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A simple kitchen makeover involves no more than re-decoration. If you want to do this yourself you will need to buy or hire some basic tools. If you are not confident of your skills it may be better to hire a decorator. In my opinion wallpaper is not such a good idea as a steamy atmosphere will tend to lift the edges of the paper, and even a wash proof heavy-duty vinyl may suffer over the years. A hard wearing matt paint can give a good finish, but the walls have to be smooth to give a good result. Gloss paint is good for woodwork such a doors, skirting and window frames. If you want to go further with the kitchen makeover consider replacement of cabinet doors and drawer fronts. This is a relatively inexpensive way of improving the appearance of the area. The cabinet frames need to be in good condition to make this kitchen makeover idea successful. There are literally dozens of companies which can offer to do this work, As this is quite a simple job to do, with a minimum of tools, it is quite feasible to buy the doors and hinges from any of the many DIY suppliers. As part of the kitchen makeover consider replacing the flooring material. I wouldn’t recommend using carpet or carpet tiles in this room as it would be very difficult to keep clean, just think of the problems which would result if you spilt a jug of gravy. Easy to clean materials include vinyl, either sheet or tiles, linoleum which are easy to lay. Ceramic or stone tiles provide a durable easy to clean surface, but these materials can be expensive and difficult to lay.
Another inexpensive kitchen makeover idea is to change the window coverings. Choices here include but are not limited to curtains, buy them ready made or to save money get somebody to make them up for you. Another popular choice for the windows is a type of blind either Venetian or roller type. These can be bought ready to install, but only come in standard sizes, which could cause problems when installing. The answer here is to have the blinds made to fit your windows. There are many companies offering this service.
Changing the lighting is another way to achieve a kitchen makeover. There is an enormous range of light fittings available at any of the major DIY stores. This can be quite inexpensive if only one light fitting is involved. If, however, you want to install a number of downlighters and/or spotlights then you will need to employ a qualified electrician, which can become costly. A major kitchen makeover, which could be quite costly, would involve most of the above elements and perhaps more. As part of the kitchen makeover process think about the appliances. Do you need a new cooker? How about a new microwave or a dishwasher? Does the sink look a bit out dated?
A complete kitchen make over would be very worthwhile to improve the look and usefulness of an important room of the house. To achieve this the following work will need to be done.
Replace central heating boiler (if existing is more than 10 years old), repaint ceiling, install new lighting scheme and switches, remove wall cupboards, prepare and paint walls where necessary, remove cabinets, install new flooring, fit new wall cupboards, fit new cabinets, tile walls as needed, install new appliances, and last but not least, buy some new pots and pans. The 2 photos on this page show the kitchen make over results which can be achieved by re-using cabinets which otherwise would be scrapped.
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