9 Best Budget Kitchen Countertop Ideas to Spruce Up Your Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home, and that is why it is so important for you to love your kitchen.
If you fall out of love with your kitchen, then you can easily fall out of love with cooking, and that can lead to you making lots of unhealthy choices. So, you really need to have a kitchen that you love.
If your kitchen is feeling old or dated, then you may be desperate for a new kitchen.
But it’s no secret that kitchens aren’t cheap, and you may not have the cash to fit an entirely new kitchen.
Luckily, there are lots of budget renovations that you can do yourself to spruce up your kitchen.
In this guide, we’re focusing on sprucing up your kitchen countertops on a budget.
Your countertops make up a huge amount of your kitchen, and sprucing them up will be a brilliant, budget-friendly way to give your kitchen a refresh.
Read on to find out all about 9 of the best budget kitchen countertop ideas!
1. Paint Your Countertops
One of our favorite budget kitchen countertop ideas is painting your countertops.
While painting your kitchen cabinets a different color has become popular in recent years (and this is something we will look at in point 4), painting your countertops is still yet to take off.
But, it is a great budget-friendly way to revamp your kitchen, and with the right paint, it will last for years.
Social media has recently seen a rise in people DIY-ing their own marble countertops, which look amazing and realistic! Doing this will instantly spruce up your kitchen, for a fraction of the price of real marble.
If you have a laminate countertop, simply buy any water-based acrylic paint and apply it to your countertop with a roller. Apply a few thin coats, until you are happy with the results, then seal it.
Once the paint has been sealed, your painted countertop will last for years – giving you a revamped countertop for the fraction of the cost of a new one.
2. Use Contact Paper
If you aren’t interested in painting your countertops, then contact paper is another great way to give your countertops a spruce-up.
With contact paper, you can totally transform your countertops, and there are lots of different colors and patterns for you to choose from.
There is no denying that contact paper is a little trickier to use, and it will take more time than painting them.
Some contact paper can look very expensive for little upfront cost, leaving your kitchen looking upmarket and sophisticated.
However, this method allows you to change the pattern of your countertops – giving you much more options than if you were to just paint your counters.
Once you have bought your contact paper, you will also need a smoothing tool, a pin, a hair dryer, a sharp knife, and lots of patience to get this job done.
The end result will be totally worth it, but there’s no denying that this budget-friendly revamp isn’t the easiest!
3. DIY Butcher’s Block
Butcher’s block countertops are something that many people dream of having in their kitchen.
Unlike marble and quartz countertops, butcher’s block generally never goes out of fashion, and it is incredibly hard-wearing.
But there is no denying that buying a new butcher’s block countertop is expensive.
If you want to achieve the look, at a fraction of the cost, then you can make your own DIY butcher’s block.
This isn’t a particularly easy task, but if you are very handy and have the necessary tools, then you will probably find it to be a piece of cake.
Butcher’s block is essentially just perfectly straight cuts of wood that are lined up next to each other and attached to one another.
So, with the right skills, and a good online tutorial, you will likely be able to make your very own butcher’s block!
4. Re-Paint Your Cabinets
Countertops are expensive to replace, and if you spent a lot of money on your countertop, only to realize you don’t really like it, you probably won’t want to spend more money to swap it.
So instead of changing your countertop, why don’t you try changing your cabinets instead?
Painting your cabinets is an incredibly cost-effective way to spruce up your kitchen, and it is so easy to do!
If you dislike your countertop because it doesn’t match your cabinets, why not paint your cabinets a color that will complement the countertop instead?
In particular, this is a great option if your cabinets are already fairly old.
Now, we know that this one is a little out of the ordinary, simply because it doesn’t involve changing your countertop at all.
However, it is very effective, and we’re certain it’ll make your kitchen feel like new.
5. Buy A Budget Countertop
If you really are sick of your countertop, and painting it or using contact paper doesn’t seem like a viable option, then you may simply have to replace it.
It is easy to assume that all countertops will be expensive, but that isn’t necessarily the case. If you shop around, you will likely be able to find a great deal!
The best way to find a budget countertop is to go into the search with no expectations. If you have expectations of a dream countertop, then you will likely end up disappointed.
But going in with an open mind will give you a much better chance of getting a brand-new countertop at a budget price.
Another way to cut costs on replacing your countertops is to opt for a second-hand countertop.
Lots of people sell their countertops when they have a new kitchen fitted, so keep an eye on any of the online resale platforms, and you might be able to pick up a new-to-you countertop at a bargain price.
6. Change Your Accessories
If you can’t afford to change your countertops, but want to spruce up your kitchen, then changing your accessories is a great option.
Changing the accessories in your kitchen will cost a fraction of what a new countertop would cost, and that is why we would recommend doing this to freshen up your kitchen.
Instead of replacing your countertop, consider changing the color of your accessories.
If you keep your microwave or coffee maker out on the counter, maybe consider replacing them with a different color.
Alternatively, replace your dish towels, purchase a new drainer, and buy a new oven mitt.
You could also consider adding a fake plant or photograph to your countertop. This will freshen up the style of your kitchen and add a sweet personal touch to the heart of the home.
7. DIY Granite Countertops
Alternatively, if you are considering replacing your countertops with granite countertops, why not try out this hack first?
If you are replacing the countertops anyway, then you really have nothing to lose by giving it a go.
There are now a number of companies that produce DIY countertop kits.
These kits are compatible with laminate countertops, and allow you to transform them to look as though they are made of another material.
Granite is one of the best options because these kits allow you to create countertops that look and feel like granite.
So, if you are throwing your old countertops out anyway, why not try out one of these kits? It could save you some money!
8. Re-decorate Your Kitchen Walls
If changing your countertops isn’t an option, then redecorating your kitchen might be. You can purchase wall paint at a fairly low price point, and this is a renovation project that you can do yourself.
If something isn’t working in your kitchen, it could be the color of the walls – rather than the countertop.
Consider purchasing a completely different color paint, and adding a splash of color to the walls, it really could make you fall in love with your kitchen.
It doesn’t involve changing your counters, but adding a new color to the walls really can make your countertops pop!
9. Add Chopping Blocks
Finally, when in doubt, add some chopping blocks. Chopping blocks are excellent for changing the feel of your kitchen, and they really can transform the space.
If you don’t want to purchase new countertops, but like the idea of butcher’s block counters, then chopping blocks can simulate the same look (at a fraction of the cost).
They can also come in handy when it comes to chopping things.
So, if you’re not sure what to do with your counters, we would recommend adding chopping blocks as a temporary fix.
Summary
In short, there are lots of excellent ways that you can spruce up your kitchen through budget countertops.
From painting your countertops or wrapping them in contact paper to buying a budget countertop to replace your old one, or even making your own DIY countertops, there are lots of budget-friendly options to choose from.
In this guide, we’ve told you all you need to know about the different options available to you. But which one will you choose? Well, that decision is entirely up to you!
Thanks for reading.