There are several simple and budget-friendly ways to update old kitchen cabinets without completely replacing them. These include painting the cabinets a lighter color, removing the doors, lining the insides with wallpaper, refacing the cabinets with new doors, adding crown molding above the cabinets, swapping out old hardware for new pulls and knobs, and installing open plate racks. Many of these options only require a few inexpensive materials and some labor to breathe new life into outdated cabinetry without breaking the bank.

1. Eugene Chrinian

2.  One of the simplest, albeit most labor intensive, ways in which you can breathe new
life into old or outdated cabinetry is to add a few coats of new paint. Because it
only requires a few materials, this DIY solution is particularly beneficial if you are
looking to save money on your kitchen update. Many homeowners opt for lighter
shades, such as white, which help create the illusion of a larger room. You can also
add a more personal touch with pale shades of blues and greens or simply enhance
the cabinet faces using paint as a trim accent. Before making your final decision,
you should also decide whether you want your cabinets to have a shiny, matte, or
distressed finish and purchase the correlating paint type.

3.  Another remarkably easy change that you can make to your kitchen cabinets is to
remove the doors. This budget-friendly option only requires some spackle to fill the
drill holes and a bit of paint to cover the patched areas. When you remove your
cabinet doors, you will notice an immediate change in the aesthetic of your entire
kitchen. The absence of doors will allow you to see all the way to the back of your
cabinets, which will create new depth and add a sense or airiness to the room.
However, exposed shelving means that you may need to repaint or reface the
cabinet interiors and will always have to store your dishes in an orderly fashion.

4.  If all your kitchen needs is a splash of color, then you should try lining the insides of
your cabinets with wallpaper. Particularly effective inside cabinetry with glass doors
or no doors, this technique allows you to tap into your creative side and bring new
textures into the room. You can also put your choice of wallpaper on full display by
lining the outside of the doors. With countless designs to choose from, you can use
wallpaper to complement the existing aesthetic of your kitchen or inspire an
entirely new décor scheme.

5.  Subtle changes may not always be enough to help you revitalize your old and worn
kitchen cabinets. However, this does not mean that you have to completely rebuild
them. Instead, you can save both time and money by simply refacing the cabinets
yourself. Begin by removing your old cabinet doors and finding new ones to replace
them. Before hanging the new doors, you will first need to finish them with veneer
to help match their color to your existing cabinet base. One easy way to do this is to
use peel-and-stick veneer to quickly give your kitchen a whole new face.

6.  You do not even need to upgrade or modify the cabinet faces themselves if you want
to immediately change the look of your kitchen. Filling the empty space above your
cabinetry with elegant crown molding is an inexpensive way to help make the entire
room appear more expensive. Whether you use this tool to extend your cabinetry
only a few inches or stretch it all the way to the ceiling, adding crown molding will
bring a new sense of height to your kitchen. For the biggest visual impact, you
should add crown molding and a coat of paint at the same time to ensure that the
color of the cabinets matches that of the molding. Plain wood becomes darker in
hue as the years go by so brand-new molding may not pair perfectly with older
cabinets.

7.  If you are in need of a quick DIY cabinet upgrade, then you should consider swapping
out your old hardware for new pulls and knobs. This is a particularly important
change to make when you want to create a more modern look. In a decades-old
home, all the cabinet handles and hinges will reflect the aesthetic of the period in
which the house was built, so you should replace outdated pieces with sleeker
versions such as glass knobs and brass pulls. You can also alter the appearance of
your entire kitchen by adhering hardware to cabinets that previously lacked any
handles. Buying a lot of these pieces can carry a hefty price tag, so you should make
sure to determine the exact amount you will need for your kitchen before making
your purchase.

8.  Previously common features in any kitchen, open plate racks are another way in
which you can give your cabinets an immediate facelift. Not only do they help make
it easier for you to access your dishes, but they also break up the appearance of
bulky cabinetry. As such, you should consider replacing an entire section of cabinets
with a plate-storage area. Similar to the no-door cabinet look, this will help create
more depth in your kitchen. In addition, your new plate racks will serve as an
excellent way for you to display your most colorful dinnerware and bring a new
decorative element to the space.