Home Improvement Blog Improving Your Home And Your Life

Does your kitchen need an update and upgrade? You spend a lot of time in the kitchen so it should be efficient, practical, and look pleasant. These are some relatively inexpensive ideas to update and upgrade your kitchen.

1. Add under-cabinet lights and task lighting. Most of the light in kitchens comes from a single source: an overhead light fixture supplemented by daylight from kitchen windows. Daylight can vary from day to day and season to season, so you can’t count on it as a reliable light source. When you are working on the countertop under the cabinets, it can be quite dark. Consider mounting lighting to the underside of kitchen cabinets. You can provide under-cabinet lighting from two sources: individual “puck”-style halogen lights, or halogen or fluorescent strips. Both of these are easy to install.

2. Install a home drinking water filter. One of the more popular kitchen upgrades is a water-treatment apparatus. There are many devices available from simple in-line cartridges to reverse osmosis systems that require storage tanks under the sink. A dual-cartridge device is easy to install and requires no electrical power. Remember that cartridge-based devices need to have the cartridges changed periodically.

3. A new kitchen faucet will brighten any kitchen. There are three basic styles of faucets. One is a two-handle center set style. Another style is a single-handle faucet which is a center set and uses one lever to dispense hot and cold water. This lever is often part of the spout. The third style is a widespread faucet. The hot-water and cold-water valves, and the spout, are all mounted separately. You can choose a new faucet based on your preferences, the sink it will be mounted on, and your budget.

4. If you still use a microwave oven that sits on the counter, consider upgrading to one that mounts under a cabinet or above the stovetop. The newer microwaves come in many styles and colors with advanced features designed to make your cooking experience easier.

5. Consider updating your kitchen cabinets with a new finish and new knobs or handles. There are stripping agents for striping off the old finish and then you can apply the new one. This project will take some time, but you can do it yourself.

These upgrades are inexpensive and you can install them yourself to give your kitchen an updated look.