#Inexpensive Kitchen Upgrades

Inexpensive Kitchen Upgrades

Kitchen remodeled on a budget with new countertop and refinished cabinets.

Full kitchen remodels—where you replace everything including cabinets and appliances—now cost at least $25,000 and frequently run $50,000 or more. But many kitchens aren t worn out or dysfunctional, they just look tired and out-of-date.

The answer is a cosmetic upgrade that improves the look of your kitchen and make it more current without breaking into walls, changing cabinets, redoing plumbing and electrical, or installing new appliances.

Some of the easiest kitchen upgrades are installing new flooring and repainting with fresh colors. Other areas of the kitchen that give a dramatic change are improving the look of the existing cabinets and replacing the old countertops. Having countertops replaced professionally will run from $1,000 to $2,500 in a typical kitchen.

Since you have to pull the kitchen sink and its faucet to replace the counters, it makes sense to replace the sink at the same time with a more modern model. The same goes for replacing the kitchen sink faucet—another design statement these days. Total cost for the two is anywhere from $300 to as much as $1,000.

Painting your existing cabinets is a great way to update their look for less than $100 in paint and sandpaper, if you do the work yourself. Want a natural wood look? Then consider replacing the cabinet doors and drawer fronts for under $2,000 and stain the cabinet face frame and end panels to match. There are a few tricks to this work so you get a good looking, but you ll be fine if you re already comfortable painting interior rooms and trim.

As a final nod to you new kitchen look, replace cabinet hardware with new, more stylish hinges, knobs, and pulls for between $5 to $10 each.

Read on to find out more about:

• Countertop options
• Sink and faucet replacement
• Painting or staining cabinets
• Replacing cabinet hardware