Once you decide to change out cabinet hardware you might find the style you pick won't look that great if you try and replace the knobs in the same spots that the old ones were in. Well what to do? You certainly don't want to go back to the same boring old hardware. Instead you need a better understanding of your options for where to place knobs on a cabinet.
The most obvious place to put a knob will be on a side opposite a hinge. The leverage allows you to open the door with almost no effort. This is great for those that might have a disability limiting their grip strength. The only exception to this rule is if you have roll out bottom cabinets, you know, the giant drawer types. Those you'll want to install the knobs centered on the cabinet to keep it from binding up on either side.
Well that gives you a rough idea of where to put the knobs but you probably need something a little bit more exact. Unfortunately there's no magic formula for where to place knobs on a cabinet. It's all going to come down to how the cabinets are designed and the size and shape of them and your kitchen.
There's a trick you can use to figure out where to place the knobs without just randomly drilling a bunch of holes into the cabinet face and hoping for the best. Head out to the hardware store and pick up a small tub of plumber's putty. Plumbers putty is a non-hardening compound that's slightly tacky. You can pull off little dollops of it then use it to just stick the knobs to the cabinet.
Here's what you'll do.
Open up the tub of Plumber's putty.
Pinch off a piece of putty about the size of the tip of your thumb.
Roll it into a ball.
Take the cabinet hardware and press the putty onto the back of it. Now you can just stick the knob onto the cabinet face wherever you think it will look right. Repeat this for a couple of the doors so you can get an overall feel for how the knobs will look sitting in a row. You can reposition the knobs just by popping them off the cabinet face and sticking them back on in a new spot.
Once you've figured out the right look for the cabinet you'll need to measure the knob offsets from the bottom and side edge of the cabinets. You can then use those measurements as a template for knob placement. Mark the offsets on each of the cabinets and double check to make sure they aren't slanting up or down.
The last thing to do is attach the hardware. Just drill the holes in the cabinet and slide a bolt through the hole and tighten the knobs down onto it. It's all a pretty simple job. Where to place knobs on a cabinet is a completely personal choice. You'll know what looks right once you get the knobs in position.
Injection waterproofing is often used to fill and seal cracks and crevices. The material is most often made from a polyurethane compound. The compound is lightweight and expands up to twice its original size when applied to a surface. Many non-toxic and environmentally safe products are available at home improvement stores nationwide. Injection waterproofing is used mainly in foundation crack repairs.
In most foundation cracks, a polyurethane injection can seal the opening. In some smaller cracks it may be apparent that a sealant was used because it may be difficult to evenly inject the compound. Single caulking style cartridges and the dual side-by-side cartridge systems are the types of injection waterproofing compounds available for retail purchase. Both of these are manually injected and easy to pump.
When using an injection waterproofing method, it is important to keep the area dry. Temporarily block any flowing water to the area, and clean and dry the area as needed. Experts say that in the case of water flowing through a hole, you can temporarily caulk the hole with candle wax, modeling clay or plumbers' putty. If the cracks are in narrow or hard-to-reach places, you can use a flexible hose attached to the injector nozzle.
Whatever waterproofing system your leakage problem requires, be sure to do your research. If you choose to make this a do-it-yourself project, make sure you know where your leaks are coming from and the proper method to repair them. When purchasing waterproofing materials you should make sure you are buying the appropriate product for your needs. The National Association of Waterproofing and Structural Repair Contractors (NAWSRC) has tons of information on waterproofing. Whether or not you decide to hire a contractor, this organization can help you from beginning to end.
