Create a Classy Kitchen – on a Tight Budget!

 

The kitchen really is one of the most important rooms of the home, and if yours isn’t up to scratch it can bring down the look of your entire property. Maybe you’re fed up of preparing meals and cooking in a space that’s not fit for purpose, or perhaps you dream of entertaining friends at home but are embarrassed by your not-so-cute kitchen. You might have ruled out a renovation knowing that a new kitchen costs an absolute fortune and that it’s simply not within your budget. However you’ll be pleased to know that there are lots of ways you can completely transform a kitchen without spending much at all, to the point that people will think you’ve had a brand new one installed! Here’s how you can go about it.

 

Paint the Cupboard Doors

Brand new kitchen cupboards can be extremely costly, but you don’t always need to go to such extremes. If your kitchen is in pretty good condition (but just looks old and dated) then painting the cupboard doors can make such a difference. Take them off the hinges, give them a good sand down and paint them a new colour. Plain white is a good choice and will work with any colour of worktops you currently have. Light grey is a nice, modern choice and would look fantastic if you have black or natural stone worktops. The great thing about this is it’s cheap to do and fairly easy, so if you change your mind on the colour later down the line- simply sand and paint them again. Take your time here and do all of the prep work and paint them carefully. Once they’re dry and have been hung back on the cupboards again you’ll be amazed at just how good they look. People will be asking you if you’ve had a new kitchen installed.

 

Paint the Tiles

Tiles can really give away a kitchens age, not only do certain styles, colours and designs look dated after a while but the grout can get stained and they can look incredibly grubby. If your tiles are in ok condition and still look fine (for example, they’re just plain white) one option would be to use a grout tool and scrape off the top layer of grout. You can then fill it back in with new stuff making it look beautifully clean and fresh and can give the appearance of them being brand new tiles. If your tiles are a dodgy colour or have patterns on, scrubbing them down carefully and painting with tile paint could be the way to go. Go with a plain white, and paint the tiles as well as the grout. This makes everything look fresh and new, and as an added bonus the paint means you won’t get dirty grout. If your tiles are really worse for wear with chips, cracks and even missing tiles, instead of paying to have brand new ones hung, you could remove them and have a backsplash installed instead. These are far easier, quicker and cheaper to hang and they come in all kinds of colours and designs. It’s something most DIYers could do themselves, but even if you call in the professionals it will be much cheaper than new tiles.

 

Paint the Walls

With nicely refreshed tiles and cupboards, finishing the rest of the walls with a coat of paint will make all the difference. Go with a light, neutral shade which will help to bounce the light around the room and make it look and feel more spacious. If you want to spend a little extra, a paint designed especially for kitchens will repel moisture and is easily wiped clean if it gets splashed on with food. But even a budget paint will do the trick, and you could always touch up any dirty marks every couple of months without much hassle.

 

Have Vinyl Flooring Fitted

Your flooring makes a big difference in the kitchen, but when you’re doing things on a budget, having it ripped out and new tiles installed will be out of the question. But if yours are old fashioned, an ugly colour or cracked then you don’t have to live with them. One thing you could do is have a piece of vinyl fitted over the top, this covering comes in all colours and designs and is relatively inexpensive. It’s far cheaper than new tiling, and with all the money you save elsewhere this is one place you could spend some money to get it looking up to scratch. Vinyl is long lasting and easy to clean, and in most cases can be laid right over the existing flooring that’s down. In other cases, you might need to pull up the ceramic tiles first, use a cheap bin hire company like http://www.cheaperbinhire.com.au/ to get rid of the waste without bumping up your bill. With a skip outside, you have the option to declutter and get rid of any junk or unneeded items lying around the kitchen too.

 

Switch Out Handles and Fixtures

The smaller details make more of a difference than you might think, and so changing out things like drawer handles, electrical sockets and light fixtures can help to modernise and transform your kitchen. These things can be surprisingly expensive, so scour sales and deals and find discounts. Sites like eBay will have them at reduced prices too, so you can make these changes without spending much at all. Your light fitting should be neither too large or small, and ensure that the kitchen is properly lit. You could even add LED strip lighting under cupboards and along kickboards to brighten the room further, and give it a modern feel without breaking the bank.

 

Change Your Window Treatments

Finally, something as simple as switching up the blinds or curtains at your window could make a huge difference. If your current window treatments are blocking a lot of light, you could be making the kitchen look dark and dingy. Fresh curtains or new blinds can be bought cheaply from any highstreet and be the perfect finishing touch.

 

 

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