Many real estate agents agree that the number one interior item that house buyers are looking for is an up-to-date kitchen. This includes stylish cabinets, countertops and flooring as well as other kitchen remodeling ideas that brings out bot the style and functionality of the area.
Most people believe that kitchen remodeling is expensive. This is very true if you remodel a kitchen like you pile on options on a new vehicle. However, you can get great results by keeping using a bit of ingenuity and keeping your money in the bank.
Cabinets
Cabinets are the focal point of a kitchen and great cabinets will define the area. However, unless there is something wrong with the structure of your cabinets there is no need to take them out. Keep them where they are and upgrade them right on the wall. This is because most of the look of cabinets is two-dimensional as only the fronts are the most important part when it comes to style.
Paint
Wood-look cabinets are not the rage anymore. In fact people are looking for new shades and textures to compliment their kitchens. So, for a modest price you can get a painting company to spray a beautiful melamine finish on the cabinets and doors in almost any color. This new glow makes the cabinets look like they were just installed from the factory. Another, less expensive way to go is to paint them yourself. Before you do anything visit to a reputable paint store and ask them for advice on what you want to achieve. For the cost of just two gallons of paint you could have a great look.
Doors
Another way to get a great look for your kitchen is to replace the cabinet doors and drawer fronts. At $30 for a quality, solid-wood door and $15 for a drawer fronts your kitchen could have new cabinets for under $1000 or less. It would be far less for composite-wood doors in solid colors.
Hardware
Many a kitchen has been spruced up just by changing the cabinet hardware from old-fashioned chrome to stylish brushed-metal knobs and pulls. This goes for kitchen faucets as well. In addition, new storage aids can make the cabinets even more functional.
Countertops
Almost everywhere you look these days you see natural stone or composite countertops. These surfaces are beautiful but expensive and, in some cases, high-maintenance. However, there are other ways to get an expensive look without shelling out a large amount of money:
Laminate
The standard-of-the-industry in countertops is a laminate surface. This is where a photographed design is coated with a protective sealer and then pressed onto a composite-wood surface. The best reason for using one of these surfaces is that they are relatively cheap for the effect that they will add to your kitchen. Not only that, you could change the style every five years for twenty years and still not spend the money that a granite countertops would cost.
Tile
If you have your heart set on a stone countertop why not use tiles? Granite and marble are available in 12� tiles for under $5 each and so a whole countertop plus an island could be done for less than a laminate model. And if you like other designs you can get ceramic tile for around $1.25 each. There are do-it-yourself videos on line for resurfacing your counter with tile and adding moldings for the edges.
Island
Once a decadent add-on the kitchen island is now a staple for food preparation. In fact many new kitchen designs call for two islands. Each would have a separate function such as rolling dough for bread or washing vegetables. The new kitchen floor plans show islands as being a separate style and color form the main cupboards so you can buy an island at a discount store or as a remnant from a cabinet making establishment for a fraction of a custom-made one. The countertop for an island is not that large so if you wanted to go with granite for a showy effect then it wouldn�t break the bank.
Flooring
Almost nowhere else in the home do you have such a choice for flooring than in the kitchen.
Laminate: As long as the floor is sealed you can use a laminate flooring that is both inexpensive and appealing. It is also a job that a do-it-yourselfer can accomplish in less than a day.
Tile: Tile is still very popular and, like laminate flooring, is a great do-it-yourself project. Tile can match almost any d�cor and is inexpensive to buy. However, in northern areas, tile is cold and it is also hard on the feet.
Wood: Whether it is engineered-wood or planks wood gives a real country home feel to the kitchen area. Engineered wood can be a do-it-yourself project but planks, like oak, are expensive to buy and to install.
Cork and Bamboo: A growing market for products made from renewable resources is seeing the emergence of cork and bamboo as viable flooring products. Both are available as engineered-wood products which means you can install them yourself. As it is soft cork is also very easy on your feet and back.
Vinyl Flooring: One of the quickest and easiest ways to get a great kitchen floor at a nominal cost is by installing a vinyl floor. The designs are endless and the surface is virtually maintenance-free.
For more information on kitchen remodeling consult our Contractor Directory or simply post your project online.
Posted by: TrustedProsSuggested Reading For You
The Top Kitchen Trends of 2014
With Thanksgiving and Christmas mere weeks away, chances are your kitchen is soon to become a highly traff...
The Kitchen Contractor Contract; How to Develop a Standard Work Contract Form
Before hiring any kitchen contractor to turn your kitchen renovation plans into a dream come true, protect...
