How to add value to an old style kitchen without breaking the bank?
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If you don’t have the budget or time for a full on kitchen demolition and installation, here’s some ideas for a quick, budget renovation.
- Cabinet – A lot of older kitchen cupboards were built with the frame directly onto concrete / plasterboard (ie no backing board). If the shelves themselves are in good condition, paint the concrete / plasterboard with a white gloss paint (white gives a clean look and gloss is easy to keep clean).
- The doors – Although wood look laminex is back in, there are lots of old kitchen cupboard doors that have the “vintage” wood look laminex that looks faded and dated. You have two choices – either replace the doors or paint over the laminex. To replace the doors just unscrew from the hinges, measure, count how many you need and have a kitchen manufacturer make new doors for you. We found quotes vary greatly, so it’s worth ringing a few for comparison. If the doors are in good condition, you can paint them, but you need some preparation first. We found a product called ESP which prepares laminex and other surface for painting. Then we painted over with White Knight Laminate Paint in an off white gloss – see my separate post on How to Paint Kitchen Cupboards and Benchtops for detailed instructions.
- Handles – This is one of the easiest ways to change the look of a kitchen. Remove the old handles and replace with new ones for a modern look. There are various sizes of handles, just take one with you so you can buy the right size and check out your local hardware store. Brushed stainless steel always give a modern look.
- Benchtops – Older kitchens have narrower benchtops that are quite thin. Quicker and cheaper than new benchtops you can either re-laminate or we chose to paint. You may be thinking paint will peel off, but we found a brilliant product to produce a hard wearing surface and we have tested it in a tenanted property. First prepare the benchtop with ESP. Next paint on White Knight Tile and Laminate Primer. Once this is dry, paint with the White Knight paint (colour of your choice) and finish with White Knight Benchtop Clear – for full instructions see my Post How to Paint Kitchen Cupboards and Benchtops. There are a few steps involved but the effect is great once you’ve finished and for a bargain price!
- New flooring - This can be easy and make a huge difference to old tired flooring assuming the floor is fairly smooth and even to start with. You can easily find square, stick on vinyl from hardware stores, just peel the back and stick on the floor. Always remember to clean and dry the original flooring before sticking these over the top. Another option is large sheets of vinyl which can be stuck over the top – again ensuring the old floor is clean and dry first. For an even more modern look, you can tile the floor but this is a fair bit of work.
- Polishing the sink – All you need for this one is some elbow grease and polish and the sink will come up looking sparkly.
- Wall – If the walls looked a bit tired, repaint! Choose a neutral colour or off white which will make the room look bigger, brighter and more friendly.
- Splashback – In need of a new splashback? Instead of ripping out the tiles and replacing, if the tiles are in good condition, simply repaint. We used White Knight Laminate Paint which worked well and gave an instant transformation.
With all these easy steps you’ll end up with a new look kitchen for a budget price!
Have you done any budget kitchen renovations? We would love to hear from you…
