Dallas-Fort Worth Home Selling Tips: Cheap Kitchen Remodel

Looking for a cheap way to spruce up the kitchen in your Dallas-Fort Worth home and make the old feel new?  Check out these easy do-it-yourself ideas that add class and charm without breaking the bank.

Update your backsplash
It’s a quick,easy way to dress up an old kitchen.  If you’re not quick to mess with mastic and grout, consider Aspect Tile’s new peel-and-stick metal tiles.  Available in copper and stainless steel, they’ll give the kitchen a clean and updated feel.  Even though the metal finish can look fairly modern, these tiles come in a traditional three-by-six-inch subway-tile format, which fits in with a variety of décors.  The tiles which are available at Lowe’s Home Improvement or www.aspectideas.com, go up as easily as address labels but stick ferociously to the existing backsplash.  Oh yeah and your contractor can reuse them later (with some added glue) if you decide to do a full remodel at some point in the future.  Cost is $500 and can be done in one day.

Reface old appliances
Buying new appliances may not make sense but a fresh coat of white, black, or silver paint on old refrigerators, dishwashers, and ranges (make sure you use high temp paint) will give them — and your kitchen — a cleaner, new look.  Here’s how to do it: Lightly sand the surfaces so the paint will adhere. Cover handles and hinges etc. with masking tape. Spray on two coats of Krylon’s Epoxy Appliance Paint or Stainless Steel Paint.  Done.  Cost is $40 and can be done in one day.

Concrete Countertops
Old Formica, tile, or butcher block make your kitchen look not so good. But spending big bucks for granite or even $2,000 for new laminate makes no sense if you’ll be reconfiguring the kitchen in a few years.  A solution: polished, colored concrete. It has all the burn and scuff resistance — and visual appeal — of granite but is pricey if it’s professionally installed.  In my opinion polished is the way to go.  Buy a do-it-yourself kit at www.concreteexchange.com.  You’ll get everything you need to cast, polish, and install your own countertops, including a customizable mold and detailed instructions.  Cost is $800 and can be done in a couple of weekends. 

Painting Cabinets

Swapping Old Knobs and Pulls

Replacing Ceiling Lights

Individually and in combination these cheap changes can really spruce up a kitchen.  Good luck and send me some pictures of the completed projects!