Kitchen Cabinet Knobs and Pulls

While kitchen cabinet knobs may seem like a small item, their impact on your kitchen can be major.  Think of the cabinet knobs as the jewelry of your kitchen; the earrings, necklace, or bracelet.  Just like these items can add panache and style to an outfit, kitchen cabinet pulls and knobs add style and interest to your kitchen.

With thousands of styles available the choice can be overwhelming. There are a few things to keep in mind. 

• The style of your cabinets  
• The over all style of your kitchen  
• Practicality  
• What you love  
• What you can afford

The knobs are easy to replace, relatively inexpensive, and may give you a quick kitchen update for a little investment of time and money.

Installation is not very difficult and if you have a little experience with drills and screwdrivers you can easily do this yourself.  In order to install the knobs you will need the following:

• A drill with a 3/16” drill bit

• Level
• Measure or ruler

• Marker

• Nail

• Screwdriver for the types of screws you have; Phillips head or straight.

1. Measure the drill center of the pull.
2. For flat panel doors the knob should be placed 1 ½ to 2 inches from the open corner of the cabinet.  Pulls should be installed 2 inches from the open edge and 2 to 4 inches from the bottom.
3. An easy way to make sure that your drill holes are standard each time is to use a block of wood as a template.  Cut it so that it fits in the bottom corner of the cupboard door.  It should be about 6 inches high and three inches wide, depending on the placement of kitchen hardware.  Make one template for the pulls and one for the knobs.  Measure your pulls and knobs carefully. Mark the template with a marker and the tap the nail into the marks to dent the wood in those spots.  Drill holes in the templates to match the pulls or knobs.  Attach the hardware to double check the placement and hold the template up to the cupboard, matching the template corner to the open corner.  If the pull is in the right position you can proceed.
4.  To drill the hole, hold the template up to the cupboard with the corners even and the bottom level.  Drill through the template holes into the cupboard door.
5. Pull the template off and install your hardware

Here are some tips for choosing and installing kitchen cabinet knobs and pulls.

• If you don’t have much experience knobs are easier to install than pulls.  Since they have only one screw you don’t have to worry about getting the screw holes the correct distance apart.
•  If you are replacing old hardware be sure that the knobs or pulls have the same drill centers as the old.  If they don’t, you will be drilling new holes and patching up old ones.
• To determine the drill center for a kitchen cabinet pull always measure between the two holes and not the full length of the pull.
• Check to see the length of the screw that will be needed before you buy your hardware.  Many times the different drawers and doors will need different screw lengths.  Always check.

Backplates fit on your cabinet door behind the knob or pull.  These can add a contemporary look or vintage charm depending on the style used.  They are a great way to protect the finish of you cabinet.

Over time, as people open cabinet doors and drawers the area behind the pull or knob will scratch and fade.  This tends to be the area of the cabinet that wears the quickest and stays the dirtiest.  Backplates will keep that from happening.  They are generally copper or brass (or some other metal) and are easily cleaned. 

If your kitchen is a very busy place consider cabinet backplates.  They may be just the look and the utility that you need.

Updating your kitchen with hardware is really a great way to change the look. Take some time and look for the exact knob you want, something that will make you smile every time you see it.

If you can't decide at the store, but two (or four or whatever) in various styles and hold them up against your cabinets at home.  You should be able to tell pretty quickly which you like the best. Don't settle for a bland and boring kitchen when, with a few hours work, you can have something that will be exactly what you want.