Kitchen Makeover and Facelift

Is your kitchen looking a bit behind the times? Are the cabinets outdated, the counters drab, and the floors a bit lifeless? If so, this article will help you give your kitchen a facelift or a complete makeover that will make it the heart of your home once more, and it can all be done for a very reasonable price.

Make Your Kitchen Hot

People today still look at the kitchen as being the heart of the home. You want a kitchen that feels cozy, warm, and welcoming. This room is often the one where you sit with friends to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. You want it to be inviting. If your home is up for sale, potential buyers often want to see the kitchen first. They want it to be modern, updated, and sparkling clean.

It doesn’t take much to turn your kitchen into a room that everyone will want to be in, and it can be done for a very reasonable cost. If you are on a tight budget, replace cabinet hardware, faucets, and update the lighting to make the room brighter and more energy-efficient. If you have extra money in your budget, reface the cabinets.

If you’re handy, you can purchase new cabinet doors at a building center and do the work yourself. You could also choose a re-facing company to do the work for you. These professionals will replace all the doors, drawers, and cabinet hardware, and give your cabinets a fresh coat of paint. When they are through, your cabinets will look like they are brand new.

Appliance Facelift

If you have kitchen appliances that don’t match, order new face panels and give your appliances a facelift. Many dishwasher face panels are black on one side and white on the other. Check to find out if you only have to reverse the face panel to make your dishwasher match your other appliances. All this requires is unscrewing the screws on the face panel, reversing it and putting the screws back in.

Be sure to keep appliances spotless. A little vinegar and water a couple of times a week will keep them looking brand new. Clean the stove at least once a month, if not more. Doing it often will make the job much easier.

Flooring: Facelift or Makeover?

Facelift or makeover? Either can transform your kitchen into a place of beauty. If your kitchen flooring is in good shape, clean it thoroughly. If it looks a bit dull, apply a coat of wax to make it sparkle. A clean kitchen floor that shines like a bottle makes your kitchen very attractive to all who enter.

If it’s necessary to re-do your kitchen floor, watch for sales at your local home improvement store. They often offer self-adhesive tile for as little as $1.00 a square foot. This is a very reasonable price, and anyone can lay self-adhesive tile. If your kitchen is a high traffic area, you can apply adhesive to assure the tiles stay in place. Self-adhesive tiles are also easily taken up after a few years to be replaced if you desire a color change.

Kitchen Counter Makeover

Only install a new counter and sink if it's absolutely necessary. A damaged counter certainly needs to be replaced, but if your counter is just looking dull and drab, give it a thorough cleaning with vinegar and water and then apply a coat of acrylic floor wax. This makes the countertop sparkle and adds cleanliness and beauty to the room.

In order to have a kitchen that looks clean and well organized, keep countertops clear of clutter. Be sure all dishes are done or in the dishwasher. Cluttered countertops make your kitchen look untidy and dirty. If your countertop is always free of clutter, your kitchen will always look clean.

Ceiling and Walls

Wash down the ceiling and walls at least three times a year. If they still look drab, a fresh coat of paint will do the trick. Add an attractive wallpaper border at the ceiling or halfway down the wall to give the room a finished look. There are a wide variety of wallpaper borders available. Popular kitchen themes are cows, chickens, fruit, and canned preserves. Be sure that the wallpaper border you purchase compliments those in your other kitchen décor.

Backsplash Makeover

Is your backsplash dull, drab, or stained? Use a tile board or beadboard to give it a modern, updated look. Home improvement store staff will be happy to cut the board to its proper length. All you have to do is take it home and attach it with adhesive or finishing nails. It's amazing how much better it will make the area above your counter look, and it will add to the beautification of the heart of your home.