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Upgrading your kitchen to make it modern and stylish can be a costly project to pursue. Most people start designing their kitchens with a small budget in mind.
However, the cost quickly escalates as they start including expenses relating to appliances, pavements, appliances, labor, and other additions.
This makes a stylish kitchen upgrade begin to look like a pipe dream. But it doesn’t have to be that way, particularly when you invest time in exploring the various options available.
Whether you’re looking to do a complete makeover, or just renovate a few things, it’s extremely critical that you have a picture of how you want the end result to look and prepare a realistic cost of how much you’ll need to get that result.
Below we explore different aspects of your kitchen which you can upgrade and give you tips on how you can do that without breaking the bank.
1. Give Your Kitchen Sink a Fresh Look
The kitchen sink is one of the areas you quickly notice when you get into a kitchen. Ideally, the kind of kitchen sink you pick is determined by the space you have available and how it settles in with the look you want your kitchen to have.
In most cases, kitchen sinks are inserted in a pre-cut hole that’s left on the work surface. These tend to be easy to fix and cheaper. Still, they can be mounted on the underside part of the work surface.
This gives them a clean finish. They also tend to work well for people who opt to cut draining channels in the adjoining work surface.
The kind of upgrade you give your kitchen sink depends on the material that the sink is made of. Kitchen sinks may be made from stainless steel, ceramic, or composite material.
Stainless steel sinks are the most common in the home due to their low maintenance cost. Composite sinks are quite pricey to replace but they can withstand high temperatures.
Since it is made from materials like quartz, granite, or acrylic, you can upgrade a ceramic sink by cleaning it with a mixture of water and vinegar or baking soda.
Rinse well and wipe dry. Restore the coating to add luster and give them a new, fresh look. If your kitchen has a ceramic sink, clean it well with a cleaning fluid, rinse it and dry it well.
Sand it well and wipe the dust off. Spray-paint several coats of epoxy paint and leave it to dry for eight hours. Apply a top coat, preferably polyurethane, to give it a shiny, fresh look.
If you want to replace your ceramic or granite kitchen as part of the upgrade, there’s a wide selection of affordable granite and stone materials to choose from.
If you have a stainless-steel sink, you’ll need to paint it to give it a new look. All you’ll need is sandpaper and a can of metallic spray paint.
If you don’t enjoy painting, consider upgrading the faucet. When shopping for a faucet, opt for a stylish design or style that fits your personality to give your sink a fresh new look.
2. Replace Your Kitchen Light
Another great way to upgrade your kitchen without spending a lot of your funds is replacing the lights. Decorative lights are quite affordable and are available in a wide variety of shapes including chrome, rustic, and fancy designs.
If you decide to upgrade your kitchen by replacing your lights, opt for a light fixture that fits well with the color and décor that you have in your kitchen.
The other way that you could use lights to upgrade your kitchen is to hang LED lights inside or under your kitchen cabinets.
This is not just an affordable way to enhance the lighting in your kitchen, but it’s also a great way to give your kitchen space a welcoming and cozier look.
3. Add a Fresh Coat to Your Kitchen Cabinets
You can quickly change the appearance of your kitchen by painting your cabinets like a pro. Adding one or two fresh coats of paints to your cabinets will not cost you much since all you’ll need is to get a painting kit.
If you decide to upgrade your kitchen cabinets on a budget, focus on the doors, shelves, and trim. Maximize the finances and the time you have by preparing well.
The best way to do this is to clean each kitchen cabinet well and use wood putty to fill any holes or nicks that may be present on the wood surface.
Using sandpaper, smoothen the surfaces and apply paint. Leave the paint to dry well before closing the cabinets or resuming usage.
4. Spice Your Kitchen Wall Color
Adding color to your kitchen wall might be everything you need to upgrade your kitchen space and make it more stylish.
A colorful wall in the kitchen can add excitement and make the space more attractive. There are several ways to do this without paying a hefty sum.
If you’re into DIY projects, consider fitting a ceramic or stainless steel backsplash and fixing it on your kitchen wall. You may opt also to get chalkboard, stick-on metal, or tile paint to add texture to your walls.
By the time you’re done, the appeal on your kitchen wall will give the space a stylish, new look. Alternatively, you can decide to replace the outlet wall plates in your kitchen with colorful, textured covers that are available in bronze, chrome, or steampunk.
If you don’t want to spend money getting new covers and your existing covers are still in good shape, consider decorating them with paper, paint, or decoupage to enhance their look.
Read Also:
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- Affordable Kitchen Cabinets Ottawa
5. Replace Your Kitchen Cabinet Handles
Drawer and cabinet handles are small items that few people pay attention to. However, replacing them can have a huge impact on the style and look of your kitchen.
Though it may sound like a small move towards upgrading your kitchen and making it more stylish, buy new handles that suit your personality and style.
Make a count of all the drawer knobs or pulls your kitchen needs and buy them in bulk from your local store. This way, you’ll be able to get the pieces you need at an affordable price.
Alternatively, look out for estate sales in your locality—these are great places to find fine decorative or vintage hardware to give your kitchen cabinets and drawer an upgrade.
6. Make Your Kitchen Storage Bigger
Storage space is one of the critical aspects most people consider before buying a home or renting one. As such, it makes perfect sense to consider expanding your kitchen space as part of upgrading it.
There are various creative ways to add more storage space to a kitchen. The simplest one is to customize your empty wall by adding cabinets.
This kind of improvement means investing in new shelving units, pull-out drawers, and other storage options.
The cost for doing this generally varies, depending on the size of space you want to transform and the kind of cabinets you’re looking to install.
If you don’t want to get into the complexities of adding more fittings to your kitchen space, you can expand your storage space by decluttering your current storage space.
This means spending a few hours clearing your kitchen counters, cabinets, and drawers of any clutter.
Remove any unwanted or expired food items, donate any appliances or utensils you no longer use, and move stuff that should not be in the kitchen. Decluttering your kitchen will not cost you money but it’ll give it a tidy, spacious look.
7. Replace the Kitchen Floor
Changing your kitchen floor is another great way to add a stylish look to your kitchen. When you’re looking to upgrade the floor, you can either replace the current one with a similar option or choose a different type and design altogether.
Most people tend to prefer hardwood or ceramic tiles on kitchen floors.
However, there are many other contemporary floor options that offer variety in design and style as well as durability.
If you’re looking for something versatile, classic, and reliable, consider upgrading your kitchen floor with ceramic tiles.
Hard floors are also a great option. If you opt for this floor type, ensure that you apply a modern finish and sealers to enhance its durability and make it resistant to water.
Other flooring types that you can use to upgrade your kitchen include cork, vinyl, linoleum, concrete, and natural stone.
Final Thoughts
Upgrading your kitchen to give it a new, stylish look can be a major undertaking depending on the aspects you choose to upgrade.
However, you don’t have to spend a fortune on your kitchen upgrading project. Rather than changing everything at the same time, consider starting with the simple aspects then gradually upgrade major ones like the floor.
Better still, use the hacks discussed above to give your sink, cabinets, and walls a fresh look without having to break the bank.
