Kitchen Updates on a Budget

Kitchen update ideas can go far beyond just painting your cabinetry or your walls. There are a few projects that you can do in just a weekend that will make a big impact. You can if your kitchen has recently been remodeled in the past decade. These ideas come with all different kinds of skill levels and budgets.

Learn to work with the cabinetry that you already have especially if it is white. White cabinets are a must for classic kitchens. You will even see them in farmhouse kitchens at times. The one major problem that we often see with this kind of cabinetry is that it just does feel so plain or too modern. You can remedy this just by painting a basic backsplash. Of course, this is purely decorative.

You want to go with an oversized wall stencil. This could mimic tile. It can be a patchwork kind of design because this is never going to effectively replicate tile. This means that you can easily go with more of a country or a folk art kind of look and it allows you to tie your entire room together. You could go for a crisper checkerboard design as well. However, in more modern kitchens you want to use a larger stencil in a trendy houndstooth kind of pattern.

Kitchen Makeovers Before and After

CC Photo from Brad Holt

CC Pictures from Machine is Organic

Kitchen Updates on a Budget

If you’re really on a budget and you have limited DIY skills then peel and stick tiles are going to be your best friend. Oftentimes, you can just cut it with a craft knife but you still need to follow proper safety precautions. You really want to update this material. You can go with a pressed tin tile.

Whenever you have any metal kind of tone on your backsplash you also want to switch out your switch plate covers just so that they don’t become too contrasting. Since this is so popular for backsplashes you can even get into stainless steel versions. Then you can also find smaller subway tiles. Of course with any kind of peel and stick tile the biggest problem that you’re going to run into is the grout lines because it’s very difficult to mimic them effectively. This means that you may want to go with a sleeker design style that’s very close together. You can even find some of these with a real slate veneer on top of this if preprinted patterns seem a little bit cheap to you.

You also might want to consider this for your flooring. However, be aware that it isn’t suitable for all surfaces, especially if you already have embossed linoleum or vinyl. The pattern could show through eventually on your existing tile. Plus, if you really want a convincing stone look then it’s going to be almost as expensive as ceramic if not even more so per square foot. In this case, you will still be saving on the cost of installation., DIY classes, and lots of tools.

If you need to change the feeling of your room then try going with accent paint or glaze. If you have wood cabinetry you can really change what you already have just by painting out small details of the molding. You could even use metallic paint. Black glaze will help you to tie all kinds of appliances together but you could also use gray glaze over the top for a very subtle accent. You probably have to sand down the surface and possibly even the rest of it depending on how worn your cabinetry is before you paint it. Remember when using kitchen update ideas not only do you want to create a dramatic transformation you also want to upgrade the materials slightly so it doesn’t turn into a DIY disaster.