The Perfect Recipe for an Affordable Kitchen Remodel | Part 1

By Tom Kraeutler – Host of the nationally syndicated The Money Pit Home Improvement Show

If home is where the heart is, the kitchen is clearly one of the vital organs that convert a house into a home. So it is no surprise that kitchen remodeling is among the most popular remodeling projects tackled each year. Not only does updating your kitchen breathe new life into your home, it also adds value to it should you decide to sell. According to Remodeling Online’s 2020 Cost vs. Value Report, even a minor kitchen remodeling project will return an average of 78% of its cost when it comes time to sell the home.

Any home improvement project can be complicated, but major kitchen remodeling can turn your life upside down, not to mention the hassle and expense of ordering take-out for every dinner as you’re waiting for that kitchen to welcome you back in! 

To avoid the indigestion and home improvement hassles, it makes sense to break down the remodel into smaller projects that can be completed independently of one another. Not only does this make the kitchen reno more manageable, these smaller changes can have a big visual impact and cut down on the need for more major makeovers.

Here are the key ingredients you’ll need to cook up the kitchen of your dreams.

New flooring alone can totally change the look of a kitchen and is easily installed with little impact on family life. But the kitchen is a challenging environment for floors. Not only are kitchens high-traffic spaces for people and pets, there’s plenty of opportunity for small spills and bigger floods. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of beautiful, affordable, durable and waterproof flooring options to choose from.

One of the best options for kitchens, baths or other wet or damp place is LL Flooring’s CoreLuxe Rigid Vinyl Plank. RVP (Formerly referred to as Engineered Vinyl Plank) combines the durability, comfort, and waterproof features of vinyl flooring with the authentic look of hardwood. 
Constructed with an innovative rigid core that clicks together with ease, RVP is a solid choice for DIY’ers and stands up to heavy traffic, busy families, and pets.

One of the newest LL Flooring RVP styles, CoreLuxe Pacific Coast Oak Chevron features the detailed chevron-style patterned planks that easily click together for fast and easy installation. The light brown oak look recreates driftwood’s sun-bleached style and can bring a modern, relaxed decor to any space, and would be an impressive addition to a kitchen.

Replace the Kitchen Countertop

Kitchen countertops create bold statements and become the feature point of the entire kitchen design. Changing the kitchen countertops is a simple way to make a big change that can be completed in a short time frame with little impact on family life. Kitchen countertop materials can vary as much in price as they do in style. 

Granite is the most popular choice for kitchen countertops; it can handle a hot pan, is very durable, and just looks great. If you want the dimensional stability that natural stone has to offer but want a bit of a break on the wallet, then opt for engineered stone. Engineered stone is made from quartz, comes in a large variety of colors and is a nonporous surface that resists stains and scratches that is easy to maintain.

Laminate countertops are the most cost effective and are available in standard sizes at your local home center or can be fabricated to match your unique space. For the best results when having countertops made for you, the fabricator should make a template of your existing walls. Homes are never square and having a template is the best way to make sure the new top fits your old walls.

You can also have the elegance of a real stone top and the affordability of laminates by resurfacing dated, drab tops with the SpreadStone Countertop Kit. SpreadStone is a real stone solution that is rolled on. Application is a fast and easy DIY process that can be completed in just one weekend, and results in a durable, stain resistant surface with the design elegance of real stone. 

Ceramic tile is another great choice for your kitchen countertops and it doesn’t have to end there, you can continue your tile up to the backsplash for a whole new look. Tile is inexpensive, can be installed by a homeowner and is easy to maintain. To avoid the hassles of cleaning grout, choose darker colors, seal the grout right after you are done and use grout with an anti-microbial additive that resists mold growth. Countertops can also be made of butcher-block, stainless steel, and even concrete.

Check out the next post for even more ways to give your kitchen a makeover without breaking the bank.