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- New Hardware: Cabinet hardware is like jewelry for cabinets; it can really dress them up. Hardware can be expensive, costing $30 and up for a single piece, but if you shop around and buy a 10 pack at a big box store you may pay only $2 a piece. To save time, replace 1-hole hardware with 1-hole upgrades and 2-hole hardware with 2-hole upgrades. This will avoid having to drill or patch the cabinets.
- Paint: Old cabinets in outdated colors can get an inexpensive makeover by having a fresh coat of paint applied to them. Most cabinet surfaces can be repainted, however, proper preparation is necessary for good results. If painting laminate or melamine cabinets, be sure to sand the surface with 150-grit sandpaper and apply a bonding primer before applying color.
- Molding: When dressing up the tops of old cabinets, crown molding can make a huge difference. It’s also a cost effective project, with 3 inch, primed composite molding costing around $20 for 8 feet. You can get a perfect match when adding molding while repainting cabinets, but if you order molding from the cabinet manufacturer, there may be a color difference since natural wood cabinets get darker with age (especially cherry).
- Adding glass: Adding a glass insert into a cabinet door can take stock cabinets to the next level and make them look custom. Not all cabinet doors can be changed out though; look at the back of the door and see if the panel is removable. Glass possibilities are endless, with options ranging from contemporary, traditional, antique, bubbles, etc. The project can be reasonably priced as well, with glass inserts ranging from $7-$9 per square foot.
- Task lighting: There used to be only one option for adding task lighting in the kitchen-installing hard wired lights under the cabinets which was both expensive and labor intensive. Now there are peel and stick LED lights powered by batteries that cost around $8 each. Since the cost is low, several of them can be purchased and put under the cabinets, creating a functional and attractive look.