Use Surplus Building Materials to Redo Your Kitchen Cabinets

In my last post, I explained how you can use surplus building materials to remodel your kitchen and save on your budget, but I didn’t discuss the cabinets.  Your cabinets affect the look of your kitchen more than any other single element, they take the most space, and the costs associated with a remodel can eat your lunch when it comes to your cabinets.

You have three basic options when remodeling your kitchen cabinets:  you can refinish, reface, or replace them.

Refinishing: If your cabinet structure is solid, but you just want to new look, your least expensive option is to refinish them.  You may want to paint them, stain them, or go all out with glazing or a faux finish like wood grained or marbleized.  I like glazing and it’s easy once you get the hang of it.  With any of these methods, I recommend removing the cabinet’s hardware and doors to thoroughly clean them, sand, and prime them.  If you have older painted cabinets, be sure to test for lead paint – if you do, you’ll need to get professional help.

Refacing: If your cabinet structure is good, but the surfaces can’t be improved by refinishing, refacing may be an option.  This is more difficult than refinishing so you may require professional help – either way, this is a more expensive option.  It consists of covering the existing cabinets with a new “skin” like thermofoil, laminate, or veneers.

Replacing: If your cabinets are not structurally sound or you have a layout change that requires a change in your cabinet structure, this may be your only option.  This is also the most expensive option, but don’t lose heart – there may be an option here that you might not have considered.  Why not use surplus cabinets?  Sometimes, cabinet-makers create cabinets that are no longer needed by the original client.  Or a cabinet supplier may have discontinued cabinets – in either case, you may be able to find new cabinets for a fraction of the cost!

With any of these options, remember to take the time to plan your attack so you can reduce the amount of time that your kitchen is out of commission.  The look of your cabinets is important so take your time when planning, have fun, and make your kitchen the envy of your friends and neighbors.

Do you have surplus kitchen cabinets or cabinet supplies?  Be sure to post them in our Surplus Building Materials Store so people can find them.  It won’t cost you a single penny to post your surplus materials and you’ll recoup some cost – so what do you have to lose?

Use Surplus Building Materials to Remodel Your Kitchen

The kitchen is where the magic happens.  It’s where your meals are prepared, where many of your impromptu family meetings occur, it’s where people end up hanging out when you entertain.  Your kitchen is an important room, and I’m willing to bet you’ve recently thought about a remodel but you’re worried about the cost.

With surplus building materials, you can do it – and for less than what you thought!  Surplus building materials may be used, or they may be new – they are more than what somebody needs, and exactly what you need.

Countertops are a great place to start when considering a remodel.  I know you would love to have granite, but that may be out of your reach at the moment.  That doesn’t mean you can’t end up with fabulous countertops.  Try this – if you must have granite or other stone, limit it to the island and use laminate for the rest of the kitchen.  Laminates and engineered stone have come a long way in mimicking the real thing and they’re less expensive.  Now use real stone on your island, but instead of a big expensive slab, use remnants.  You can probably find them as surplus, and it can create a really cool effect.  Tile is also a great option.

Stick to conventional appliances instead of commercial.  Conventional appliances have also come a long way in mimicking commercial appliances, and conventional appliances don’t need as many repairs as the more pricey commercial ones.  Believe it or not, you can also find surplus appliances!

We’ve all been told size doesn’t matter, but when it comes to your sink – it does.  I’ve never heard anybody complain that their sink is too big, so go for the biggest one your budget and design can handle.  Also, don’t worry about the expensive 18-gauge stainless sink when the 23-gauge models do just as well in every aspect.  Save your money for things that are worth it like an undermount sink and a wall-mounted faucet to keep your countertops clear and make cleanup a breeze.  Why not go all the way and get a motion-activated faucet for hands-free use?

Flooring in a kitchen isn’t for making an impression – it’s for use.  Make your impression with flooring in your entryway and living room.  Stick with laminate or vinyl – they look great nowadays, they wear well, and you’ll save your budget.

The most important aspect of your remodel is the layout.  Open your kitchen up to the rest of your house – don’t let it be a box all by itself.  The style these days – that will most likely stick around – is to open your kitchen to your adjacent living room and/or dining room.  Between two rooms, where the wall is now, is a great place for an island and both rooms instantly look bigger.  Take the time to plan now, look for surplus building materials, and most importantly – have fun doing it!

Do you have countertops, granite, stone, tile, appliances, sinks, fixtures, or flooring you don’t need?  Post them in our Surplus Building Materials Store and recoup some cost!  It costs you absolutely nothing to post a listing – so what do you have to lose?

To Kiss a Construction Worker

Last week I posted an article named “Construction Industry Built America” and suggested that it might be nice to kiss a construction worker on National Kissing Day last week to show appreciation for all the things in America for which construction workers are responsible.  Some people took that suggestion to heart and one of them shared her story with me.

Being in the real estate industry, she knows first hand how important construction workers are to our way of life.  When she read the article and suggestion to kiss a construction worker, she completely agreed!  She had already planned to visit the construction site, but now she had another important item to check off her list.  As she entered the construction site, she selected her target and called “Hey!”  Imagine what passed through the mind of this particular construction worker as he turned to see who called out.  We are all aware of the stereotype of construction workers calling out to attractive women from their work sites.  Now, a very attractive women with a striking figure and enchanting eyes was strutting directly toward him – the tables were about to turn.

She approached him confidently, moving across the construction site until she stood directly in front of the construction worker.  She stopped in front of him with a smile on her ruby red lips and a sparkle in her steel blue eyes.  She already had his attention, but held his gaze as she slowly moved closer.  It was time.

