Your kitchen is a necessary part of your home. If you’re getting sick of how it looks or operates, renovation might be on your mind. Unfortunately, a full kitchen renovation where everything is redone can cost tens of thousands of dollars, depending on size.
With these tips, you can cut that bill significantly by working with what you have to renovate your kitchen on a budget.
Paint Your Walls and Ceiling
A new coat of paint is one of the fastest ways to drastically change your home’s look. Even with a backsplash, your walls and ceilings will greatly affect your kitchen’s appearance.
Modern kitchens often include blues, greens and pinks with pops of color replacing previously-popular stark whites and silvers.
Consider choosing warmer colors for the wall surface for a vintage kitchen, such as light blues and yellows.
Replace Your Doors
Replacing cabinets is a common part of a kitchen remodel, but you can save significant money by adding new doors to your existing cabinets.
You can replace a cabinet or drawer door for a few hundred dollars versus the thousands of dollars total cabinet replacements can cost.
Once you have the door design you refer to, you add it to your cabinets to transform the look and fill in any other exposed areas with a small amount of paint or staining.
Update Your Flooring
Replacing your floor can be a large investment unless you choose to cover them instead. Linoleum sheets and tiles can go over the previous flooring, providing a smooth and clean surface.
The material is water resistant, so it’s easy to clean and rarely affected by spills. eco-friendly and comes in various colors and patterns, allowing you to secure the look of almost any flooring without paying its price.
To install linoleum, all you have to do is clean your current floor, fill in noticeable chips or cracks and cut it to size. Then, remove the backing and smooth it on the surface before sealing it. This easy floor method is cheaper than hardwood and more durable than vinyl.

Replace Your Light Fixtures
Your lights don’t just illuminate your space. They also serve as an indicator of your desired design or style. Simply changing your fixture’s exterior can revamp your kitchen’s look and feel.
Consider a glass dome for a vintage kitchen and a pendant light for a mid-century modern feel. Use darker colors to warm up your kitchen, while lighter colors can make it seem larger and brighter.
If you can’t replace a light fixture with another style, you can get close by just adjusting the shape and color to match the look you’re going for. Budget renovations are about using what you already have to transform a space.
Replace One Appliance
If your budget doesn’t allow you to replace all of your old appliances, just updating one can make a huge difference.
Our oven, refrigerator and other necessary appliances are meant to last a long time but they can become inefficient or outdated as they age. Adding a shiny, new appliance can create a nice focal point for you and your guests to notice and make using your kitchen more enjoyable.
Whether it’s your range, microwave or dishwasher, the ease of having a new appliance can help tremendously.
Choose the appliance in most need of replacement. If you’re on a strict budget, consider replacing your microwave oven as it’s one of the cheapest yet most useful appliances to purchase and install.

Refresh Your Countertops
If your countertops are dull, you don’t have to replace them with an expensive material or downgrade their quality to afford a replacement. Often, resealing or restaining your countertops will bring them back to life.
There are different ways to do it depending on what type of countertops you have.
- Granite – Use a cleaning solution to remove stains and grime. Wipe the solution off with a damp rag and let it dry, ensuring no residue remains. Once complete, add a sealant, allowing it to soak into the granite before smoothing it out with a second coat.
- Marble – Follow the same steps as granite but with solutions formulated for marble. You can create a baking soda solution to clean the stone, as it’s a natural way to bring out the whites on the countertop before resealing it with a marble solution.
- Butcher Block – Thoroughly clean with a teaspoon of bleach and a cup of hot water, staying with that ratio for a larger solution. The bleach will sanitize the block and remove stains. Sand away any burn marks on rough edges before wiping with a damp cloth and adding an optional stain. Once ready, you can use a sealing solution designed for the butcher block.
- Concrete – Grind away previous sealants and residues. Then, thoroughly clean the concrete with water and hydrogen peroxide spray to reduce staining and create a smooth surface. Then, apply your sealant, adding the manufacturer’s recommended coats.

Hang New Shelves
Some extra storage is an easy addition to your kitchen.
You can add open shelving for decor items or add them inside your cabinets for more organization options. If your pots, pans and plates look cluttered and unorganized, a few extra shelves can make a huge difference.
Shelves can also serve as accent pieces, creating pops of color in neutral kitchens. You can make your shelves with brackets and wood planks or purchase premade ones that easily hang or adhere to your walls.
Add Drawer Liners
You might surprise yourself with the difference just adding liners can make for your cabinets and drawers.
Available cheaply at many home and retail stores, they protect the bottoms of your drawers and shelves from chips and scratches. It can also protect food and dishes from sharp scratches or chips already there.
With so many color and texture options, you can give your storage smooth, clean surfaces that make your kitchen more attractive.
Renovating Your Kitchen on a Budget
Your kitchen is necessary to prepare food every day, so it should be an environment you love. By making small changes, you can renovate your kitchen without breaking the bank.
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Great points here! Smaller changes first can make a big difference. Love your cabinet color!
Thank you so much Christine!