My Budget-Friendly Kitchen Makeover

Would you spend more time in your kitchen if looked better?  Maybe?  😊 Kitchen remodels can be very expensive and overwhelming.  I’m going to share some very budget friendly ideas that I did that can help you with your kitchen makeover.   

When I’m moved into my current home, I loved my kitchen layout, but I hated the look.  It was builder beige from 1996.   All my appliances except for the refrigerator were 20 years old.  I had money in my budget to replace all my appliances, but nothing leftover to makeover my kitchen.  Since I’m nutritionist, I had to have good equipment to work with so that is where I put my money.  To bring the rest of my kitchen into current times, I had to get creative.

Countertops

I started with my countertops.  Basic brown/beige laminate countertops.  They were not in bad shape, but the color wasn’t working with my overall picture of my new and improved kitchen. 

I looked into granite and other solid surface materials, 3 years ago, it was a minimum of $5,500.  I didn’t have $5,500.  At my last home, I had used Miracle Method Surface Refinishing to resurface a ton of 1950’s tile in my bathrooms.  Turned out great, so I had them out to give me a quote.  The total cost to resurface my countertops was around $750.  I went for it and ended up loving the look.  The effect is very similar to Corian solid surface.   They come with a 5-year warranty.  It’s been three years since I had them done and they look great.   There is no demo and it takes two half days for them to do the work.  The paint they use does have an odor, but it does dissipate in a few days.  They use exhaust fans during the work so it’s minimal.

Miracle Method is a national company that has franchises all over the United States.  The one I used is family operated in Longmont, CO

Cabinets

I had solid oak cabinets that were also in good shape but again the color didn’t work with what I wanted.  A good friend of mine had used a Rust-Oleum product called Cabinet Transformations, on her oak cabinets and they looked great.  I love gray cabinets, so I went with color castle and did the glaze.    I did them over the Memorial Day weekend.    You just need to know how to paint and plan on at least 3 – 4 days to do the project.   Doesn’t take long to paint but you need to let each coat dry.  This was three years ago and the finish has held up.   You can find it at your local hardware store for around $85.00.  I only need one kit to do all my cabinets.  I had enough left over to refinish some furniture pieces. 

Backsplash

Due to lack of funds, I was just going to paint the backsplash but then I did a little research on peel and stick mosaics tiles.  It’s definitely a DIY project.  I got my tile at Lowes. They had a few different styles, so I grabbed a few to find out which looked best.  At around $8 for 10”x10” tile, it fit into my budget.  Took me about 2 hours to do it. Make sure you have a metal straight edge and an exacto knife.

Sink

Great buy at Costco. I did have a plumber install it.  If I had to do it again, I would have used a handyman.  Very basic job and felt that I overpaid for what was done.  Just make sure know that your handyman is skilled for the job. 

Window Treatments

Got the blinds at Home Depot and hung them myself.  My mom made my valance for me.  Didn’t need much material so the cost was low.

Final Product

My total for all these projects came in around $1,500 not including the appliances and it took about a month to complete.  I love how it turned out and it really feels like a got a brand-new kitchen. My home is very open concept so being able to update the kitchen changed the whole feel of my place.  No more builder beige!!!    😊

It will be 3 years this May since I  finished my DIY kitchen makeover.  I'm happy to say that it is holding up well.  So don't be worried about doing DIY projects.  Just make sure you take your take your time to do it right.