An inquiry from one reader prompted me to think about one of the most difficult tasks in kitchen cabinetry - adding cabinets to an existing kitchen. If you're happy with the style of cabinets but not too pleased about the quantity, it's natural to add a few extra cabinets. Or, redesign a few of the existing cabinets to better suit your needs.

The problem of matching a cabinet style is a common occurrence in some renovation projects. It's tough to build to someone's style especially after you've developed a style of your own. There's no easy solution. You've got to study every joint and technique before you attempt to duplicate the cabinets. Try building to modern standards, while maintaining the exterior visual appearance. Often it's a difficult task with older style face frame cabinets.

Other issues arise such as material type, hardware duplication, to say nothing of the problems associated with matching the original finish. From my perspective, the existing cabinets have to be of superior quality before I'd consider a matching project.

In many cases, you'll spend more time and money attempting to duplicate the style rather than building all new cabinets. If you are building one additional cabinet, such as a pantry, it may very well be worth the effort. On occasion, the existing doors are of good quality and it makes economic sense to build new cabinet carcasses.

Whatever the case, if you're considering matching an existing cabinet style be very sure all the techniques, hardware, and finishes are available. It's not very nice to build a cabinet that looks like it was added.

Danny Proulx
Rideau Cabinets
P.O. Box 331
Russell, Ontario. Canada K4R 1E1
e-mail: rideau@capitalnet.com
home page: http://www.capitalnet.com/~rideau/
Phone: 1-613-445-3722
Fax: 1-613-445-1085