Don’t forget to create a color scheme as part of your kitchen remodeling plan. It’s easy to scout a wide range of palates and samples online, in design magazines, and at kitchen remodeling showrooms.  Colors handled correctly and tastefully can not only alter your sense of spaciousness and comfort, they can affect your mood. After all, think of how many hours a week you and family members spend in the kitchen preparing meals, cleaning up afterwards, or simply sitting and chatting.

The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) offers a comprehensive menu of kitchen design ideas, along with the kitchen color schemes that complement each theme.  For example, you’d benefit from the use of warm, earthy colors if you love the idea of a Southwest kitchen décor.

Kitchen Remodeling and Color Palates
Color consultants have identified emotional or thematic effects that are associated with your kitchen remodeling scheme.  Did you know that green can soothe and settle the nerves, while orange calls stark attention to details, accessories, and appliances?

Your kitchen does not automatically have to comply with your overall home theme.  The NKBA cites the effective use of a modern kitchen color scheme separated from a formal, classical room with traditional colors by means of a glass door.

Black, long considered a color reflexive of grief or stoicism can actually create a formal elegance in your kitchen.  Yellow can brighten up any space and cheer you up. It’s not surprising that white and neutral colors are among the favorites for use in American kitchens. Shop around and trust your feelings.

Perhaps you’ve completed your cabinet refacing project, or added new stovetops and appliances. Now new countertops have taken center stage in your kitchen remodeling effort. Whether you intend to have the work done by a private remodeling contractor or home improvement store, you won’t get a solid estimate without presenting a measurement of your existing kitchen countertops.

Need sound advice in measuring kitchen countertops? First, know that you’ll need dimensions for the overall length–from wall to wall–as well as for the width from the attachment to the wall surface to the front lip of the existing countertop. Remember, your kitchen remodeling contractor will take precise dimensions. But for rounding up estimates, here’s a good guide:

Measuring Kitchen Countertops Accurately
Plot out your entire kitchen arrangement on graph paper or charting software.You can use a standard tape measure for collecting dimensions from one edge to the other. Account for any sinks, appliances, islands, or other cutouts that interrupt the length, and subtract their dimensions from the total wall-to-wall section.

Be sure to include all backsplash dimensions and any turns in the kitchen countertops. You’ll end up being charged for additional cuts on the angle if you don’t get them right the first time. To get a fix on a right-angle dimension, measure from the meeting point of the two surfaces outward across each section to the wall and add them together.

Remember to measure each length and width TWICE. Your home improvement store or kitchen remodeling contractor can convert your measurements into total square footage to build an estimate for materials and labor. Once you have measurements, you can then work in labor (including removal of your old countertops) and materials to the total bid.

Today’s cash-strapped consumers shouldn’t abandon hopes of affording kitchen remodeling to add functionality, beauty, and value to their homes. While rocky economic times and a poor housing market may make an entire makeover unattractive, there are certainly steps you can take to fix up your old, tired kitchen without sinking into debt.

If your existing cabinets are in sound working condition, you might find it extravagant to install new kitchen cabinets. Indeed, some home improvement experts cite the relative cost of having a professional complete a cabinet refacing project as a great way to reboot the busiest room in your house.

Cabinet Refacing Costs vs New Kitchen Cabinets
If you’re handy with woodworking tools and techniques, you may be able to complete your cabinet refacing job for as little as $300. Even if calling in a professional to do the work doubles the cost, you’ll still come out way ahead (by as much as 60 percent) of installing new kitchen cabinets.

Another primary concern homeowners have is whether their kitchen remodeling effort will displace them from their kitchen for an inordinate period of time. There’s no reason to expect to be relocated for more than a few days if you choose refacing over replacing. Refacing the cabinets and adding new doors, drawer fronts, and hardware, can be accomplished in just a few working days.

If you live in an older home, you may find that your original kitchen cabinets are well made–sturdier than less expensive, complete replacements on today’s market. That makes choosing refacing an attractive alternative. The price for a kitchen cabinet refacing project often won’t come close to a down payment on a complete replacement effort. It pays to make wise decisions in a distressed economy.

In turbulent economic times, homeowners are choosing neutral color schemes for their new kitchen countertops and cabinets. The reason is obvious; when you employ white or neutral schemes, you run less a risk of displeasing the varied tastes of would-be buyers. While home sales are flagging, many owners are using the opportunity to perk up their kitchens with an eye toward increasing value when the market returns.

A popular kitchen color scheme this year is an old standard: chromatic, white, or natural. The scheme doesn’t have to be bland, either. You can find incredibly attractive, complementary finishes and palates that rely on more conservative, subdued colors for cabinets and new kitchen countertops.

Kitchen Color Schemes and Safe Choices
Knowing you’re choosing a classic color scheme that has withstood the temporary trends and remains popular among most consumers is a safe choice in a rough economy. Black and white combinations remain popular in mixing up the scheme between countertops and cabinets. So-called “natural” or “earth tone” kitchen color schemes for your new kitchen cabinets include the use of grays, tans, light browns, and greens with complementary stone countertops.

Shocking color combinations are definitely out for 2009. Aside from contributing value to your home, the other principal element in choosing your kitchen color scheme should be whether you can feel comfortable living with it. Even if the colors are neutral, there’s no reason you can’t dress up the look with hardware and textures. Tying together the color of appliances (chrome or silver is definitely in this year), the countertops, and cabinets should never make you wince!

In this day and age, it can be tricky developing and managing a kitchen remodeling budget that covers the costs of installing new kitchen cabinets or having a contractor handle refinishing chores. You want the best quality job done within your means, securing a look and functionality that expresses your taste. If you’re sensible, conscientious, and careful in developing your budget and screening contractors, there’s no reason why you can’t have everything you need.

And that’s the rub. According to the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), too many consumers expect too much for their money, or are tempted to over-step their savings. When it comes to kitchen remodeling, you should consider materials and designs that meet your needs, rather than chasing after grandiose dreams beyond your reach. It pays to list your priorities and know what you can afford now, what you can add later, or what is completely unreasonable given your home and budget.

Planning for New Kitchen Cabinets
Experts at Better Homes and Gardens suggest that building contingency plans on spending 10 to 20 percent more than your awarded bid on new kitchen cabinets makes for a prudent strategy. Being willing to compromise on materials can also keep down your costs.

Consumer Reports interviewed 9,000 Americans who had completed kitchen remodeling projects and found that a common error was in choosing materials that were poor fits for either their wallets or busy lifestyles. If you have heavy wear and tear in your kitchen, you may wish to reconsider overspending on top-of-the-line materials that are easily worn or damaged. Even if you’re simply refinishing kitchen cabients be sure to make a comprehensive plan that includes a spending ceiling.