Creating a High-End Kitchen on a Shoestring Budget

By: Danny Lipford

A minor do-it-yourself kitchen remodel provides one of the highest rates of return for the money invested and is also a great way to make your kitchen more attractive, functional, and energy efficient.

So if your kitchen has seen better days, consider some of the options below for your next DIY home improvement project.

Kitchen Countertop and Cabinet Makeover

Rather than going to the expense of ripping out your existing kitchen countertops and cabinets and replacing them, consider refinishing them instead!

Start by removing the cabinet hardware, then thoroughly clean the cabinets and countertops to remove any grease and grime.

Giani Granite Paint for Countertops.

To bring a brand new look to out-of-date plastic laminate countertops, apply Giani Granite Countertop Paint to give your countertops the look of real granite at a fraction of the cost.

Read our article on DIY Faux Granite Countertop Finish and watch our video on How to Apply Faux Granite Countertop Paint to find out how.

To improve the look of your kitchen cabinets, lightly sand the cabinets and apply one or two coats of clear finish to natural or stained wood cabinets to make them look like new.

Another option that can really change the look of a kitchen is to prime and paint kitchen cabinets white or a bright color.

The final touch to give your kitchen a new look is replacing the knobs, hinges, and pulls on the cabinets. 

Improve Kitchen Indoor Air Quality

Broan Range Hood.

Did you know that the air inside your home can be more polluted that the air outdoors?

With houses built tighter than ever to save energy, it’s important to provide proper ventilation, particularly in your bathroom and kitchen, to expel the stale air in your home.

Cooking releases large amounts of both heat and moisture in your home, and installing an efficient range hood vented to the outside is the best way to remove it.

Range hoods from Broan, such as the model QSE130, are a great budget-friendly choice.

Broan QSE130 range hoods are available in black, white, and stainless steel and are 50% quieter than average hoods while using 30% less energy.

Energy Saving Kitchen Makeover

Duck Roll-On Window Kit.

While working on making your kitchen more attractive and efficient, don’t forget to consider implementing energy savings, such as replacing bulbs in hanging, recessed, and undercounter light fixtures with either CFL or LED bulbs.

Another way to save big on your energy bills and make your kitchen more comfortable in both winter and summer is by weather stripping around exterior doors and windows.

Speaking of windows, to really keep out the cold, install Duck Roll-On Insulating Film Indoor Window Kits on single pane windows.