Old Kitchen? This DIY Can Make It Look Brand New Without Replacing All Your Cabinets

Remodeling blues? This cheap kitchen cabinet idea can be one fresh spin that'll instantly elevate your aesthetic without the high cost of full cabinet replacement. An outdated kitchen is known to significantly reduce home value and buyer attraction, which makes it a great area to upgrade. If you see your kitchen and groan, this project can be your way to ditch your kitchen blues. In fact, there's a study by the National Association of Realtors that gives a kitchen remodel a near ten out of ten score in terms of the joy it brings homeowners (second only behind an added primary bedroom suite). You don't need to replace all your cabinets to upgrade an old kitchen: What you'll be doing is replacing a section of your upper kitchen cabinets with a more elevated style of open, floating kitchen shelving. 

This takes a bit of woodworking talent and some patience, but overall it's not too advanced in terms of DIY skill level. Your supplies for this project will include some thicker wood like 2 by 4s to create your sturdy frame, plywood to turn the frame into a covered shelf, measuring tape and stud finder for prep, saw, drill, nail gun, wood screws, support screws, and wood glue for assembly. Lastly, you'll need your choice of finishing (like wood stain or paint). Since you're only doing a section of your cabinetry you'll be getting an excellent aesthetic upgrade for a totally reasonable cost.

Open shelving is a popular choice both in the kitchen and other areas. It's a relatively simple DIY. Start by removing your existing cabinets and creating a frame. Cut your larger wood including back, front, sides, and some supporting beams through the middle. Use a stud finder to locate and mark studs so you can make sure you anchor your frame when you attach it to your wall. Attach the frame to the wall piece by piece with longer screws (three inches). Next, use a miter saw to cut plywood cleanly, then attach your top, bottom, then front pieces to your frame. For the final touch, stain or paint your shelf in whichever style you prefer.

@byjamiemichelle

Kitchen upgrade Part 1 #kitchenupgrades #diykitchenrenovation #floatingshelvesdiy #newbuildtohome #buildergradeupgrade

♬ Sunny Day – Ted Fresco

This project is the perfect way to incorporate open shelving without sacrificing a clutter free look or needed storage space, since you're only replacing a portion of your cabinets. Doing a small section will also help you avoid the annoying aspects of open shelving, too, like dust and grease accumulation. Though it's only a few shelves, don't forget that there's an art to styling open kitchen shelving. You'll want to use items that combine both cohesiveness and variation in a balanced way (think: complementary colors and patterns). Play around with your choices, and remember, the items on open shelving are meant to be a display!