Making your kitchen pop is tough–especially if you’re working within a limited budget (or space). Thankfully, there are some inexpensive (and DIY-able) ways to increase the value of your kitchen–and none of them involve a remodel.
1. Hang Window Treatments
If your kitchen windows are bare (or silently suffering from bent or worn out blinds), a quick window treatment will snap your kitchen back into style. The addition of curtains, blinds or short drapes is an inexpensive (and surefire) way to revive your windows.
2. Paint or Refinish Cabinets
Having older cabinets doesn’t require you to immediately invest in new ones. Instead, do a little experimenting. Take off your cabinet’s doors and paint them a fun color, or spend some time refinishing the boxes to make them shine like new. If you have metal cabinets, painting them is a bit harder, but a worthwhile investment. A fresh coat of paint will give your cabinets a brand new lease on life for a fraction of the cost of a remodel.
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3. Create an Accent Wall
Accent walls are another inexpensive and dramatic way to impact the look of your kitchen. Before the painting begins, It’s important to choose a color that isn’t hard to paint over should you decide to sell. Also, it’s a good idea to avoid dark colors unless everything else in your kitchen is dark. Instead, think more about neutral colors: gray, brown or taupe–especially if your kitchen is heavy on wooden accessories.
4. Install a Pendant Light
Recessed lighting is always a great style choice. But, if installing all new lighting is a bit of a stretch, replacing an older fixture with a hanging pendant light is the perfect alternative. Pendant lights come in several different colors and are perfect for an extra dash of lighting above your bar (or island). During your install, you may need an electrician to avoid mistakes or serious injury. Find hiring tips here.
5. Put Up a Tile Backsplash
Nothing gives a drab kitchen more “umph” than the addition of a backsplash. Fortunately, a backsplash is completely DIY-able and can really help add value to your kitchen. Your local hardware store will have all of the materials you need and can help answer questions. With backsplashes only needing between 10 and 40 square feet of tile, you’re looking at a total of roughly $200 in tiles and other equipment.
6. Get a New Sink Faucet
How is your faucet looking? If you’re beginning to notice a clash between your sink and other parts of your kitchen, it’s time for an upgrade. There are a wide variety of faucets available to homeowners (pull-down, single handle, double handle) that are designed to work with any kitchen aesthetic. If you like to cook (which involves washing vegetables), a pull-down or commercial kitchen faucet is a useful option. It’s easy to install a faucet yourself, but If you run into trouble, don’t hesitate to call a local plumber for help.
7. Upgrade Appliances
Unless your kitchen is already decked out in stainless, there’s a good chance you’re dealing with some dated aesthetics. But not to worry–by upgrading your appliances one at one time, you’ll save money and be able to address the most dated items first–which will have the biggest impact on your kitchen. Also, while looking for appliances, keep an eye out for energy friendly options– everyone likes lower utility bills.
What have you done to increase the value of your kitchen? Tell us in the comments below!
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