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Five tips for getting the kitchen you always wanted, but without the cost
I’ve always loved the challenge of tackling small budget room makeovers. It’s an opportunity to prove that great style doesn’t need to come with a hefty price tag, and that the most important ingredient in any well-designed space is creativity, not money.
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And when it comes to a frugal kitchen renovation, the luxe-for-less recipe for success requires a sprinkle of DIY creativity, a dash of sweat equity, and a splash of one secret ingredient… paint.
Here are five easy, affordable, and impactful DIY ways to completely transform your kitchen on a budget using paint:
1. Give your existing cabinets a frugal facelift. What do you do when there isn’t room in the kitchen cabinet budget to replace them? You reface them.
And that’s exactly what I did to these boring slab melamine doors. For only a few hundred dollars, I cut MDF boards into 2” wide strips, attached them with construction adhesive and pin nails to create a Shaker profile, and then I painted the cabinets including the metal handrail using Rust-Oleum’s Cabinet Transformations Kit tinted to a gorgeous warm grey called Winter Fog.
If you’re planning to tackle a DIY cabinet overhaul of your own, the key is to invest a little bit of time and money on the right products and surface preparation.
The Transformations Kit comes with everything you need to tackle your project including a de-glosser which eliminates the need for sanding so you can take your cabinets from bland to grand in as little as a weekend.
2. Update your hardware with a trendy metallic finish. I always think of hardware as the “jewelry” in a kitchen, but if new handles or knobs aren’t in the budget, then give your existing set an instant inexpensive makeover with a coat of metallic paint.
One of my favourite DIY tricks is to buy budget lighting and knobs in a less expensive brass finish and then transform them myself to pewter, hammered bronze or brushed nickel with Universal metallic spray paint. It’s an easy way to get a high end look for less, and no one will ever know the difference.
3. No room in the budget for quartz? No problem. If you’re living with outdated, worn or stained laminate and new quartz countertops simply aren’t in the {recipe} cards, why not roll on a fresh, durable coating that will have your dinner guests in disbelief that it isn’t natural stone.
The Countertop Transformations Kit is a paintable system that comes in a wide variety of neutral colours including a formulation with Mica flecks that mimic the look of shimmery stone.
It’s a smart solution for renters, home sellers looking for a pre-sale update, or homeowners who are tired of losing their appetite every time they stare at their dated or damaged laminate.
4. Prepare to be floored. If you have boring builder-grade floor tiles, dated linoleum, or even worn out hardwood, you definitely don’t need to go to the expense and hassle of replacing them… just paint them!
The Rust-Oleum Home floor paint system includes an easy-to-apply base coat that rolls right over the grout lines for a seamless look and a super durable clear coat to protect your floors from normal, everyday use.
Once the base coat is applied, you can further customize the look with a simple stencil application to create a trendy pattern for a fraction of the cost of new tiles. This is one of those easy DIY projects that will have you picking your jaw up off the floor when it’s done!
5. Custom shelving for less. Storage. You can never have enough of it, especially in a kitchen. And a good storage solution is equal parts functionality and aesthetics, but when it’s also affordable and customizable, well, that’s a big bonus.
Creating your own simple open shelving using inexpensive stock lumber and ready-made wood brackets allows you to customize the size and stain finish, and even add small DIY upgrades like drilling bracket holes to install a wood dowel painted with a Metal Effects copper patina kit for extra hanging storage.
Design expert Leigh-Ann Allaire Perrault is a self-proclaimed DIY ninja, TV celebrity and public speaker who believes great design has little to do with how much money you spend. Visit www.huelala.com
