Small Kitchen Makeover Ideas For BIG Change on a Low Budget – Before and After Inspiration

Small Kitchen Makeover Inspo To Freshen Up YOUR Kitchen on a Tight Budget – LOTS of Small Kitchen Ideas & Pictures Before and After Low Budget Remodels, Inexpensive Upgrades and DIY Makeovers.

Let’s look at some before and after pictures of low budget small kitchen remodels and makeovers to give YOUR kitchen a fresh new updated look without breaking the bank or spending too much.

Whether you have a small galley kitchen or a teeny-tiny apartment kitchen, here are some budget-friendly DIY remodel ideas to refresh your small kitchen for as little as a few hundred bucks.

Small Kitchen Ideas

Let’s take a look at some small simple kitchen designs, budget remodel ideas and some before and after pictures of small kitchen makeovers.

As you’ll see below, there is no reason to spend $5000 or more for a small kitchen remodel – many of these tiny kitchens below were totally remodeled for less than $300.

Here are a few tips and tricks for a small kitchen remodel on a budget…

Determine Your Budget

First, determine how much you’re willing to spend on your kitchen remodel or makeover. Even with a small budget, you can make some beautiful and inexpensive upgrades in your tiny kitchen… just look at this kitchen before and after transformation from KMVancouver on Instagram!

Sticking to a budget can be an absolute challenge – there are SO many beautiful kitchen decor ideas to choose from! Do yourself a favor and have your project budget numbers all planned out BEFORE you start your remodeling project or else things can get out of hand financially before you even know it.

How MUCH Should You Budget?

When it comes down to how much you should budget for your small kitchen remodel makeover, it all comes down to how much can you AFFORD to spend – and then plan your remodeling budget according to that amount.

Now, if you’re looking for a basic cost of the average kitchen makeover that covers actual remodel projects…

Here’s how much it really costs if you go all out…

A small kitchen makeover can cost between $5,634 and $25,000, with the average cost being around $16,000.

OUCH!

But that’s not ALWAYS the case…

Simple DIY projects like painting your cabinets or extending your cabinets to the ceiling can make a BIG change in the overall appearance of your kitchen.

But if you’re going for a BIG makeover – like total remodel – the cost depends on several factors, including:

Size: The average small kitchen is 70 square feet, and the cost is usually calculated per square foot, at around $150–$160 per square foot.

Materials: The quality of materials used can significantly impact the cost. For example, luxury stone or marble countertops, high-end flooring, and commercial-grade ranges can all increase the price.

Layout: Whether you change the room’s layout can also affect the cost.

The average is $16,000 !?!?!? Holy crud, right???

There are some tips to bring that cost down such as:

– Choose stock cabinets over custom,

– Use cost-friendly materials like wood, laminate, or porcelain for countertops, floors, and cabinets,

– Do simple projects yourself, like painting cabinets or installing a backsplash,

– Install appliances that use the same plumbing and electrical system as before.

But the BEST tip I have – get CREATIVE.

Save your budget for the changes that will make the BIGGEST difference in your kitchen for the least amount of money.

You can absolutely remodel a small kitchen on a very low budget.

For example, take a look at the before and after pictures below of this small kitchen remodel.

That gorgeous small kitchen makeover was done on a total budget of $300.

Yes, ONLY $300!

And now that previously old, ugly, out-dated kitchen is a modern updated kitchen that is simply gorgeous.

LOVE the grey cabinets, don’t you?

But… do you notice the only two major changes that happened in that small kitchen transition?

Yep, paint and a new modern light fixture over the kitchen sink – that’s it… and those things are very cheap to do yourself.

Here’s more ideas for a tiny outdated narrow galley kitchen:

Kitchen Paint

Remember paint is cheap and goes a long way in bringing a fresh updated look to any small kitchen.

Painting your kitchen walls is easy, but painting the kitchen cabinets can be a bit tricky if you’ve never done it before.

