Home improvement costs can batter a homeowner’s personal finance budget in every room, but the kitchen especially can be a money drain. One way to dramatically alter an entire kitchen quickly and cheaply is to renovate the cabinets. New cabinets can be incredibly expensive, but old cabinets can be re-imagined and brought back to life with a few single-afternoon, double-digit-dollar home renovation projects.
Your cabinets can be completely redone for a tiny fraction of what new cabinets would cost.
Contact Paper
If the reason for renovating is purely cosmetic, contact paper is cheap, easy (you don’t even need to remove your cabinet doors) and dramatic. Contact paper can make dull cabinets bright, can add dramatic patterns to a bland setting, or can provide an accent color that matches a nearby wall.
Get New Hardware
By swapping out handles, knobs and even hinges, you can add a whole new dimension to your motif. Changing hardware is an easy, inexpensive project that shouldn’t last more than a few hours. From sleek, linear hardware made of stainless steel to rustic stained wood, hardware can make old cabinets look new – especially if they’re paired to match with your recent contact paper finish.
New hardware can redefine your kitchen cabinets.
Stencil and Paints
Time consuming but intensely personal, you don’t have to be an artist to paint incredible shapes and designs on the face of your cabinets with stencils. Whether it’s acrylic-latex paint, stained shellac or oil-based paint, you can give your cabinets a bold, artistic makeover with little more than basic stencils. You can make your own stencils, or buy them prefab at an arts-and-crafts store.
Home renovation doesn’t have to break the bank. By finding shortcuts wherever you can, you can reduce home improvement costs with clever DIY corner cutting. It’s never smart to skimp on appliances or plumbing, so the cabinets become the obvious option for improving kitchen decor on a budget. Give the surface a makeover and swap out basic hardware to make dull cabinets pop at a price you can afford.
Andrew Lisa is a freelance writer living in Los Angeles. He write about home decor and interior design.
Do you want to update your cabinets? Take a look at eieihome’s directory of Cabinetry and Millwork professionals.
