Tips for upgrading your kitchen on a budget

The kitchen is very much the heart of the home and a room that serves a lot of functions to the family. Often, it’s the place where meals are cooked and eaten, problems are shared, and friends are entertained. So, it’s important that it not only looks nice but is practical and in good working order. 

Sadly, many of us find our kitchens are letting us down on all these points. Kitchens are expensive to replace and with family finances getting ever tighter, it’s hard to see how to fix this problem. Thankfully, there are ways to upgrade a kitchen on a budget. So, here’s some tips for doing just that.

Replacing the kitchen units for less

One of the main issues with old kitchens is the units. They make up the bulk of the space, so it’s not surprising. However, they’re also one of the most expensive parts of the kitchen too. So, how do you replace your kitchen units without going over budget? 

Well, there are a few ways to keep costs down. The first is to reduce the number of new units you buy. With clever cupboard storage solutions, you may be able to fit all your pots and pans into just the base units. Meaning you don’t need to spend on new wall units. By simply removing the old wall units and replacing them with open shelves for your nice crockery or a bright gallery wall, you could open out the kitchen space a bit more too.

Another option is to buy basic new units without any fancy details and spend more on the doors and handles to make it look expensive. Alternatively, you could look for ex-display units or high-quality second-hand units that are in good condition. 

Picking budget-friendly flooring

Flooring is an area of the kitchen that gets a lot of use and wear, so it’s likely to need replacing. But don’t despair as flooring is one of the items where there is plenty of choice for all budgets. 

In an ideal world you would choose a tiled or wooden floor for the kitchen as they’re long-lasting materials and look very stylish. But there are other options that can also be durable and save you money.

Installing laminate flooring in your kitchen is an excellent option and is cheaper than tile or hard wood flooring but can look just as good when done right. 

You could go for luxury vinyl planks in a faux wood style for example. These not only look nice, but with the right care are durable too. They’re an affordable option and can be DIY installed to save you money on labor costs.

Saving money on your appliances

Appliances are another big kitchen cost that can be off-putting to would-be renovators. Firstly, it’s worth checking to see if your current appliances can’t be serviced or overhauled and deep-cleaned so they look and work as good as new appliances. This will obviously save you a fortune and cuts down on unnecessary waste.

If you decide you definitely need new appliances, then try to keep them in the same position in the kitchen to cut down on wiring and installation costs. Also, work out which of your appliances you use the most and which you barely use at all. Any appliances that you don’t often use, probably aren’t worth replacing. For those you use all the time, it’s sensible to spend as much money as you can afford on their replacements. Good quality appliances from respected brands should last longer, meaning you won’t need to replace them again in a hurry. But do check which brands are fixable or easy to find parts for, so you know they can be repaired rather than replaced when they do fail.