Prepare to be impressed. When Lindsay sent photos of her kitchen makeover, we were genuinely amazed. Here’s the note she shared:
I’ve been meaning to send a before-and-after for a while, and I admit I was nervous because your projects are always so inspiring. Still, I’m proud of our low-budget kitchen makeover and wanted to share. This is our first house and we had no real DIY experience—learning what 1/4-round is was a surprise—but we figured things out as we went. If we did it again we’d tweak a few things, but overall we’re thrilled. Like your first kitchen redo, this should tide us over until we can tackle a bigger renovation. 🙂
We removed the old linoleum and installed 20″ tile across the entire first floor, replaced the refrigerator and microwave (the stove is next), primed and painted the cabinets a glossy white, and switched out all the cabinet hardware for modern pulls. The total cost was modest: about $50 for primer and paint, $60 for hardware, $50 for new hinges, $14 for laminate sheeting used as a durable, wipeable shelf liner, plus a couple of weekends of labor. We’re really happy with how the budget makeover turned out. Hope you enjoy seeing our first-home update. – Lindsay
Here’s the original builder-grade kitchen before we started:
And here’s the fresh, updated after—thanks to paint, new hardware, updated appliances, and a few charming accessories. Those green glasses and the rotating spice rack add great personality:
Thanks for sharing this mouthwatering kitchen makeover, Lindsay. If anyone else has before-and-after photos tucked away, consider this your nudge: we love seeing real, budget-friendly transformations. Please send them our way!
And stick around for a clear, step-by-step tutorial on painting cabinets. If you can paint a wall, you can paint cabinets—so stay tuned for an easy walkthrough.