Is your kitchen looking a little tired and old fashioned? Is it looking worn and a little worse for wear? When you think about it you will be surprised how much time we actually spend in our kitchens. Of course if you are cooking for a large family that will come as little surprise but even in small families most members will find they spend some time each day in the kitchen. This is especially true if, like many of us, you do not have the luxury of a separate dining room and your family eats in the kitchen.



Isn't it amazing how wonderful designer kitchens are these days? It would seem that they have a kitchen accessory or fancy gadget for virtually anything you bring to mind. Not only can you get luxury kitchens with the usual granite countertops and top class cookers and refrigerators, you can now get all kinds of colors and materials to create a truly unique kitchen design to match your personality.

Granite countertops are amongst the most popular because of their extreme good looks and the suitability of the material for use in the kitchen. There are a great many benefits to using granite with one of the most important being that each piece of stone in genuinely unique. Granite is also very easy to keep clean, hard to scratch and extremely durable. Cooks and bakers appreciate the fact that granite always remain cool and placing hot items, such as hot pans and griddles, will not burn the surface.

Sadly such wonderfully designed kitchens can cost an arm and a leg. Most of the better designs are often very expensive indeed and far beyond the budgets of most. Of course much of this cost is because of the high quality materials used for countertops and kitchen units. Other pricing factors include the cost of built in cookers and other electrical good. Even your choice of flooring materials can have a profound effect upon the overall cost of a new kitchen.

If you find a designer kitchen to be beyond your budget then it is possible to change the look of your kitchen quite radically for a fraction of the cost by renovating your existing kitchen units. Often such units are of a standard size and shape meaning that replacement doors and fittings can be purchased separately from the shell. Simply by changing the doors and the countertops you can create a brand new looking kitchen with the minimum of cost and certainly less fuss.

Faced with only a very small budget it is still possible to create a new look for your kitchen. One of the best ways to save cash in kitchen renovation is by repainting all the surfaces. Cupboard doors can be painted in plain colors or in fancy patterns or effects such a wood grain. Work surfaces can be vastly improved by creating faux granite countertops.

Faux granite finishes are relatively easy to create. It's a very good idea to familiarize yourself with the look of granite which can be done by looking at plenty of pictures and visits to kitchen sale rooms. Firstly you need to ensure the surface is clean and then prime it with an oil based primer. Once dry you can then use other, water based, paints. Next you need to paint the base color and once that is dry you can add the various patterns different colors and textures. When finished all you need to do is give it at least three coats of a water based Polyurethane sealer in "gloss" finish to make it look like polished granite.

Of course by making your own faux granite countertops you can pick and choose the exact patterns and colors you wish to use. If you want a natural look to your countertop stick with only natural tones. Use a gray, dark green to black background color for the base and natural browns, paler greens and blacks for veins and other secondary features. If you want something a little more exciting you can be more imaginative with your choice of color.