Extremely low budget kitchen upgrades

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Forum -> Household Management

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amother

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 8:43 pm

Inspired by the thread about what you like about your kitchen.

We recently moved into a house with an old, dingy, small kitchen. We hope to I"YH remodel in the next few years, but is there anything really low-budget that could spruce my kitchen up in the meantime and make it nicer and /or more useful. I'm not prepared to invest much but need something in the meantime.
I have no preconceived ideas and no design experience. Could I paint the cabinets?

abcd123

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 8:49 pm

Yes you could paint cabinets if they are real wood , not Formica. Also you will need to sand the entire surface as well as detach all doors and drawers. You could paint the walls a fresh color of course, as well as replace knobs and handles on cabinetry for a fresh modern look. Maybe also replace faucet/s. that could definitely spruce it up. We got ours for less than 100 at lowes for a set including a faucet with built in sprayer and matching separate piece under-counter soap pump.

greenfire

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 8:52 pm

if the house is rented - make sure to check with landlord before painting anything ...

but yes painting cabinets would give a facelift to any drab kitchen

put up some nice curtains - or a piece of material with a hem

cute dish towels

little things around the kitchen

amother

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 9:49 pm

greenfire wrote:

no, we own.

french doors, no other windows

dish towels are hanging in hooks inside the cabinet - how would getting cute ones help

no room for little knicknacks Smile

FranticFrummie

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 9:50 pm

abcd123 wrote:

You stole my post! Back when the real estate market was booming, I used to buy up cute little houses, renovate them, and then "flip" them back on the market.

Paint and hardware were always at the very top of my list. If the old countertops were bad, I'd get formica, and if the counters were basically sound, I'd have the new formica layered over the top of the old, to save money on installation.

If you're at all artistic, a band of stenciling around the top of the wall near the ceiling will draw the eye up, make the ceiling look higher, and take away from any mess on the countertop. People will notice art before they notice dishes in the sink.

Good lighting is essential. Track lighting is the most effective, fluorescent bar lighting is the absolute worst! Depending on the year of your house, you could go for a cute reproduction that matches the era your home was built in. A historic match in lighting can work wonders for the feel of the room.

(As Dolly Welsh is to fashion, I am to interior design! Very Happy

)

Rubber Ducky

Wed, Sep 11 2013, 10:19 pm

You're getting some good ideas here!

You can paint wood cabinets with Cabinet Coat or with Advance, both made by Benjamin Moore or a subsidiary company. I have used both with excellent results. (I do space planning and kitchen design professionally.) Cabinet Coat comes in white and pastel colors only.

If you have space and like the look, potracks can be an inexpensive, attractive, and functional focal point in a kitchen.

Ikea makes some good space-saving devices like hanging dishracks and utensil shelves.

If your kitchen has bulkheads above the cabinets you can hang a plate rail and display decorative dishes.

If you or your DH is handy, a tile backsplash can be an inexpensive and eyecatching project.

Raisin

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 7:13 am

look at pictures online of kitchens to get some good ideas.

CatLady

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 7:43 am

You can buy easy-to-install backsplash tile at Costco. You can paint your cabinets and install new hardware, and you can even refinish your countertops (my next project!): http://www.daichcoatings.com/s......html

greenfire

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 10:17 am

amother wrote:

greenfire wrote:

no, we own.

french doors, no other windows

dish towels are hanging in hooks inside the cabinet - how would getting cute ones help

no room for little knicknacks Smile

glad you own - can't complain to anyone

I couldn't see through your french doors - sorry

not everybody hides their dishtowels

cute useful items differ from unusable knick-knacks ~ but give the dog a bone

greenfire

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 10:18 am

CatLady wrote:

kool ~ let me know how the end results come out ...

doctorima

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 10:21 am

A great web site for home renovation ideas of all types is houzz.com; it can be a little overwhelming, and most of what's there is probably out of your price range, but browsing the pictures can still give you ideas that can be adapted for your situation.

amother

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 2:01 pm

Thanks all. And the real question is - are any of these worth it to do for now, if we're planning on really completely redoing in the next couple of yrs?

doctorima

Thu, Sep 12 2013, 3:27 pm

Only you can decide that. On the one hand, the money you invest now will be "wasted," but on the other hand it could significantly improve your quality-of-life and kitchen experience in the short-term. You have to decide how much any potential upgrade is worth on a temporary basis, and whether you can spare the money to do it.

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