Kitchen design on a budget.

30 November -0001

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In selling a home, The Kitchen is often the part of the home which swings the deal for the buyer. Not surprisingly, since it's the most expensive area to makeover.

It's also one of the most common reasons to take out a loan. But this needn't be the case. With a little imagination and even less in the way of money, All but the most decrepit kitchens can be made to look like they're straight out of a magazine. On the most basic level, walls can be painted.

If it needs more than this, Read on.

A new Floor
This might seem expensive, but it really is a good investment. For a floor that will look great for years to come, go for a Tiled floor, rather than lino or carpet. Rock, Slate and Ceramic tiles are extremely hardwearing and will take years and years of abuse.
If you allready have Tiles or a wooden floor, consider having it professionally refinished.

Worktops
Nothing changes to look of a kitchen like the work surfaces. If a good scrub won't bring then back to their former glory, then they're probarbly getting to the point where they're unhygenic. If this is the case, the cheapest thing to do is resurface them by stripping the laminate off the top and simply applying a new surface.
Another cheap way to spruce up is to replace a section of the worktop. If a relatively small section of surface takes all the traffic, consider sinking a contrasting matterial such as a chopping block into the worktop.
If they just look a little dated, try adding a moulding around the front and if they just look shabby, but you can't put your finger on why, try replacing the tile backsplash. Ceramic tile is the norm, but for soething different, try metal ceiling tiles, Glass tiles or Bedabboard.

Units
This might seem like the worst and most expensive thing to replace, requiring a whole, new kitchen, but it isn't so bad. There are stages of replacing before you get to fitting a whole new kitchen.
Start with Handles, it may be all the kitchen needs. If not, B&Q stock a great range of kitchen doors to go with those new handles. If looking inside the cupboard brings the whole kitchen back to the shabby state it once was, have the insides replaced. Again, cheaper than a whole new kitchen.
Even if the boxes themselves are beyond repair, it still needn't be too expensive. Look for end of line ranges or special offers which will sometimes net you a huge saving
Painting the units, however usually proves to be a false economy. It really depends what the units were made from in the first place and the results are rarely as good as you'd hoped.

Finally, keep the Kitchen clean, and uncluttered. Keep the worktop accoutrements to a minimum. A Kettle, toaster and a few well chosen accessories are really all you need.

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