Kitchen Remake on a Budget (How to get lots of bang for the buck)
Before: Varnished cabinetry, cast iron sink, Formica countertop and backsplash, flowered wallpaper, yellow-brown vinyl floor tiles.
After: Cabinetry painted white & with new stainless handles, stainless steel sink, solid beech butcher block countertop, stainless steel backsplash, walls painted, laminate floor.
After: Cabinetry painted white & with new stainless handles, stainless steel sink, solid beech butcher block countertop, stainless steel backsplash, walls painted, laminate floor.
Before: Flowered wallpaper, closures at top of wall cabinets.
After: Cabinets above range and refrigerator removed, exhaust hood above range, closures above the cabinets removed.
Construction: Countertop and backsplash removed. The old Formica countertop had been glued to 1x4 tongue and groove. Note the wooden storage carousel. This kitchen had been stick built – literally.
After closing on this 60 year old house, we didn’t have much time and we had a very limited budget so we didn’t go in for a complete new kitchen. Just a remodel on the cheap.
The layout wasn’t all that bad and the cabinetry was basically sound, just dated. One really troubling aesthetic feature was the closures above the wall cabinets, which mostly served to make the cabinetry look overly massive and dominant.
We are big IKEA fans and it was there that we sourced the new stainless handles (LANSA), the stainless steel sink, the solid beech countertop (HAMMARP), the stainless steel backsplash and the laminate floor (TUNDRA).
Several experts warned us against using laminate flooring in a kitchen: “Kitchens are wet places and laminate won’t take it!” What happened? After 5 years of college student occupancy and over 2 years of tenancy by a family with small children? Not very much. We still didn’t need to fix or replace any of it! Not bad for $1.30 a square foot.
After removing the wallpaper and repairing (mudding and sanding), we painted with Benjamin Moore Amber Waves. The varnished cabinetry and trim were sanded lightly, primed and painted with white semi-gloss from Benjamin Moore.
We decided to do without a dishwasher because the installation would have entailed too much change in the cabinetry and plumbing. The 60 year old range and refrigerator were still fully functional and were left in place.
Was it a lousy idea to do a remodel on the cheap? The bottom line is that this cheaply remodeled kitchen served the purpose and we enjoyed many fine meals while visiting - in other words, we got lots of bang for the buck. When the college student days came to an end, we advertised the house for rent on Craigslist and had to turn down at least a half-dozen applicants. One applicant even offered $200 over our asking rate.
When the rental lease was over, we decided to sell. One week after listing, the house sold for our asking price. Had we put in $30k for a new kitchen, would it have sold for more? Maybe, but not for $30k more.