Kitchen Make-Overs
Free yourself from a formica nightmare and completely change the look of your kitchen on a tight budget
But it needn't be that way. We've put some quick make-over tips together so that you can free yourself from a formica nightmare and completely change the look of your kitchen on a tight budget.
1. A good clean!
It sounds obvious, but giving your kitchen a thorough cleaning can make a massive difference - and make you feel a whole lot better about your kitchen before you've even started.
Don't forget to:
- Get the cooker right out and get in behind it
- Clean the grout around the tiles
- Take a look at the floor. Can it be made to last another year?
- Get rid of all the old clutter in and on top of the cupboards and on the window sill
And if you don't fancy doing it yourself, maybe your budget can stretch to a really deep clean with someone else supplying the elbow grease!
2. Cabinets
Most finishes can be stripped off easily and repainted or, alternatively you could rub down and stain them for a more natural finish. Changing the handles can have an equally dramatic effect.
To really make it look like a new kitchen, assuming the main structure of the cabinets is still sound, try locating a set of new or reconditioned cabinet doors to replace your old ones.
Think of all the perfectly good kitchen's people are ripping out and thrown away? If you've wall hanging cabinets, can you take them
down and replace them with shelving or store the contents in another way? Hanging the pots and pans from a rail is a great way to save space.
3. Walls
If you can afford it, tiling is great for kitchens and adds a certain class to any kitchen if done properly.
Painting also works wonders, especially on the dirty ceiling and even quicker with a roller. Try experimenting with different styles - but on a small patch first behind the cooker first.
4. Replace the work tops
A bit more work than a slap of paint on the walls but well worth it if you can stretch the budget.
Most worktops look really tired after a few years so pay a visit to your local DIY store and see what you can find. If you aren't sure
how to fit them, ask a friend or a professional - you don't want to spoil your new kitchen with a badly fitting work surface. 5. Furniture If it's a 1960s kitchen you're desperate to get away from, get rid of that old kitchen table and chairs and buy some new or reconditioned ones. There are some remarkable bargains to be had if you look out.
6. Flooring
Nothing can rejuvinate a kitchen like ripping up the old lino and putting down a new floor.
It can be cheaper and look even more professional than you think
especially with some of the new 'quick' construction flooring now available. > Wootton Bassett Tile & Stone
7. Lighting
Even the newest kitchens don't look their best if the lighting is poor. Why not change that fluorescent lighting and go for some spotlights?
> Lighting Bug
8. Change the theme
If your old kitchen is full of traditional wood or pottery and a boring white kettle, why not change to chrome theme with a new draining rack, a shiny new kettle and chrome utensil holders?
|
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
