The biggest part of a kitchen remodelling project is the kitchen cabinets. But there are ways to update your cabinets without spending a fortune. One such way is to just paint the cabinets. This is a very inexpensive way to make your cabinets look fresh and new.



Sand down the cabinet surfaces and put on a primer coat. This will help the paint stick better. If you use a block primer, dirt and oil stains will be covered. Make sure you use a paint that is intended for cabinetry. All you need to do is put some labor into the job, and oi will have new looking cabinets for a tenth of the price of new cabinets.

The next step up in "newish" cabinets, more expensive than paint, but less expensive than new cabinets, is cabinet refacing. This will cost a few thousand dollars, but not the tens of thousands that new cabinets cost. Cabinet doors and drawer fronts are removed and new ones put on. The support areas of the cabinets are covered with a matching wood veneer, and new hardware is installed yielding an entirely new look to the cabinets.

The same type of thing can be done to the appliances in your kitchen. Instead of replacing appliances that work fine but don't look fine any more, you can just replace the front panels for a new look.

Flooring is another cost saving area. As with most home projects, the labor costs are the biggest part of the project, so if you decide to do the installation yourself, you can save a lot of money. For the simplest type of flooring to install, choose vinyl tiles. You save time and money with vinyl tiles on both the installation and overall maintenance.

A fresh coat of paint on the walls of your kitchen will add a lot to the look of the room. Pick bright colors for a small room, or perhaps one of the new textured looks for added interest.

Another inexpensive addition to add a bright new look to a kitchen is to change the lighting. Hanging lights can be obtained at home decorating centers for very reasonable prices. Mix an unusual chandelier over the table with different kinds of ceiling lighting in the rest of the room to really change the look. Accent lights or top hat lights will be a little more expensive, since they will require the services of an electrician, but you can still get a great new look for a small investment.

Some other ideas for transforming your kitchen without spending a lot of money are:

-Recovering the seat cushions on your kitchen chairs

-Getting a new table cloth or table runner for the table, with matching napkins

-Put a vase or pitcher on the table, filled with fresh or the great new silk flowers

-Create a border around the ceiling or chair rail line of the kitchen wall

-Add some pictures or plaques to complement your new design scheme

-Hang new curtains. You can make simple ones yourself and save even more money.

Use your imagination and you will come up with other great ideas to redecorate your kitchen on a budget.