Cost

• If cost is a factor in your decision to upgrade the existing hardware or to replace them, consider a few details. Pulls, knobs and handles can be quite inexpensive individually, but when you add up the total number needed for your kitchen, it can be costly. A small kitchen with upper and lower cabinets and all the drawers can easily require more than 25 handles. When you analyze how many you need, that may determine your budget for your cabinet hardware and narrow your options since even the simplest design can be expensive. If you are willing to pay the higher price, you can find elegant cabinet hardware at specialty stores or online from companies that sell nothing else but cabinet hardware.
  
  Tim Carter from AskTheBuilder.com advises to be cautious when purchasing discounted cabinet hardware since it may be plated steel and substandard. You may be able to find nice but used cabinet hardware at thrift shops, garage sales or even online from old dressers or cabinets that have seen better days but still have functional and decorative hardware. If looking for a solid brass or bronze with longer durability, Carter suggests taking a magnet with you when you shop for the knobs and if the knob sticks to the magnet, it is more than likely plated steel and not your best choice for durability.
  
  

Upgrading

• To improve the appearance of your existing knobs or handles, add a decorative brass or bronze plate behind the hardware. This not only gives a classy, rich look, but can provide extra support to your cabinet hardware. Antique finished plates also add a unique look that many people admire.
  
  To replace cabinets with new handles, remove the old ones and use a plastic marking template that you should be able to buy at a home improvement store. Mark the template where the screw holes should be drilled and place it on the cabinet. Tim Carter suggests using a variable speed drill to use at slow speed and buy a brad-point drill bit which has a tiny point on the end of the bit and will give you precision when making the hole. For drawers, be sure to measure to find the center for handle placement.
  
  Carter warns against drilling the hole for the knob from the backside of the door or drawer since there is the potential for the hole to splinter and chip the front of the cabinet. He also suggests if this happens or if you are replacing old knobs that have left a mark or holes on your cabinets, hire a furniture repair professional to repair it with an alcohol lamp and hard sticks of lacquer.