DIY Kitchen Before and After: Our Budget Renovation

This post shares our DIY kitchen before and after photos and the best kitchen makeover ideas on a budget so you can update your kitchen without overspending.

Our DIY kitchen before and after came in at $4,000, and we did it without a single new cabinet. We darkened the orange oak cabinets with Briwax instead of painting them, swapped every piece of hardware for matte black, added vertical shiplap to a ruined wall, converted a broken pantry into a built-in china cabinet, and replaced the carpet (that was oddly in our kitchen) with new LVT flooring.

When we first walked into this house, there were chipmunks living in it. We knew we could not overspend here given everything else the house needed, so we started by asking what we could keep rather than what we could rip out. That one question saved us thousands.

Here is the full DIY kitchen renovation, including exactly where every dollar went.

What did our kitchen look like before?

Dated, and not in a charming way.

The kitchen cabinets were the warm orange oak that came standard in the 1980s and 90s. One side of the room had upper cabinets and lowers plus there was a matching built-in island. The other side had random dressers shoved against the wall, hiding a beautiful cutout that let natural light pass through from the living room.

The house was built in the 1960s, and at some point someone opened the kitchen into the original dining room. That should have made the space feel larger. All the cabinetry made it feel cramped instead.

Two built-in pantries were not functioning well. The counter tops were original laminate in a decent neutral. The flooring was carpet. The only thing that was not dated was the square footage, which was genuinely fine. It just was not being used well.

Here is the good news, and it is the reason this whole project worked: the old cabinet boxes were structurally solid. This was not a galley kitchen with real problems requiring structural changes. It did not need a major overhaul. It needed someone to commit to a direction.

Everything we changed in our DIY kitchen before and after

Roughly in order:

• Applied Tudor Brown Briwax to the existing honey oak cabinets (the full how-to is here)
• Swapped all hardware for matte black drawer pulls, cup pulls, and knobs
• Painted walls and ceiling Sherwin-Williams Pure White
• Matched the 6×6 off-white ceramic tile onto the opposite wall
• Added vertical shiplap to a wall that had been ruined by glue
• Moved the island cabinets to the opposite wall to fix the kitchen layout
• Added this moveable island that matches the shiplap
• Installed a matching laminate countertop
• Converted the pantry into a built-in china cabinet with a plexiglass door
• Added decorative moulding to the pantry doors
• Added a hood vent above the range
• Bought like-new stainless appliances secondhand
• Reused and added pendant lights throughout
• Replaced every electrical outlet
• Laid new travertine-look LVT flooring

The flooring complements the hardwood floors in the rest of the house. Here is how we refinished our red oak to look like white oak.

Why didn’t we paint the oak cabinets?

This was the most important decision in the entire project, and we sat with it a long time.

We had three options: paint the cabinet doors, install new cabinets, or find something that worked with the existing wood. We ruled out IKEA cabinets because our boxes were in great shape. We ruled out painting because we had seen too many painted oak cabinets chip and peel within a few years. And we ruled out replacement entirely, because the budget did not support it and the cabinets did not need it.

Instead we used Briwax in Tudor Brown, and it was the best decision we made. Applied with 0000 steel wool, buffed with a soft cloth. No brush strokes, no primer, no peeling. It even looked good on the pressed-wood end panels.

Briwax is a wax-based wood finish that deepens the tone of existing wood grain without paint, primer, or stripping. The orange tone became a warm brown, the grain became more visible, and two tins cost under $100. If you are going this route, clean your cabinets properly first. It matters more than people think.

How much did new hardware really change things?

More than it has any right to, and it took under an hour.

Our original hardware was small and brass-toned and very much of its era. We chose matte black cup pulls on the drawers, handles on the doors, and simple knobs on the pantry. The contrast between warm brown Briwaxed oak and modern black is what keeps this kitchen from leaning too hard into any one style.

If black is not your thing, these warm brass handles would look just as good against this wood.

What paint color works with oak cabinets?

We used Sherwin-Williams Pure White on the walls and ceiling, and if you only do one thing in your DIY kitchen makeover, make it this.

Pure White reads bright without feeling sterile, and its warm undertone works beautifully with oak. White walls also help a small kitchen feel larger and make the room feel like it has more natural light than it does.

You do not have to be an interior designer to get this right. Warm off-whites, soft greens, and warm grays all work with oak. What matters is that the color reads as a choice.

How did we add a tile wall on a budget?

Because we kept the original backsplash tile on one wall, we could match it on the other. Ours is 6×6 off-white ceramic, a simple classic that does not try too hard. Subway tile is an equally affordable option if you are starting from scratch.

Figuring out where to begin tiling is a real test of your math. We highly recommend this cross-line laser level to keep your lines true.

