Great Ideas for Cheap Kitchens

Good Real Estate Agents tell us kitchens and baths sell houses.  If you have friends or relatives who’ve recently gone through kitchen renovations you know the costs can be astronomical and they seem to have a way of growing larger and larger as the project progresses.  Many end up spending much more than they had initially budgeted.

It is possible to do an attractive kitchen renovation without breaking the bank.  The single most expensive item in most renovations is the cost of new cabinetry, so let’s start there.

First, you’re going to have to stick with the kitchen layout you have right now without moving anything.  To do this you start by working with the existing cabinets, removing the doors but keeping the cabinet boxes.  There are companies that sell replacement doors in a very wide variety of styles which you can remount on the existing cabinet boxes.

Depending on the style of your existing cabinetry, this can give you a look that will fool everyone into thinking its brand new cabinetry, until you open the doors.  However, it is a more expensive option than you might want.  The cheapest alternative is to repaint the existing doors and then remount them with new door handles.

While this might sound like a daunting task, it’s not that difficult.  Take the doors to a secluded area like the basement and first wash them with an industrial cleaner and then give them a light sanding.  While it is possible to use spray paint, you’ll actually get a better finish with a roller.  Spray paint will give you a smooth finish, which shows imperfections.  Using a heavy nap roller will result in a rippled texture finish that is not only attractive, but also hides most imperfections.

As an alternative to painting the exterior of the cabinet boxes, leaving them in a natural stained finish provides a dramatic contrast to the painted doors.  The end result is a kitchen with a cheery country look – all for little money and an investment of your own time.

Now let’s turn to the countertop, which in an older kitchen is almost certain to need replacing.  Chances are it’s a laminate top, and they cannot be resurfaced.  Since most kitchen renovations today end up with granite or Corian countertops, laminate tops have gotten relatively inexpensive.  Although they’re cheap they’re not as functional as a tile countertop, which is heat resistant.  This is not an easy DIY task, but if you have the skill or have a relative or friend who can help, it’s far cheaper than granite or Corian.  Laminate shouts out “Cheap” while a tile top can add “Wow” to your budget kitchen makeover.

Replacing the sink is a must but today the price of lower end stainless and pvc composite sinks has dropped dramatically.  Don’t go too cheap on a new faucet either.  You can find higher quality faucets for prices approximating cheap faucets if you take the time to search local home improvement centers for clearance discounts.

Finally, there are the appliances.  Unfortunately, there’s no way to refinish scratched and stained appliances.  Depending on your budget, you can save some by replacing them one at a time.  While you can find refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, and dishwashers on clearance discounts, a better option is to find an appliance outlet that sells “damaged” merchandise.

Many new appliances are damaged slightly in the delivery and installation process and no homeowner will fail to return a refrigerator, even if the damage is nothing more than a light scratch.  Depending on the location and the extent of the damage, you can truly save a big bundle of money finding deals like these.  It takes an investment of time, but if you get lucky, the savings will be well worth the effort.