Simple Upgrades for the Kitchen

Looking for a way to give your kitchen a little pizazz without breaking the bank? You can give the area a boost with some simple kitchen upgrades that don’t cost a lot and are easy enough for a novice to do. Here are four ideas for upgrading your kitchen.

Simple Kitchen Upgrades for the Home

Upgrading your kitchen need not be an expensive or complicated ordeal. When it comes to bumping up your kitchen’s appeal, you can simply put one of these great upgrades to work.

1. Butcher Block Counter
2. Paint Kitchen Cabinets
3. Add Crown Molding to Cabinets
4. Add Under-cabinet Lighting

Let’s take a look at each of these simple kitchen upgrades one at a time and discuss them briefly.

Butcher Block Counter

Butcher block counter tops are available in a variety of forms. From custom designed and installed to a pre-built butcher block style island; they come in all sorts.

If you are wanting to save a little bit of money and are a do-it-yourselfer, you can find how-to articles online. Some of these how-to articles are in depth and describe the process very well – like this one does. How to articles will vary in complexity and cost.

There are other options when it comes to kitchen butcher block style islands. For example, you can purchase pre-built, butcher block style islands through home supply superstores. This makes the installation much easier for the novice and is just a matter of putting it place. Some assembly may be required, but nothing like fabricating a counter top from materials.

An Easy Cabinet Paint Job

The rest of our easy upgrade tips have to do with upgrading your kitchen cabinetry. We will begin by talking about simply painting the cabinets. Giving your cabinets a fresh coat of paint is an easy and inexpensive way to change the entire look and feel of a kitchen space. Additionally, some new or updated hardware can contribute much to your kitchen’s freshness.

Crown the Cabinets

Continuing on with our simple kitchen upgrades, and specifically looking at cabinetry modifications, is our third upgrade. Adding crown molding can spiff up your cabinets and by extension, the entire kitchen.

Just like the butcher block project we discussed earlier, there are online articles and blog posts that walk the reader through the entire project. In fact, some blog posts are filled with great photos showing exactly what to keep in mind when completing the work. As an example, check out this blog post entitled How to Add Crown Molding to Kitchen Cabinets.

Armed with a very descriptive explanation of how to do it, the task seems achievable for many. Adding crown molding is another way to cost-effectively upgrade your kitchen.

Lighting Under the Cabinets

The last simple kitchen upgrade that we will consider in this post is under-cabinet lighting. This kitchen upgrade cost is relatively low when you consider the benefits. Some benefits of under-cabinet lighting include:

• Improve the Look and Feel of the Room
• Ease of Installation
• Reduce Shadows Which Helps With Food Prep
• Increase the Style of the Room

Additionally, under-cabinet lighting is relatively easy to install depending on which type you choose. The three kinds are:

• Battery Powered Systems
• Low Voltage Systems
• High Voltage Systems

Choosing a type of under-cabinet lighting and getting good instructions for the install is not difficult with the help of some simple searches online.

In the end, simple upgrades for the kitchen are plentiful and do not have to break the bank. And with a little bit of research and elbow grease, your kitchen can be upgraded easily with one or more of the simple kitchen upgrades mentioned in this post.

    Photo Credits:

    Image:      Butcher Block island
    URL:        https://www.flickr.com/photos/market208/6460512929
    License:    https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

    Image:      Cabinet Lighting
    URL:        https://pixabay.com/en/house-home-residential-rooms-2609712/
    License:    https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

    Image:      Crown Molding
    URL:        https://pixabay.com/en/kitchen-real-estate-interior-design-1940176/
    License:    https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en

    Image:      Painted Cabinet
    URL:        https://www.flickr.com/photos/nancyhugo/418242344
    License:    https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/