Giving Your Kitchen a Facelift

If your kitchen is old, and in need of a make over, here are a few tips that can help you to spruce things up a bit, and not put a deep whole in your pocket.

Paint, Paint, Paint!

A fresh coat of paint can make even the most dingy room look good. If you already have a specific theme going in your kitchen that you want to keep, you can simply pick a paint color that will match your current decor. If your starting your decorating from scratch, you can let your imagination run wild! If your the type of person that likes to change things up often, when picking your basic decor such as paint, curtains, tile, etc. you should stick with neutral colors that can easily be made to match with other themes.

The most basic color of course, that will match anything is white. There are many different shades of white that you can choose from as well. From bright white to off white, any of these shades can be made to match your style. White makes a room look larger, brighter and cleaner. On the other hand, white also gets dirty easier and in my opinion doesn't have much of it's own personality. Even so, you can use white as your base color, and add bright colors through out the room to add your own style. Light shades of brown and tan, and pale yellows are also colors that can be easily adapted when changing your kitchen theme.

When choosing your paint, make sure that you choose a good quality paint. It can be tempting to buy a cheap paint, however if you buy a low quality paint you can actually end up spending more money in the long run, because you may end up needing more coats of paint. Preparation of your painting surface is extremely important. A good paint job is only as good as the surface your painting on. If you are painting over a dark colored paint or wood, it may be necessary to use a primer first. The primer helps to seal the surface, and can seriously cut down on the number of coats of paint you may need. Before priming however, check your surfaces. If you have pulled any nails out of the wall, you should fill these in with a putty and sand them until smooth. Any bumps, divets or holes will show up when you paint and can make the over all job look bad.

Before making any paint purchase, make sure that you check with your major home improvement stores such as Lowe's and Home Depot. These stores often sell what they call "Oops" paint. This is paint that has been mixed for a customer and was not the correct color. They sell this paint at an extremely marked down price, usually $5.00 for a gallon, and $25.00 for 5 gallons. You may be able to find a color that you like and save quite a bit of money.

Accessories

Once you have picked your paint color you can start picking your accessories to match. Some basic things that you can change to add new life to your kitchen are curtains, door knobs, handles and hinges, canisters and utensil holders and pictures. All of these things can be found very cheaply, or you can save even more money, and possibly find a way to refurbish what you already have. Cabinet door knobs, handles and hinges can be spray painted to change the way they look. If you choose to spray paint them, make sure that you choose the correct type of spray paint for the type of material you will be spraying. Some paints work better on plastic then metal and vice versa. Also, it may help once you have painted them, to spray a coat of sealant on them, because these items are handled often and it will help keep your paint from getting dull or chipped. On the other hand, if you choose to, there is a huge variety of knobs, handles and hinges out there that you can choose from. Your bound to find a style that will match your decor, and these small things can make a dramatic change to your kitchen.

Curtains and/or blinds can also make a big change in your kitchen. If your handy with a sewing machine, or needle and thread or know someone that is, you can make your own curtains and save quite a bit of money. Many fabric stores, and even some Wal-Marts sell fabric on clearance that you can get for extremely cheap. The curtains can be as plain or as elaborate as you wish them to be. My grandmother changes the curtains in her kitchen every few months and for the holidays, and by doing that one simple thing, it changes the whole look of her kitchen. You can also often find nice curtains on clearance at many department stores. Keep a few styles on hand, so that you can change them around, and you will see that when people come into your home, they're going to notice the new curtains and think you've completely redecorated. It's really surprising what changing one little thing can do.

Other accessories that are easily changed or made adaptable are canisters, utensil holders, place mats, oven mitts and dish towels. As with the knobs and drawer handles, some canisters and utensil holders may be able to be spray painted to change their look. Another idea, if you don't want to paint them, would be to cover them in fabric. If you have extra fabric from your curtains, you can make little slip covers for your canisters. A simple drawstring bootie will slip over the canister, changing it's appearance, but not changing the actual canister itself. You can change your slip covers as often as you change the curtains, and make it look like you've went out and bought new canisters. Place mats and oven mitts can also be easily made with the same material, and will make everything coordinated. Let's say you find material on clearance for $1.00 a yard (and I find it that cheap all the time) and you decide to make all of the above with that material. Depending on how many windows you have in your kitchen, you may only need to by 2-3 yards of material. With 2-3 yards of material you could make curtains, canister covers, place mats and oven mitts, all for about $3.00! That's almost an entire make over for your kitchen for just $3.00! Dish towels can also be found on clearance, and can be purchased in many different colors. Keep in mind that solid colored dish towels can be swapped out easier then printed dish towels.

Flooring

One more thing that you might be considering is changing your flooring. There are many different types of flooring these days that you can choose from. Some are cheap, and some are extremely expensive. I'm not going to go into any great detail here about the different types of flooring, however I will say that you will want to research each type throughly to find what will best fit your needs. If your kitchen is a high traffic area, you'll want a very durable flooring. Some floorings are also much more difficult to clean and maintain then others, so you will want to take that into consideration as well. Also, the color of your flooring is an important decision. As with the paint, if you are a fickle person, you're going to want to pick a neutral and versatile flooring that will match almost anything. White or beige flooring goes well with almost anything, as does wood flooring or simulated wood flooring.

One way to change the look of your floor, without changing your entire floor is with throw rugs. Throw rugs can be found in almost any shape, size and color and can change the look of the room. You can buy small throw rugs to place in front of your sink or door, or even a very large area rug to go under you kitchen or dining room table. A rug can be a great focal point that will make your kitchen look better and even help take away from the fact that your tile may look a little old and worn out!

There are so many things that you can do to redecorate without having to spend a fortune. Once you start, you'll be surprised with all the ideas that you can come up with. You can also look through interior design books, or watch home make over shows on TV and find ways to incorporate certain ideas into your own home. Your home is your own canvas, so make it a portrait!