She reached up, cradled his face in her hands, and slowly brought it down to hers.  His face turned bright red as she kissed him, smiled, and said “Have a great day!”  She slowly turned and strutted away – leaving him standing there with his mouth open, wondering what had just happened.  Close your mouth and hold your head high – thank you construction workers of America!

Construction Industry Built America

Take a look around your neighborhood, town, city, state, and country and think about how the construction industry has impacted nearly every aspect of your life.  Where would we be without the people who make up the construction industry?

The house in which you live is a product of the construction industry.  So is the building in which you work, as well as every other building around you.  The road that allows you to easily travel from place to place within your city, state, and country is a product of the construction industry.  Would you rather fly?  Think about who built your airport terminal . . . and the runways . . . and the air control tower . . . and the road that allows you to get to the airport.  When you really take a look around you and give good thought to how the construction industry touches your life, you can’t help but gain a new respect for the industry and it’s impact on our country . . . not to mention all the public services partly paid for by all the tax revenue collected as a result of all those things built by the construction industry.

Today, July 6, is National Kissing Day.  With your new respect for those in the construction industry, wouldn’t it be appropriate to kiss a construction worker today?  So go out today, find a construction worker, and thank him or her properly by giving them a great big smooch!

Once you’ve done that, post your projects on our Project Board for free and have contractors bid on it!

Surplus Building Materials Store

When was the last time you took a look at the Surplus Building Materials Store on The Supply Yard?  Maybe it’s time to do that now.  While there, you can find or post surplus building materials in your local area.  The best part is – it doesn’t cost anything to post your surplus building materials – and when you find them, you save.

The Supply Yard is a brand new site with a mission to help those in the construction industry and those who need supplies or services from the construction industry.  The site is completely free to use – a claim that no other related site can match.  So bookmark the site and check back often to see what’s new.  Refer your friends to the site, because the more people that post free listings on the site, the more people we can help.

Surplus Building Materials

Are you tired of seeing commercials or reading advertisements for factory-direct prices?  While some of these offers may be legit, it seems like many of them are just using the gimmick called “factory-direct” with the hopes that you will buy into their “savings,” but rest assured – somebody’s making a profit.

Have you ever completed a project and discovered you were left with surplus building materials?  I’m sure you have – we all have – it’s normal.  The question is, what do we do with them?  Why not sell them and recoup some of your cost?  Of course, when somebody is looking for building materials and you are trying to sell them at the same cost you bought them for, you probably won’t find any takers.  After all, why buy from you at your house when I can get them from a trusted retailer for the same cost?  I don’t know you.  So you’re either stuck with all these surplus building materials or you reduce your price and recoup at least some of your cost – I might skip the retailer and buy them from you if I can save some cash.  And that’s where everybody wins!

As a do-it-yourselfer or contractor, you routinely end up with surplus building materials.  Instead of adding them to your pile of stuff you might need in the future, but probably won’t – why not unload them on somebody who’s looking for a deal?  You reduce your overhead and so does the other do-it-yourselfer or contractor.  The Supply Yard was created for just that sort of mission.  We help match the people who have stuff with the people who are looking for stuff – and you get better-than-factory-direct prices.  Yep – surplus building materials are good for everybody.

Building Supply Company Closes Town

Have you ever heard of Empire, NV?  If you have not heard of it before now, this may be the last time because it has officially closed.  You read that correctly – the entire town has been closed, boarded up, and fenced off.  But why?

Empire was home to, and owned by, arguably one of the most important building supply companies in America.  The United States Gypsum Corporation (USG) has owned the town since 1948.  The town has existed since 1923, and mining operations have taken place in Empire since 1910, making it the longest continuously-operating mine in the country.  Still – why is all of this important?

The largest drywall manufacturer in the nation is USG.  The dry-up in construction projects resulted in $1.5 billion in losses for USG in the last 3 years.  Earlier this year, the company hiked prices in a last-ditch effort to generate some profits.  Unfortunately, the recession outlasted them and they were forced to close Empire, NV.  While many cities and towns have been hit hard by the recession, this is the only instance of a town completely closing and locking the doors.  Not only did everybody in the town lose their jobs, they all lost their homes and had to move.

Our thoughts go out to the former residents of Empire, NV.

Are the days of lean construction over?

Times have been tough for contractors in the last few years – just as they have for everybody.  Could the times of lean construction be over?  Possibly.

One thing that might help is a new bill recently introduced to the house in May of this year.  The American Job Builders Tax Reform Act of 2011, if passed, will amend the Internal Revenue Code by changing the rules that determine gross income.

The limit will be raised from $10 million to $40 million for the small contractor threshold for construction contracts and will be effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2010.  What does this mean?  It means contractors with less than $40 million in revenue can complete their projects before they have to pay taxes on the profits.

How many of you contractors out there does this help?  Do you have $10 million projects on the table?

Well another year of some good events and some not so good is passing before our eyes. We are celebrating both. Goodbye, to the not so good and Hooray for the good! And looking to the future for more success! I’d like to thank all who have visited the Site, and Blog,  and those that have contributed their comments.
The Supply Yard has enjoyed it’s first year on the web and is growing. Looking to provide a better resource for those in construction and those that benefit from construction~ pretty much anyone who enjoys getting out of the cold, or having a safe place to live or do business.

We wish you all a Prosperous and Happy New Year!

Today is a day of remembrance for those families and individuals who lost family and friends in the attack on our domain on this day! The Supply Yard sends out prayers to these people and the rest of the people of this country on this day!