How to Update Your Kitchen Without Breaking the Bank

If you love your kitchen cabinets, but want to add some interest to the space for very little money and time, consider changing the color of your island. This has been a popular design element for years and is showing no signs of changing anytime soon. Paint it, stain it a darker color or clad it in beadboard. You could even put corbels under the breakfast bar for added dimension and inexpensive customization.

These kitchen cabinets are hopefully in worse shape than yours, but they're not that uncommon. If you like the style of your existing cabinets, they're still functioning well or new ones aren't in the budget right now, paint is your friend here. Choose a color that complements the other elements in the room and get ready to go from "ow" to "wow!" Check out the next picture to see just how amazing this low-cost solution can look.

A fresh kitchen is just a few days' elbow grease away. Prep work and light, even coats are the keys to a successful paint job. Take the time to sand the surfaces until smooth, caulk as needed and try using pieces of a brown paper bag to "sand" between coats. It smooths and knocks down the high spots without dulling/removing as much paint as sandpaper so you don't have to be quite so careful.

This kitchen could be Anywhere, USA, and might remind you of yours. Let's say you have a bigger budget and it's time for some changes, but new cabinets aren't one of them. Repurposing them by changing their color and focusing on other areas that'll give you a big bang for your buck is a smart way to go. Look to the following picture for inspiration.