitably about function, so successful designs are the right blend of what you see and how well it works.

In the kitchen, countertops and cabinets typically are at or near the top of the designer’s priority list. Both come in many styles, materials and price ranges. Countertops can run the gamut, from relatively new materials, such as man-made quartz composites, to old standbys like stainless steel or even wood. Kitchen cabinets offer designers a rich palette of possibilities — everything from the varied colors and textures of natural wood to sleek sprayed finishes.

Cabinetry, countertops, and color often get the attention, but many other details will spell the difference between a room that works on a practical level and one that doesn’t. What’s the best way to paint kitchen cabinets? Are ready-to-assemble cabinets a better bet than custom made?  What are the advantages of installing a kitchen island?

Whether a kitchen is a remodel or new construction, and no matter what the style, Fine Homebuilding’s deep library of articles cover what you need to know.

  • Building a Butternut Kitchen

    Hand-planed hardwoods and high-grade plywood coupled with dowels and dovetails.

  • How to Tile a Backsplash

    Decorative tiles liven up a kitchen.

  • Glue Bucket

    Applying contact cement to laminate work can be a messy proposition. Here's how I keep it under control. I cut the top off of a square 5-gal. can (the kind…

  • Drywall Splits

    In kitchen areas, where people like smooth painted walls or wallpaper, I cut the first sheet of drywall in half lengthwise, as shown in the drawing, to keep a seam…

  • The Flush-Fit Cabinet

    Custom building with techniques well suited to the small shop.

  • Tiling a Mortar-Bed Counter

    How one tile setter builds the classic kitchen work surface.

  • Counter Trim

    We use the wood counter edge detail shown in the drawing in our custom home kitchens. We like this edging because it eliminates the need for trim tiles, which can…

  • Dowel Dishrack

    Our kitchen counter had about 6 sq. ft. of usable space on one side of the sink, and virtually none on the other side because of a bulky dish drainer.…

  • Matching Marble

    Our firm does a lot of kitchen remodeling, and recently we had to extend an existing marble countertop a few feet. Locating a similar piece of marble was hard enough, but…

  • Gluing plastic laminate

    While covering some site-built cabinets with plastic laminate, I tried the often recommended method of laying brown paper between the laminate and the substrate to adjust the alignment before the…

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Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 331 - June 2025
    • A More Resilient Roof
    • Tool Test: You Need a Drywall Sander
    • Ducted vs. Ductless Heat Pumps
  • Issue 330 - April/May 2025
    • Deck Details for Durability
    • FAQs on HPWHs
    • 10 Tips for a Long-Lasting Paint Job
  • Issue 329 - Feb/Mar 2025
    • Smart Foundation for a Small Addition
    • A Kominka Comes West
    • Making Small Kitchens Work
  • Issue 328 - Dec/Jan 2024
    • How a Pro Replaces Columns
    • Passive House 3.0
    • Tool Test: Compact Line Lasers
  • Issue 327 - November 2024
    • Repairing Damaged Walls and Ceilings
    • Plumbing Protection
    • Talking Shop

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