Simple Kitchen Makeover Ideas: Where to start on a Budget

The kitchen is called the heart of the home, and for good reason. It is where everyone congregates, from breakfast to dinner and the occasional midnight snack. As meals are made and shared, memories and connections are made that will last a lifetime. However, this becomes difficult if your kitchen is cramped, worn, or outdated.

Many homeowners cringe over the words “kitchen renovation” due to the common misconception that all kitchen renovations are expensive. Not true! Kitchen renovations are one of the more flexible home improvement projects you can possibly do.

Painting

There are a few ways you can add pop to your kitchen without breaking your budget. The easiest way to polish worn walls? Slap on a fresh coat of paint and you’ll be amazed at the transformation something so simple can do. Try to stick with light and clean colors as they will make the room look bigger, brighter, and more inviting.

Don’t stop at your walls either. Repaint your cabinets in something that will make them pop but not take away from the room. Carefully used dark colors on cabinets can enhance the environment but be cautious if you have a lot of cabinets in your kitchen space, it can make your kitchen look small and cramped, despite the fresh coat of paint. Metal cabinets can be painted too, just make sure to get the right kind of paint for the material.

Cabinet Doors and Countertops

If painting won’t improve your cabinets, there’s no need to jump to replacement as the next option. Many options are available to resurface or replace your cabinet doors including sanding and resealing, veneers, and new hardware.

Another easy way to update your kitchen is to replace your kitchen countertops. Your countertops take a beating over the years. They are where your meals are prepared, where school projects are often built, where purses, wallets, mail, odds and ends usually end up. Scratches, dings, blemishes all add up over time. With so manydifferent countertop optionsto choose from it can be overwhelming finding the perfect material. However, you should choose a material that’s able to withstand high traffic environments and goes well with the rest of your kitchen, such as your appliances, floor and wall color The cost of this renovation depends on the type of material you decide on, fromtile to graniteand everything in between.

Flooring

Don’t forget about your floors. Kitchens have some of the highest traffic than any other room in your home and tend to get the dirtiest the fastest. Years of foot traffic, scratches, spills, and scrubbing wear down the finish of your floors, no matter the surface. After a while, even the cleanest kitchen floor can look dingy and old. Putting in new flooring is a little more involved than painting your walls, but it is just as rewarding. Costs vary with the type of material and the amount needed, but generally, replacing your kitchen flooring is considered a budget-friendly way to renovate your kitchen.

Kitchen Islands

Add space and function to your kitchen with a kitchen island. Kitchen islands have become more popular over the years with lots of options. There are two basic types of islands, floating and attached.

Attached islands are typically an extension of your current kitchen countertops and are a good way to add seating in a small space. For very small kitchens, the island can become the kitchen table that you always wanted but never had room to have.

Floating islands can integrate a range, dishwasher, sink, wine refrigerator, whatever you want. For homes with an open floor plan, having an island is a great way to integrate other parts of the home to the kitchen, such as a living room or family room. You can talk and interact with your family or friends while preparing a meal.

Complete Overhauls

For those big budget projects when you want to completely gut and redesign your kitchen, there really are no limitations to what you can do to redesign your space. You can add and/or move appliances, add or move walls (this option you may want to enlist the help of a licensed contractor to ensure the structural integrity of your home), add an island or remove an island, breakfast bar, pantry, you name it.

This kind of complete renovation also lets you totally change the feel of your kitchen. You can transform your space into a modern and sleek look you always wanted or give your kitchen that old-world feel you always dreamed about. Complete renovations are the most expensive but can increase your home’s overall value, which is always a good thing.