Easy Kitchen Facelifts

Here are some home improvement projects to update your kitchen’s style — without breaking the bank.

Reface It: There’s an easy way to get a whole new look for your kitchen. Sometimes you need to entirely replace your cabinets, but that often means tearing up your kitchen. But by simply refacing them — that is, just replacing the cabinet surface — it means everything can stay in place. This more economical alternative can eliminate the mess and inconvenience of a traditional cabinet replacement, especially if your existing cabinet boxes are in good working order. And you still get a great kitchen makeover and stay on a budget! Learn more.

Get a Handle on It: An even less costly way to update your kitchen is changing out the hardware on your cabinet doors. Horizontal handles offer a more contemporary look. “Polished nickel is very popular for all fixtures and hardware,” says kitchen designer Stewart Culler Hendrix of Carolina Kitchens of Charleston, South Carolina. Learn more.

Surface Work: Installing a new countertop is another simple way to give your kitchen a facelift. And when it comes to countertops, stone is the number-one choice these days. Granite has always been a favorite, but there are many great options. Learn more.

“It’s looking like quartz is gaining on granite,” Hendrix says. “It lends itself to the more contemporary aesthetic that people are seeking.” There are a lot of choices in a uniform color for a cleaner design. And you can get that white-gray marble look — but it’ll stand up to spilled grape juice that’s been sitting there for a couple of hours.

Although it’s likely you’ll have to hire a professional, you won’t be disrupting your space. And if you want to go the extra mile, you could use this as an opportunity to add a new undermount sink and faucet. In one fell swoop, you’ve got a whole new kitchen.

Backsplash of Color: Adding a backsplash is a great way to add a fun aesthetic to your kitchen, without spending a lot of money. You can have it installed at the same time as the countertops. Natural stone and glass tiles are popular options. And they’re typically less expensive than continuing the countertop material up the wall.

From cabinet refacing to new countertops to backsplashes, there are some simple projects that have a big wow factor — and won’t make you vacate your kitchen for weeks.