Cost Saving Ideas When Renovating Your Kitchen
With the cost of a new kitchen averaging £8,000, completely changing the look of your kitchen isn’t something many of us can afford to do every few years. If you are stuck with a kitchen which you don’t like, then there are ways to update the look without spending a fortune.
Ways To Renovate Your Kitchen When Budget Is Restricted
If your kitchen is the heart of your home, as it is for many families, you will want to ensure that yours is as warm, welcoming and functional as possible. This may mean you want to invest in a new kitchen, complete with new flooring, worktops and shiny, new sink and taps.
The bill for a new fitted kitchen can easily run into thousands. For many people, this is just a dream they put to the back of their minds until they win the Lottery, convinced they'll have to spend big to get the design they want. But if you haven’t the budget for a complete renovation, there are lots of other ways of updating your kitchen at a fraction of the price.
Get a Second-Hand Kitchen
New kitchens do not have to mean brand new, and there are some real bargains to be had on second hand kitchens.
There are often great deals on ex-display or kitchens which have been ordered and then returned to a store.
Expect to pay 50% of the full retail price for this sort of second hand kitchen, but always take care to inspect every unit fully before committing to buy, and ensure everything is removed and dismantled with care.
Older, used kitchen units can be picked up for just a few pounds but may be in poor condition.
Vintage kitchens from the 1950s and 1960s are hugely fashionable at the moment, and may cost just as much as buying new.
Give Your Kitchen a Budget Makeover
Whether you’re trying to do up your kitchen with a view to selling, or just want a fresh look, here are our top tips. Renovating your kitchen on a budget is now more achievable than ever. Let's take a look at some of the best ways to start renovating your kitchen on a budget.
Change the Worktops
It sometimes takes just a little change to completely alter the feel of your kitchen, and if it is just scratched or damaged work tops which are letting the kitchen down then a replacement could cost just £200. Laminate work tops are cheapest but not the most durable, but for an instant update, or to improve a kitchen to sell, they may be the most appropriate choice. Check out the clearance section on kitchen websites to grab a bargain on just enough worktop to update your kitchen.
Choose Vinyl over Laminate
When budget for your kitchen refurbishment or renovation is restricted, you need to be careful when purchasing new flooring. Many people opt for laminate floors as they are considered more fashionable, but if you're renovating your kitchen with limited cash then your allotted budget won't last very long. As well as being expensive to buy, it is also not very hard-wearing and is easily damaged, which means you may have to splash out on new floors again in no time at all!
Vinyl is a much better option if you're looking for a low cost alternative, being cheap (and not nasty as it's earlier predecessors), waterproof and available in a huge range of designs, enabling you to choose that perfect look for your new kitchen floor.
Change the Cupboard Doors
Another option is leaving the units in place but removing and replacing the doors. An average quality kitchen door will cost £50, but doors as cheap as £10 are available too. If your kitchen is particularly old, or was a bespoke installation, getting new doors off the shelf may not be possible. Having new doors custom made is expensive and it may work out cheaper to invest in a cheaper whole new kitchen instead.
Refresh the Paint and Flooring
A few litres of special wipe-able kitchen paint will set you back £20, and just painting a fresh colour can make a kitchen brighter and more welcoming. Flooring is also often neglected and smart new vinyl costs as little as £9 per square metre. Laminate is also a good choice for kitchens as it is hard wearing and stands up to stains and spills; expect to pay around £20 per square metre for laminate designed especially for kitchen use.
Wrapping Kitchen Cupboards
Wrapping is a technique using vinyl film to cover plinths, cupboard doors and facings in the kitchen. Once complete, it will look as if you’ve changed your kitchen entirely. Wrapping is cheaper than replacing the entire kitchen but still not a budget option, with the average cost around £5000. It’s a job for the professionals as applying the vinyl film to get a smooth, even finish can be very tricky. Wraps come in a range of finishes including gloss, matt, wood effect or patterned, allowing you to choose the perfect appearance for your “new” kitchen.
