In a recent interior decorating project in Upland, CA, we desperately needed to update the kitchen. The cabinets were solid wood and in good condition and the homeowner didn’t want to replace them. We were also working with a pretty tight budget, so a full kitchen remodel was out of the question. The homeowner had (prior to hiring StageRight) looked into re-staining the cabinets a darker color, but the wood grain was not that attractive — so I recommended painting them white instead. The cost to re-stain the cabinets was $5000, so I used that as my budget for the kitchen.
The existing cabinets were solid wood in good condition, but the hardware was outdated and wood grain was not attractive. The countertops and backsplash were fairly new and worth keeping as was the built in oven and range hood.
We had the cabinets painted white (Behr Polar Bear) for a little more than 1/2 the cost of re-staining. This savings allowed us to purchase a new stainless dishwasher as well as a new stainless side by side refrigerator (out of this shot). We also purchased all new shelf paper and still had only spent $4974, so I bought the homeowner a new paper towel holder.
This should serve as a good home staging lesson. If your kitchen and/or bathrooms are outdated, it may not be necessary to do an expensive remodel. Look for the easier, less expensive ways you can make your house more appealing to buyers. We achieved a dramatic improvement spending less than $5000 and finished in about a week.
StageRight Home Staging & Redesign 