How to update my kitchen? (pic included)

[Saffronwblue]

I have a 40 year old country style kitchen. Would love a new one but not in a position to do this. We are probably going to sell in a couple of years and as we have a large block and are in a popular area we have been told that we will be most likely to sell to a developer which means that any money we put into the house we will not recover.
So I would be so grateful for suggestions as to cheap and cheerful ways to update it. Should we replace or paint the tiles? What about the cupboard fronts? We actually love the wooden bench tops as they are very solid and forgiving.
Here is a picture (please excuse the clutter of daily life). Let me know your thoughts!

You don't even have to retile, I was in the same kind of predicament. I found tile stickers on eBay, just need to be careful with them in terms of cleaning. You can order sample packs to make sure they're fully opaque. I'll post up a pic but you can get some funky prints or plain. We painted our cupboards but yours look fine.

after two years the only areas showing slight wear are the sink and hob area but if you get spares you can easily re sticker them

Forgot to say there are a lot of sellers and they can cut to any size you need. I don't work for them honest!

I think they look a lot better than paint as it's hard to get a good finish with tile paint.

As has been said upthread, you've already been told you can't add value by changing it, so only make changes that please you for the time you live there.

I would go with a stainless steel splashback and paint the rest of the tiles in a light colour. The paint will last a while if you don't have them behind the cooker and don't scrub them too often.

I like those @MightyMunki !

I have a splash back from ikea. It's a silver panel which fits into a frame. It looks good. They come in different colours, you'd need to be careful about the size.

www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/kitchen-products/wall-panels/

Have a look at these. If the size works, they look great!

I wouldn't put stickers on tile if your aim is trying to update a house for a sale. It suggests all sort of issues are hiding behind there and will put people off.

Id change the floor (£100 Lino) and put tile stickers on but not the ones already shown. I did it after finding some fabulous mosaic ones in pound land that look nothing like stickers. The effect is amazing. It cost me about £80. You have to hunt around for them tho as they're not in every shop! Will find a before n after pic in a mo.

Before

After

Agree with previous posters.

Retile in white.

The kitchen units are a good, light colour already, so new knobs or handles would perk them up.

If you really feel the need, then yes, paint them white or very light grey.

New flooring doesn't have to be expensive; vinyl is hard wearing and is a good choice, again, a light grey or a cream/white pattern would look nice.

Also have work top envy.

That wood is a gorgeous colour.

Replace the tiles and/or paint doors and no cream!

Those tiles can be painted with tile paint in a few hours and your jaw will drop at the difference. I know I did it - awful heavy terracotta and brown, changed to palest duck egg, it was extraordinary!

Change door knobs to brushed chrome or stainless steel...you can get boxes of them from big DIY stores or Ebay.
Try painting the tiles first...I have done this in my kitchen and they look great!...just painted white!

Cover floor tiles with light coloured vinyl floor covering.
The rest of your kitchen looks great!

@ Shifty, no one would know mine are stickers at all unless told. The tiles underneath are fab condition just not to my taste. I don't think OP is updating for sale just for her own benefit. And you can always peel them off.

I like your mosaic stickers @ fosterdog.

It all depends on your budget OP. If you can afford to retile or get a new splash back then I think that's best. New cupboard handles would also go a long way to update it.

I've not seen painted tiles that look good, they always look painted.

No offence to anyone with painted tiles. Would love to see pics if you have some. My experience of tile paint is tainted slightly by my parents kitchen (put me off for life). It may just be the inexperience of those who applied it though.

Yes you can tell with painted tiles but it looks a lot better than the original ones.

Thanks so much everyone for your massively helpful thoughts. Sunk in work but will respond with more detail when I can. I had no idea about tile stickers.

New tiles will make all the difference .

New tiles definitely.
Start there. Good luck.

Agree that painted tiles don't really 'do the trick'. I've not seen any that looks that great.
If you can afford it, then replace the tiles and the cupboard doors, but if it's budget-limited then replace the tiles and give the doors a lick of paint to match the tiles.

My current dream kitchen is way out of budget as the worktop is £200 per square metre, so I feel your pain!

Mighty, I appreciate they look good from far away and the mosaic pattern fools the eye. But I promise you that the difference between two different materials like stickers and tiles isn't fooling anyone who's looking at a house with a buying eye. OP hopes she sells to a developer within a couple of years.

Haha, I don't get this mania for grey....

Your kitchen looks,fine, apart from the tiles. But if you are leaving in a few years, is it worth changing....?