Running the tile to the ceiling draws your eye up the moment you walk in. It makes the kitchen feel high-end for very little money. Peel and stick is cheaper still, though it will not last as long or feel as finished.

Why did one shiplap wall change how the whole kitchen felt?

One of our walls had paneling glued directly to the drywall, and removing it destroyed the surface underneath. Rather than repair it, we covered it with vertical shiplap painted with the same white as the trim.

Vertical draws the eye upward and makes a small kitchen feel taller without changing the square footage. Horizontal leans toward a modern farmhouse kitchen remodel look that does not suit every space, while vertical works in a clean simple kitchen and a rustic one equally.

We used the leftover boards to build a matching hood vent on the back wall, which turned a blank stretch into the perfect spot for a focal point.

How did we turn a broken pantry into the best feature in the kitchen?

This is the change that surprises people most, and the one that makes the kitchen feel custom.

The original pantry door was too heavy for its hinges. Since we already had plenty of storage, we painted the interior shelves white and built custom oak doors with plexiglass inserts, turning it into a built-in china cabinet.

Behind that glass door, we can display dishes and the pieces we have collected over the years. Open shelving makes a small kitchen feel more open, and one section of open shelves is usually plenty. If your kitchen runs toward clutter, committing the whole room to open storage will work against you.

When your home is an extension of the people in it and the heirlooms you have gathered, displaying them is the best decor inspiration a kitchen can have.

Why laminate countertops and LVT flooring?

New countertops are one of the most expensive updates if you go with stone or quartz. Since the existing counter was a workable neutral, we matched it with a new laminate countertop and put the savings elsewhere.

Modern laminate looks dramatically better than it did even a few years ago, and it holds up in a kitchen that gets real daily use. Butcher block is another warm, affordable option that pairs beautifully with oak.

For the floor, we wanted stone-look against the wood cabinets. Travertine-pattern LVT was the answer, and installing it ourselves saved a significant chunk of labor cost.

The details that finished the kitchen

The hood vent gave the cooking area a focal point and made it feel like a real kitchen rather than a room with appliances in it.

We bought stainless appliances secondhand online at a great price. We did not have a wall oven to work around, which simplified the layout considerably. If you are hoping for a farmhouse sink, know that most require cabinet modification, so price that in before you fall in love.

We repainted one original light fixture gold and added a sconce over the sink and a new fixture over the dining table. The electrical work meant the coffee bar could finally open, which felt like the moment the kitchen became ours.

Then the outlets. Nobody talks about them and everybody notices them. Old painted outlets make a white kitchen look dated no matter what else you have done, and new ones cost almost nothing.

What did our DIY kitchen renovation cost?

Item	Cost
Briwax and supplies	$80
Matte black cabinet hardware	$50
Paint (walls, trim, ceiling)	$200
Ceramic tile and supplies	$90
Laminate countertops	$200
Laminate flooring and underlayment	$1,000
Vertical shiplap and supplies	$300
Hood vent and shiplap	$170
Pendant lights and fixtures	$90
Electrical outlets and covers	$20
Used stainless steel appliances	$1,000
Built-in pantry supplies	$200
Electrical, plumbing, drywall repair	$500
Screws, vents, tape, the extras	$100
Total	$4,000

One thing worth naming, because we would want to know it if we were reading this, is that friends gave us the trim. That was a real gift and it kept a real number off this list.

Sometimes saving money looks like trading what you have for what someone else has, and both of you can receive what you need.

This was a DIY renovation and it was a lot of work. We want to be honest about that too. But the hard work was spread over months, one decision at a time, with skills we already had or the determination to figure them out!

What made the biggest difference, ranked

1. Briwax on the oak cabinets, the single best move for anyone with honey oak
2. Matte black hardware, small change, huge shift
3. Fresh paint, the most affordable way to change everything
4. Laminate countertop, modern look for a fraction of stone
5. New flooring
6. Pendant lights, because good lighting makes a kitchen feel alive
7. Electrical outlets, the detail that finishes the fresh look
8. Faucet and sink
9. Ceramic tile wall
10. Vertical shiplap
11. Pantry-to-china-cabinet conversion, the one that made it look custom

What if you have even less to spend?

Not every kitchen needs $4,000. If your budget is smaller, in order of impact:

• New paint on the walls, the single most affordable change you can make
• New hardware only, which can transform a kitchen’s style for under $50
• Peel and stick tile on the backsplash, a practical option for renters
• Stick tiles on the floor, no demo required
• Replace the cabinet doors only, keeping the boxes
• Replace the countertop for an instant refresh

We have a full list of frugal tips for a whole-house renovation if you are working across more than one room.

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This post shared our DIY kitchen before and after, every change we made, and exactly what it cost.