Affordable Kitchen Upgrades That Change Both Look and Function
Youre unhappy with your kitchen, but you dont have the time or budget to do a full-scale remodeling job. Dont worry. There are many kitchen upgrades that are affordable and relatively easy that you can do to your kitchen that will give it a fresher look and improved functionality.Paint: Painting your kitchen is a great way to revitalize it. Kitchens can take a wide variety of colors depending on what kind of mood you want to set. If your kitchen feels small, think about lighter colors on the walls, but if you want it to be cozier, consider a warm, darker color. Walls arent the only things to paint either. You can completely change the feeling of your cabinets by painting them a new color or even decorating them with designs and stencils. Lighting: Adding new lights can make your kitchen feel like an entirely different room, and chances are the fixtures you have now feel rather dated. If you need more light when youre preparing food, you can add under-cabinet lights that will illuminate the countertops. Pendant lamps that hang over the kitchen island or peninsula not only provide illumination, but are also more stylish than recessed or track lights. Whatever style you want, whether its a sleek and modern or an old-fashioned country, pendant lamps can help make the look.Cabinets: There are lots of things you can do to upgrade your cabinets without having to replace the lot. One option is getting your cabinets re-faced, replacing the doors, drawer-fronts, and trim with a new finish. For a fraction of the cost for new cabinets, you can get a completely new look for your kitchen. Short of a re-facing job, you can re-finish the cabinet doors or paint them a new color. Another option is adding moldings or trim. And dont forget the hardware; replacing the drawer pulls and hinges can update a kitchens look quickly and easily. Sinks: Your kitchen sink and faucet contribute a lot to the kitchens sense of style. An apron-front sink suggests a country ambiance while a chrome faucet could be used to create a more old-fashioned, fifties sensibility. Oil-rubbed bronze is a pricey faucet option, but can really evoke an elegant, old-world feeling. Dont forget that installing a new sink can also improve its functionality. You can get a two-bowl or even a three-bowl sink and add an extra-deep bowl for filling large pots. Your new faucet can be a pull-out model that makes it easier to direct the water where you need it to go.Backsplashes: If your kitchen is looking rather blah, think about enlivening it with a new backsplash, which will literally provide a splash of color. Since they are small, backsplashes allow you to spring for fairly expensive tiles without breaking the bank. You can have glass or ceramic tiles in solid colors, random patterns, or designs; tiles can even create a mural-like picture on your wall. Countertops: Today there are a variety of exciting materials for new countertops. Just a few of your options are low-maintenance manufactured stone, recycled glass, ceramic tile, or stone. If granite is out of your price range, consider getting a counter covered with granite tiles for a fraction of the cost.About the Author: Joaquin Erazo, Jr. blogs for the national home remodeling company Case Remodeling and Design. Visit http://www.caseremodeling.com/remodeling-info/interior-home-remodeling to see Joaquins advice for interior home and kitchen remodelers.About the Author HTML: Joaquin Erazo, Jr. blogs for the national home remodeling company Case Remodeling and Design. Joaquin offers advice for home and kitchen remodelers.

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