Kitchen remodels are widely popular renovations thanks to the value they add to your home. You will give the overall property value a boost – there’s just one tiny problem standing in the way…
A kitchen remodel will set you back thousands of dollars. For instance, a minor remodel is said to average out at around $10,000 to $20,000 based on the most recent numbers. Even worse, this goes up to above $100,000 for some complete kitchen remodel jobs! It’s a massive investment that most of us can’t afford upfront, and we don’t want to get a loan either.
What if we told you it was possible to upgrade your kitchen without having any work done? These affordable upgrades breathe new life into this busy part of your home but won’t cause major disruptions and can all be implemented over a weekend or less!
Paint Your Cabinets and Swap the Handles
The first place to start is with your cabinets. They’ll be a dominant force in your kitchen and all eyes are drawn to them. When most people opt for a kitchen remodel, they immediately swap old cabinets for new ones. You don’t necessarily have to do this if you don’t have the money or can’t handle the disruption. Instead, find an interior painting service that can paint your cabinets and make them look brand new.
It’s crazy how new the entire kitchen looks when your cabinets are painted a different color. Take it one step further by swapping the handles or knobs with new ones too. This requires a tiny bit of DIY on your behalf – but it’s a simple case of unscrewing the old handles and screwing in some new ones. Your kitchen now looks like it’s had a cabinet upgrade, but all you’ve done is swap the handles and provide a fresh lick of pain.
Add Special Contact Paper to Your Countertops
If your cabinets are one of the most dominant things in your kitchen, the countertops won’t be far behind. They’re the main workspace you have in this area and can very quickly become outdated or worn. Everyone dreams of upgrading their kitchens with modern countertops but it’s not always as easy as it sounds.
Once more, we meet the money problem!
Countertops are expensive – especially if you want nice quartz or marble ones – and they’re also a pain to install. That’s why we suggest opting for special contact paper instead! There’s a type of contact paper that’s made for countertops as it’s resistant to spills and heat. You stick it onto your counters and it can mimic lovely marble designs or quartz counters at a fraction of the cost. They won’t last forever, but it’s easy to replace contact paper so you can keep updating your kitchen as often as you like!
Replace the Kitchen Sink (or Part of It)
Another budget-friendly option is to replace your kitchen sink. Yes, this might technically go against the “no work done” aspect of this post. We’d argue it still counts as not having a lot of work done as you can usually remove and refit a sink within a couple of hours – especially if you get some plumbers to help. It’s hardly as disruptive as a kitchen remodel and a new sink can bring beautiful shine to this interior space.
A new sink will set you back a couple of hundred dollars at best but it can improve both the way your kitchen looks and how practical it is when you’re cooking or cleaning. If you still think it’s a bit too much on the work side of things, the alternative is to swap out the faucet. This is genuinely easy to do and you can do it yourself in under an hour. Faucets are extremely cheap as well, so this counts as another affordable upgrade.
Stick Down Some LED Strip Lighting
Our final recommendation is a quick one; buy LED strip lighting and stick it down under your cabinets. It gives off an amazing effect and improves the lighting in your kitchen to no avail. This is a cheaper alternative to installing actual lighting under there, so it’s well worth doing for a quick and easy kitchen upgrade.
We’ve given you four amazing ways to improve your kitchen without getting lots of work done and they’re all highly affordable. It’s proof that a full-scale remodel isn’t always needed, especially if you can’t afford one. There’s no need to take out a loan when you can update your interior spaces with a few clever additions here or there.
