10 DIY Projects For Your Kitchen

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — Kitchen renovation projects tend to have a way to break the bank – or at least cost more expected.

Budgets for major kitchen overhauls can easily reach tens of thousands of dollars – not to mention the hassle of having arguably the most used area of your home under construction for a few weeks, if not months, once you factor in the unexpected but common renovation hiccups.

During the economic recovery that’s showing modest signs of life, it’s especially important to re-evaluate your renovation goals and budget. To give your kitchen a more updated look without having to hire a contractor and spend thousands in construction costs, we polled the design pros themselves to share ten do-it-yourself projects to spruce up your kitchen.

1. Cabinet lighting

Lights under a cabinet make for a classy illumination of countertops. “The simplest way to install under-cabinet lighting is to visit your home improvement store and buy some readily available light fixtures – enough fixtures to place one in each of your major task areas within your kitchen,” says Jill Valeri, president of The Welcome Home: Interior Design Solutions.

Additionally, Valeri mentions these pointers when it comes to installing the lights:

• Typically fixtures are installed with screws directly to the underside of your cabinets and can plug in to your standard wall outlet.
• You can secure excess wire to the underside of the cabinet as well by using a staple gun, making sure you do not pierce the wire.
• You can also hard-wire the fixtures to a switch,but that is best left to professionals.

2. Cabinet knobs