Together with bathrooms, the kitchen is the other area in the home that will benefit from upgrading. However, what if a limited budget restricts you from having a complete kitchen refit?
Don’t worry, there are some simple makeover tricks that will be guaranteed to transform the look of your kitchen for minimum outlay and maximum impact. It will not add significant value to your home, but will create a better atmosphere for yourself and impress your guests into the bargain.
Take a good long look at the fixtures and fittings in your kitchen and see what can be preserved and what needs to be replaced.
Ensure that all surfaces to be painted are clean, smooth and free from any major flaws and imperfections. Cracks and holes in walls are easily filled in with a bit of poly filler, and wood filler can be used on wooden surfaces or window frames that have dents or bits gouged out from wear and tear. Remember, with all decoration jobs, the preparation beforehand is of utmost importance in order to achieve the best and most long lasting results.
Start at the ceiling and work down:
Paint is your number one ally. Buy some cheap emulsion and paint the ceiling in brilliant white gloss. Purchase a simple, but effective central light fitting that will brighten everything up and work together with the freshly painted ceiling to best affect. Already you will notice a difference. This is further enhanced by spotlights or under eye level cupboard lights to highlight certain areas.
All walls will benefit from a fresh coat of paint in complementary colours to your kitchen units.
If your cupboard doors really have seen better days, then they can be replaced whilst still leaving the main structure intact. This will give the look of a brand new kitchen. There are companies that specialise in this procedure, but it is also possible to do it yourself providing your measuring skills are good. Any doors and drawers that are still sound can be brightened up with a specialist paint. Even laminated door fronts can be painted if the correct paint is used.
Dated and dull kitchen units are virtually transformed with a few coats of cupboard paint that comes in a variety of popular colours and provides a tough washable surface. Why not change all the door furniture on your units to match in with your new light fittings and other fixtures? Crown paint has a video that demonstrates how easy it is to do: how to paint kitchen cupboards.
If you are fed up with your kitchen tiles, but they are still serviceable, then a few tins of tile paint will give them a new lease of life and it’s amazing what fresh grouting can do. Although tedious, it is well worth the effort once you can stand back and admire the finished results. The video, “How to paint over tiles”, illustrates the process.
Floor coverings can easily be replaced by stick on tiles that will look good and cost next to nothing from any reputable DIY store. Granted they will not last as long as ceramic tiles but they will provide several years of service and will look good too, adding a coordinated and streamlined appearance to complement your newly painted tiles, units and walls.
Although not much can be done to repair worktops that are past their prime, you can place attractive beading and durable edging strip around the edges. Detract from areas that are scratched by covering with an attractive chopping board, bread bin or other items. Shift round other worktop appliances to cover areas that are worn.
A window blind in colours that match your freshly painted cupboards will look fantastic and complete the overall effect. A few inexpensive pictures or an attractive clock will also look great.
Now add up what you have spent and you will be pleasantly surprised that it is not half as much as you initially thought!
It’s now time to invite guests round to view your ‘brand new’ kitchen!