Comments on: Five Frugal Tips for Kitchen Remodeling

By: Linda Leyble

Linda Leyble — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:01:00 +0000

Hi! Great ideas. Painting your cabinetry will save you so much money instead of replacing it with new – and painting it a neutral color (White Sand or Windswept from Benjamin Moore) are great choices. If your backsplash tile is outdated – you can rough it up with sandpaper, prime it and paint with a good quality paint…then trowel on a neutral colored plaster (like SandStone from Aqua Finishing Solutions). Do it in thin coats – don’t make it thick. Then you can come back with an awl or a small screwdriver and remove the texture to re-create the grout lines. You can create a look that approximates tumbled marble tiles. We’ve done this for our clients who were selling – and it saves a lot of money (not to mention Mess because you don’t have to rip it out). You can see some of our kitchen work on our Beautiful Staged Homes blog. Linda

By: John Batt

John Batt — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:36:00 +0000

Good idea about looking for scratched and dented appliances – it’s definitely worth it if you think that you can cover them up without much problem.

By: Linda

Linda — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 23:31:09 +0000

A great place to find deals on near new appliances is Craigslist. Many people move and don’t want to take their appliances with them, or are being foreclosed on and are selling their appliances. You can pick up a $2000 stainless fridge for $800 or less or a stainless top of the line dishwasher for a few hundred dollars.

By: Shelby

Shelby — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:09:54 +0000

Yes – grout is a pain to clean and it’s also a magnet for bacteria!

By: Eric Myers

Eric Myers — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 03:20:36 +0000

These are great tips. I particularly like the idea of painting the cabinets and getting new hardware. I think thats a very very cheap way to give you kitchen a whole new vibe. I recently redid my lighting in my kitchen and its made the world of difference. I put in some track lighting on a dimmer switch and its given my kitchen a totally different vibe for real cheap.

By: Alexis

Alexis — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 03:52:04 +0000

Love the backsplash idea with the vinyl or sheet metal…so much cheaper than tile. Thanks for the tip! We were just about to go out tile hunting for a backsplash.

By: Marguerite I. Finley

Marguerite I. Finley — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:02:37 +0000

Contractor Support also is very about making sure that we were happy with the quality of their work. About a week after they were done it we discovered that one whole wall had not been properly primed and needed to be redone. The guys from Contractor Support were down there the next day to redo the work–no hassles and no extra charge. contractorsupportonline

By: Kitchen

Kitchen — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:11:43 +0000

When doing a small kitchen remodel, remember that space is extremely limited. By having sufficient cabinet, drawer, and closet space, you can remove a great deal of clutter from your work area. Store your infrequently used items and small appliances to conserve space.

By: DG

DG — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:07:30 +0000

I like your recommendations about painting in neutral colors and going for the stainless steel look for appliances. and the lighting idea is great! know of any great sites that have decent deals for kitchen lights ?

By: Mac

Mac — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:14:20 +0000

For some reason, the photo of the remodel no longer appears in this blog. However, the advice was excellent. A few years ago I too remodeled our kitchen, but just the lighting portion. We had a drop-ceiling that was poorly installed (like everything else in the house). I removed the fluorescent lighting and replaced it with recessed…and did a LOT of sanding & some drywall. I didn’t mind the lighting, but next time I’d call in help with the drywall. So it ended up being very affordable, but look a long time…but so worth it.

By: Audra

Audra — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:06:45 +0000

I totally agree with the tip about looking for scratch and dent appliances. When we were shopping for a new dryer, we found one (with a small dent on the top) and got it for less than half price! I never even see that dent because it’s always covered up by detergent bottles. Another good tip, if your hunting for appliances, is to check out your local estate auctions. If you’re not in a huge hurry, and you don’t mind buying used, sometimes you can find a fabulous deal.

