You can completely recreate the look and feel of your kitchen for under ,000 with some savvy and effort. Improving the visual impact of this space will have a very positive effect on everyone in the house. You don’t have to wait for a stronger economy to get this kitchen remodel accomplished.

Paint your cabinets. Even if you have old wood laminate cabinets, you can paint right over them. It is best to go with a clean white color. Unscrew the cabinet doors and paint them in the backyard or garage. There is no need to paint the inside of the cabinets and shelves, just clean them up.

Remove all the cabinet hardware and shop from some attractive pulls and knobs. Nice used ones are available from less than one dollar to three dollars each. Be sure to check Ebay’s selection.

Stack your doors in the garage once the paint is dry. You will reinstall them once the major work in the kitchen is complete.

If you have an ugly tile backsplash, such as sickly yellow tile, gently pop the tiles off the wall to avoid shattering them into hundreds of pieces and then cut the sheetrock out of the backsplash area.

Here’s how to find a cheap countertop solution: Shop for a company that sells prefabricated stone countertops. These already have the bull nosing done and just need to be trimmed to fit. The original cutting, polishing and bullnosing is typically done in China and the savings are passed to you.

Alternatively, you can purchase prefabricated laminate countertops from major building supply houses. These are made surprisingly well and are attractive. The bullnosing and 5″ backsplash are integral to the countertop when you buy it. A client purchased some of these tops for 0, that’s a serious budget maker. They looked great when we were finished with the kitchen.

Once you are set with your choice of countertops, pop your existing countertop off by hammering a wooden wedge into the slim gap between the bottom of the countertop and top of the cabinet. The tops will come off in large pieces, which will make disposal easy.

Shop for appliances. You don’t have to replace all of them. Think about the refrigerator first and cooking range second. A nice refrigerator has more presence and functionality than a cooking range. Having an ice maker and water dispenser integral to your refrigerator is a great upgrade.

IMPORTANTLY, shop for these appliances online and seek out slightly damaged models that are in need of being cleared from the company warehouse. I have seen wonderful deals on beautiful appliances this way. You can also find heavily discounted high end appliances in the classifieds, especially these days.

Put all the pieces together. Get your backsplash sheet rocked and painted first, install your countertops second, reinstall cabinet doors third, pulls and knobs fourth and appliances last. You can do this entire project for ,000 or less. You may have to compromise on some things but you will love your new space when you’re finished.

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