Anyone familiar with home improvement can attest that the words “Kitchen” and “Cheap” rarely go hand in hand. In fact a major kitchen renovation can be one of the most expensive home improvements a do-it-yourselfer can take on. The challenge of renovating a kitchen is that all areas of home improvement come into play: carpentry, electrical, and plumbing. A cheap kitchen renovation can quickly become a major renovation if things do not go as planned, and as any DIY’er knows things rarely go exactly as planned. However, there are a few great options that exist that are cheap renovations for a kitchen and can still alter the look, and even nearly make it look good as new. Here are a few ideas for cheap kitchen renovations:
Cabinets
Facts are facts, and cabinets can be extremely expensive. Instead of running out and buying new cabinetry, try reusing what you already have. There are several different types of cabinets that may be installed in a kitchen, but most are either wood or a type of resin plastic. The wood can be lightly sanded and refinished, or completely stripped and redone. The plastic can be painted with durable enamel, like Rust-o-Leum. While knobs, pulls, and drawer slides can cost a few dollars a piece, they can really change the appearance of the newly finished or painted cabinets, and are most likely worth the investment.
Painting a kitchen can be a tremendous challenge due to the lack of many wide-open spaces. However, many DIY folks are used to the tedious time and effort that go into preparing for a paint job. A fresh coat of paint is a quick and relatively cheap spruce up tactic that can help brighten up any kitchen. For many folks wallpaper is a thing of the past, but that remains a great option for the kitchen as well. One of the most popular cheap kitchen renovation ideas is to paint the walls and spruce them up with a wall paper border or other adhesive decoration.
Floors
Kitchen flooring can get out of hand in a hurry. Sure vinyl tile with the sticky back is a cheap and effective option, but it can be a real pain to put down. Depending on the floor surface currently installed, homeowners should evaluate their options. Obviously, tearing out a ceramic tile floor will likely take more than a few hours, and while laminate flooring has come a long way, it will likely take some effort to fit just right into the kitchen. For those reasons, in order to keep things cheap, adding a few area rugs and carpet runners can help make the kitchen floor look new without the major time and cash expense.
Countertops
Countertops do not have to cost a lot of money. Still, a quality countertop will have a certain price, but going with a two hundred dollars countertop versus a two thousand dollar countertop will produce the same effect initially. Since cost is directly proportional to size, potential buyers should evaluate all local home improvement centers and hardware stores for prices and selection. Buyers should also take into consideration that cheaper countertops will likely need to be replaced again at some point in the future, though lifespan is directly related to use.
Move Things Around
Depending on the layout of a particular kitchen, one of the simplest ways to make it look bigger is to move things around. If the area in question is an eat in kitchen, moving the table and chairs around can offer up new spaces. Sometimes, just moving a shelf on the wall or a picture can completely change the way a kitchen area is perceived. The flow of the eye is what is important, as well as the flow of people around the space.
In short, renovating a kitchen on a budget is possible. Although some sacrifices may be necessary on the purchase of materials in order to keep things affordable, the entire job can be accomplished on a budget with a fair amount of hard work. The importance of having a plan and sticking to that plan can never be stated enough. Nothing is more dangerous to a budget than a distracted do-it-yourselfer with while-I’m-at-it syndrome. Remember the key to saving money is to get the project done right the first time.
sources:
personal experience
