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Kitchen Cabinet & Countertop Makeover Madness (Tutorials Included!)

by on Aug 16, 2011

This month we at the Curb honor the almighty kitchen. Why the adoration? Because, besides oftentimes making or breaking a real estate transaction, they are also the heart of the home. They deserve special attention and, yes, some investment on our parts. Investment, however, doesn’t have to mean expensive. Oh, no, no, no. In this jam-packed cabinet and countertop makeover roundup, the budgets are super small but the impact is super big! (Befores to the left; afters on the right where applicable.)

Our first idea comes from BHG. It’s simple but oh-so-cute. It’s for those of us with flat cabinet door fronts who want to give them some character. The mag suggests adding molding to the doors. From plain to fancy, a little goes a long way in this tutorial. 

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Pink and Polka Dot eliminated a couple of doors altogether in her kitchen. She removed the two from the cabinet above the stove and added baskets to give the space an instant cottage makeover. It also adds interest and texture.

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If you’ve always wanted glass front kitchen doors, you can convert the ones you already have, thanks to this great tutorial from the DIY Network. (Video included!)

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Want to paint your kitchen cabinets but are leery of the process? YHL takes the guesswork out of the job.

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If brush strokes are a worry (and your cabinet surfaces are a bit knackered), there’s a product out there called Caromal Colours that just might be the answer to your dreams. It’s kind of like a spackle/primer that you apply before you paint, The results are amazing. Find out more at Caromal Colors and by watching this video.

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Here’s a great tip for renters that comes from Curbly’s own Lillybee. She used white contact paper to help transform her kitchen for $60.

created at: 08/09/2011Another one from the Curbly coffers is this idea Chris spotted: FABRIC covered cabinets. Veronique used some thumbtacks, ScotchGuard spray and a screw driver to get the job done.

Kitchen Cabinet Project

Now let’s turn our attention to countertops, shall we?

This first one is from Danny Lipford, who shows us how to install a granite tile countertop, because a granite tile countertop is a FRACTION of the cost of a big ol’ slab of granite. Yes, you’ll have grout lines, but the granite look is unmistakable.

Finished granite tile countertop.

We already know we can paint kitchen cabinets, but how about kitchen countertops? The answer to that question is ‘yes’. Cheri gives us all the deets over at The Kitchn.

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Another option is to replace your existing countertops with plywood. For this, we go to the masters of DIY: This Old House

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If you’d like to add a little (or a lot) of butcher block to your kitchen, Extreme How To shows us how to do it.

Knife and vegetables are in the wooden table.

Jessie tells us how to DIY concrete countertops, which is exactly what she did to give her kitchen its makeover. Head on over to Tatertots and Jello to learn all you need to know.

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This galvanized steel countertop idea from The Pleated Poppy is a half and half DIY project. The countertop base was DIY’d but Poppy found a heating duct shop that fabricated a countertop for a very affordable $166. The results are no less than stunning.

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And finally, for something REALLY different, how about  a penny-covered countertop? Shiny! See how it was done at Make as well as artifacturestudios.com.

A kitchen sink island with a copper-patterned countertop.

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1 Comments

  1. Use Annie Sloan Chalk paint on cupboards, no prep required.
    Best paint for all surfaces.