Painting Kitchen Cupboard Doors
An even cheaper option is to paint the kitchen doors. Painting the units is another budget option, with specialist paint in a wide range of colours costing £20. Preparation is the key to a good result, so depending on what your doors are made from you may have you use primer or sand back the surfaces first before priming. Use masking tape to protect the areas which don’t require painting, and use a roller for painting rather than a brush for a smooth finish. Cupboard paint costs less than £25 a tin, and comes in a wide rainbow of different colours. Before you set to work on your kitchen, buy a small tin and practice on an old item of furniture so that by the time you start on the kitchen you have a better idea of what you’re doing.
Change the Handles on Your Kitchen Doors
Changing the handles can dramatically alter the appearance of your kitchen. If you’re wrapping or painting the doors, then it makes sense to change the handles at the same time. Even if you’re not changing the colour of the door, swapping handles is a quick fix makeover. Look at how the current handles are fixed to the door as you want to look for replacement handles which will fix into the same spots – unless you want to be filling holes and painting. All large DIY stores will have a good range of handles in a variety of styles and designs, but there’s perhaps an even wider choice online.
Replacing the door handles is a straightforward way to change the appearance of your kitchen units and only requires a minimum of DIY knowledge. New handles cost £2 each for sleek stainless steel, but make sure that once you remove the old handles you are not left with unsightly holes which need to be filled or painted.
Get Your Kitchen Units Resprayed
If you don’t fancy the job of masking up your kitchen units and painting them yourself, then the other alternative is to get them sprayed. Spray painting can give a smoother, more professional finish than a DIY job. Spraying can be done in your home, or the company may take the units away to spray in their workshops. Paint can be colour matched to any shade you wish. It’s not a particularly cheap option, with costs starting at around £70 per cabinet. Always compare quotes from several different companies before committing to one particular company.
Visit Local Manufacturers
If you're renovating your kitchen on a budget, you'll want a new kitchen without the hefty price tag so you should probably avoid the mainstream big name retailers (although, there are certain times of the year when even the 'big names' have huge sales.
January is well known to be the time when most people carry out searches for 'kitchens' in the search engines, so avoid times when demand is high.
Maybe go for times of the year when fewer people are buying kitchens as you could get some excellent deals. Instead of going for the big names you could look for local manufacturers who can provide good, affordable worktops. You can usually find them located on small, easy to find industrial estates.
Many of these won't have a website. Pop by and have a chat with them to discuss your needs and tell them how you're keen to start renovating your kitchen on a tight budget.
They'll usually be able to dig out some cut-price 'end of range' items. If you ask them nicely they may even cut out the space for the sink!
Buy Online
When you're renovating your kitchen on a budget one of thethe best places to start is usually online.
If you're an eBay junkie then you will already know that you can get some excellent bargains online, and you may well find people selling perfectly good sinks and taps at second-hand prices. When you're cash restricted, you have to be savvy, and if that means scouring the Internet for some great buys, then so be it!
Search engines make it so easy to track down the best second-hand buys online, and there are so many sites dedicated to providing good as new fixtures and fittings for kitchens, enabling you to start renovating your kitchen on a budget.
Compare Multiple Quotes
Whatever you do, don't just take the first quote that you are offered. You need to be able to have at least three to get a good comparison of kitchen prices and the difference between one kitchen fitters quotes and another will often astound you.
You can use our free service to quickly compare up to 3 free quotes from local kitchen fitters and installation services near you. Simply post a quotes request to receive no obligation quotations from kitchen companies near you.
What Not To Scrimp On
There are certain things that you should avoid scrimping on and these of course are those areas which may cause health and safety hazards. Always use qualified electricians and additionally use the services of registered plumbers when you are carrying out any kind of home improvement or renovation work, including renovations to your kitchen, regardless of budget.