But my goodness, what a dramatic difference a simple cabinet makeover can make – like this before and after from DiamondCoatCabinetRefinishing on Instagram – the ONLY difference is painted cabinets!

If you’re uncomfortable painting your cabinets, you could consider hiring a painting contractor near you, but keep in mind that hiring the project out will cost money and increase your remodel budget (obviously).

While blue kitchen cabinets may not be YOUR choice, there are so many other BEAUTIFUL kitchen cabinet paint colors to choose from!

You can go dark and “moody” with these BLACK kitchen cabinets ideas I have here…

Or choose from some “no fail” paint colors that are more timeless than they are trendy…

If you’re thinking BEYOND color trends and want a more practical cabinet color that will be easy to maintain…

You might want to choose a cabinet color that hides dirt and fingerprints better than other color options.

As a general rule, darker cabinet colors, like navy blue, espresso, forest green, charcoal gray, and dark brown hide dirt and fingerprints better than lighter colors on kitchen cabinets.

Choosing cabinets with a satin or semi-gloss finish can also help hide dirt better than other cabinet finishes.

If hiding dirt and fingerprints is your goal, you should avoid white, black, and matte-finish cabinets.

As someone who once had white cabinets, I can tell you this…

YES – they are GORGEOUS…. and YES!!! They are tough to keep clean!

But as you can see in this next low budget small kitchen remodel, paint makes a BIG difference in the over-all finished look of your kitchen makeover.

That small kitchen above went from blah and boring to bright and cheerful simply by painting.

I think the kitchen LOOKS bigger in the “after” picture, too, don’t you?

The only real change in that kitchen makeover is… paint.

Backsplash Ideas

Replacing the backsplash in your kitchen is not a difficult DIY project – and it can be a very affordable way to update the look of your kitchen.

This kitchen makeover before and after below from Christine on Instagram – just a beautiful transformation.

The makeover consisted of:

* New quartz countertops with full height backsplash
* New shaker cabinet doors and drawers
* Paint in Sherwin Williams Greek Villa and Waterloo
* New cabinet hardware

Here’s the before and after:

The small kitchen in the pictures above has white subway tile like this as their backsplash – looks great!

There are all kinds of styles and types of kitchen backsplash ideas – take some time to shop around to determine your style and what fits within your budget. If you are up to the task, you’ll find that there are many beautiful tile patterns that come in sheets and are fairly easy to install.

There are even classes at your local hardware store that will teach you and answer questions on installing tile. Remember, a backsplash usually isn’t a large area and shouldn’t be too overwhelming.

Budget Countertops

There are tons of various kitchen countertop styles and materials to choose from. Naturally, some styles are MUCH more expensive than others.

Replacing your current countertops in your small kitchen can be done on a limited budget, but if you’re trying to spend the least amount of money possible, consider leaving your current countertops. You can even paint them, if you want.

TIP: If painting or replacing your countertops isn’t an option – check out all my cabinet makeovers and modifications you can easily do with your current cabinets.

Appliances

If your kitchen remodel budget allows it, consider replacing an old appliance or two. If you can afford a new refrigerator, dishwasher, oven or a new stove, you should seriously consider doing it.

Keep this in mind though…

If you have any plans at all to sell your house in the near future, remember that only your refrigerator will move with you (as a general rule), the rest of your appliances will be part of those things left behind when you move.

Flooring

When it comes to your flooring, you will need to evaluate what you have to work with – and most likely keep the flooring you have.

If your floor is in good shape there’s no reason to spend the money to replace it.

It’s amazing, but many times just a really good deep cleaning of your kitchen floor can make it LOOK new.

If you absolutely cannot stand you current kitchen flooring, but can’t afford to replace it, get some bright beautiful kitchen rugs – they can really change the whole look of your kitchen and tie it all together without the expense of totally redoing your floors.

Small Kitchen Remodel for Under $300

This kitchen below had a complete remodel makeover for less than $300!

The before and after is just stunning – plus, the kitchen looks more fresh and modern now… and a lot cleaner (the grey and white kitchen color combination does that to a small kitchen)

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