By: Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:31:13 +0000

Although dark granite may look great in some houses and stainless steel is in, both of these fall into the dark color range and may make a small kitchen look even smaller or may make a kitchen look too modern to appeal to future buyers.

Also, you can remodel your kitchen in steps. Painting the cabinets and new appliances in year one, granite counter tops in year two.

By: Sean

Sean — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:22:08 +0000

Good tips all around. I like the idea of adding a coat of paint to the cabinets, I’m not terribly fond of the wood color of the cabinets in my kitchen. As for granite, it just isn’t for me. It looks pretty nice, I think I’d just prefer something more like silestone that won’t stain or crack as easily. I’m pretty sure a tile backsplash could be done pretty easily on your own, especially with the small square tiles you can pick up at your local big box hardware store.

Anyway, thanks for inspiring me.

By: Erica Thomas

Erica Thomas — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:47:54 +0000

Great tips. I’m still holding off on doing anything to our kitchen- scared mostly! My uncle used granite tiles rather than solid granite. It is beautiful. He did it himself and it was hard work, but it looks great and probably saved them loads of money!

By: Lesa Steele

Lesa Steele — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:06:43 +0000

Habitat For Humanity ReStores is one of your best bets for donated goods (often new, surplus or discontinued)at great prices…..escpecially cabinets and plumbing supplies. Not only are you supoorting Habitat but you’re getting a great deal too. Heres the website : http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx.

DIY’s can find free (or low cost) traing classes from Lowes, Home Depot and even some Habitat for Humanity locations. This is a great way to save money. Consider installing you own backsplashes to save $$$. I’ve never seen a vinyl blackspash (sounds very 50′s bathroom, not kitchen) and metal is a very personal choice. Ceramic tile is affordable and easily installed by most people if you read up on it or back it up with some professional instruction.

And those “big tube lights” have come a long way since first introduced. No way I could begin to scratch the topic of lighting here. In college we take a full year on the subject alone. Needless to say it’s very important, especially in the kitchen. SOunds like you’re doing your home work. Keep it up and I wish you the best of luck in your endevours.

As a former Professional Licensed Interior Designer (ASID) I would *NOT* recommend the granite tiles unless you are on a very tight budget. Slabs can be found now at low costs to fit most budgets, If your kitchen is small you can even find remnants at usually half the cost to further save on cost. Granite tiles cheapen the look and is one of the first things a prospective buyer will notice. Granite is much more affordable now that so many people have it and it is so widely available….it’s no longer the Rolls Royce of countertops.

By: author

author — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:57:32 +0000

Doug, thanks for correciting me. I just meant those big tube bulbs that give off a less warm light. But, maybe incandescent is the right way to say it.

Jacqui, yes, I’ve seen the granite tiles in many homes, and it looks really good. Just make sure you pick a very dark grout for it, then you won’t have to clean it. You’re right that some cabinets can’t be rehabbed. It just depends what they’re made of.

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 11:34:05 +0000

“Fluorescent lights are a thing of the past”? When was this article written, 1974? It’s incandescent lights that are obsolete.

The rest of the suggestions are good, though.

By: KG

KG — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:26:52 +0000

One thing I learned with granite tiles isn’t just the lower cost but also it is easily replaced if it is cracked. Wouldn’t be able to do that with a full slab.

Also don’t forget the most basic of upgrades: A nice coat of fresh paint.

By: Jacquelyn Hart-McCoy

Jacquelyn Hart-McCoy — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:46:59 +0000

You guys did well. The kitchen looks great.

Shawn and I want to remodel our kitchen, we really have to to sell it. Unfortunately the cabinets are so old and and low quality we can not rehab them, they need to be replaced. However since we don’t need anything fancy or custom we found a place online who sells discontinued and overstock cabinets…we are going to save a bundle buying them there and then installing them ourselves.

The granite tiles is something I never thought off. Does it look really nice? I wonder if the grout is a pain to clean. Thanks for the tips. I may need to talk to you about things once we get the project up and running.