Kitchen Overhaul: 5 Certified Ways to Upgrade Your Kitchen On a Budget
By Space Coast Daily // July 17, 2021
Does your kitchen look a bit dim? Are the cabinets, countertops, and flooring a bit outdated already? Do the once brightly colored kitchen walls not inspire you anymore? Well, these are tell-tale signs that your kitchen might need a fresh, new look. But what if it does, but you don’t have enough budget to have an upgrade?
The good news is that doing a kitchen overhaul doesn’t have to cost gold and diamonds – in other words, it doesn’t have to be expensive. You just need your creative mind, a few dollars, and of course, a list of tips you can do to effectively turn your kitchen from just a kitchen to a stylish one. Read on to learn more!
1. Update the Kitchen Cabinets
Adding color and beauty to your kitchen isn’t just limited to painting the walls. You might not have thought about this before, but you can actually level it up by simply updating the cabinets. Believe it or not, this kitchen furniture can make or break the look of your cooking area. Listed below are some things you can do to make your cabinets a little more stunning.
Go for RTA
If your creativity leads you to imagine a whole new cabinet for your kitchen, then you can go for ready to assemble cabinets. This type of cabinet allows you to save a huge amount of money compared to custom-made ones. In addition, they are usually made from quality wood and other materials, so they are not just affordable, but they also come in high quality.
Paint the Doors
Of course, you can choose to repaint the cabinets instead, especially if you think they are still in good condition and want to keep them. Adding new shades on the cabinet doors can make the old look new. To do this, you might want to choose more trendy colors that can make your cabinets stand out but do not get out of place at the same time.
Change the Hardware
Kitchen hardware refers to the hinges, knobs, pulls, and handles of the cabinet. By switching out the old knobs with more modern styles as bar pulls, a unique look such as square knobs, or sophisticated designs like nickel door knobs, you can easily upgrade your cabinets. Visitors will not even know that they are your old ones, just with new hardware.
2. Have a Kitchen Wall Upgrade
One can never go wrong with paint. In fact, you can always revive your kitchen with colorful ideas through the different hues of the pigmented liquid. Just like the cabinets, you can choose colors that are in with the trend to make your kitchen walls look chic. You can also paint the ceiling as it is usually the first one to fade with time.
Just a bit of advice, go for lighter colors if your kitchen is small. This is because darker shades give depth to space which makes it look even smaller and tighter. If you decide to paint them on your own, be sure to sand the walls first to remove the roughness, and you can use trisodium phosphate (TSP) to clean up the grease stuck on the walls.
3. Focus on the Lighting
Sometimes, thinking about the lighting when making kitchen improvements only becomes an afterthought. However, good lighting creates a brilliant drama you never knew your kitchen needed. While natural light is key in keeping the warm and cozy atmosphere of the kitchen, you might also want to install new lighting fixtures.
You can also try changing the light fittings and buying some LED lights instead of CFL so you can save money even more and be energy-efficient. If your kitchen has darker corners, you can put up floor-standing lamps to brighten these areas.
4. New Version of the Floor
Although this area is often a forgotten one, your kitchen floor also has a role to play. Like repainting your kitchen walls, updating your kitchen floor can create a big difference, too. This might become necessary, especially if you’re planning to change the kitchen’s layout so that the style of the walls and the floor would blend well and not look awkward at all.
Getting a new version of the floor may sound a bit too costly, but you have many more affordable options. For example, you can choose to install some plastic laminated floor tiles, vinyl flooring, porcelain, or ceramic. These materials come at budget-friendly prices, and they are pretty stylish, too.
5. Buy New Appliances
Aside from the cabinets, walls, floors, and lighting, you can also do an appliance upgrade. If your kitchen equipment is already outdated, sometimes it is better to replace them with newer ones. This is not only for aesthetics but also because updated appliances tend to be more energy-efficient.
This way, you can also say that you have lessened your contribution to the carbon footprint. Like they say, doing a kitchen upgrade should not only be to beautify but also contribute meaningfully to the earth’s healing.
Takeaway
True enough, the kitchen gives coziness, warmth, and comfort. No wonder it is considered to be the heart of the home. But, like the heart, you also have to take good care of it for it not to get broken. And how do you do that? By upgrading it, of course. To help you get started, you might want to consider the budget-friendly tips listed above.
