How can I revamp this kitchen?!

[badgerread]

I’ve recently bought a house with this kitchen, the worktop is quartz but I hate the colour. I thought it would be a simple case of replacing it with a pale laminate, white wall and floor tiles until I can afford a new kitchen. In a million years. Oh no, not that simple because of the odd shape and measurements. I’ve just been quoted £2700 which I just can’t afford.

Can anyone offer some worldly advice on what I can do?

Could you get a tiler to give you a quote to tile on top of the worktop?

I think if you change the tiling and perhaps the cupboard doors it would make a big difference. Just think about some more neutral colours/designs that could balance out the worktop. It's a 'strong' design!

'Strong design' 😂😂😂 I like that. Actually looking online replacement doors maybe the cheaper option. Thank you!

God, that's nasty. A good kitchen fitter would be able to do exactly as you suggest. I had the worktop and tiles replaced in mine quite recently. If you put the job on one of the sites where tradesmen quote for a job you'll find someone to do it for a lot, lot less than you've been quoted.

Oh good lord, that worktop is truly horrible, you have my sympathies. I actually think the cupboards would look lovely with a different worktop - dark colours are very fashionable at the moment.

If quartz is out of reach, what about wood effect - Ikea do some nice, cheap light oak effect ones which would work with your doors and splashback. They look really a lot like wood, without any of the maintenance.

I know. Gives me a fright whenever I walk in the room. Not living there yet thank God so don't have to experience it every day..

Would you happen to have one of those site addresses to hand?

Look up Ikea 'Ekbacken' - the ash one looks REALLY nice with dark colours. There's a show kitchen in my local store that uses it with black cupboards and it looks really warm and lovely.

www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/kitchen-products/worktops-worktops-accessories/ekbacken-worktop-ash-effect-art-50337617/

You'll need to add fitting by a local joiner on top of the cost, but this would reduce the price to the low hundreds instead of the thousands.

I can see how the angles would make even laminate more expensive, because of all the joins. Are the cupboards charcoal grey or black?

Thanks everyone. Cupboards are charcoal grey. Really good quality but just a rubbish colour combination!

The units are lovely but that worktop 😩😮
Replace worktop and tiles and it would look fab

The floor tiles look fine I’d be tempted to paint them

They look good quality, hope the wood idea works, that could look lovely. You will probably be able to sell your quartz on ebay to make up some of the cost.

Wooden worktop would look lovely with those units

Well, if you don't live there yet and don't like it already, imagine how terrible you would feel after you move in... I would suggest you give some reasonable price to fix the problem because now if you give less for some small alternations in the future you will get rid of them and in the end, you will pay MORE.

P.S. I have no idea how many quotes you've got but compare prices with several contractors. You may find the right one.

I'd probably get a good painter and decorator in to paint the cabinets a lighter colour, re-tile if you can and paint the tiles too if you can't. Go for something neutral so that the worktop doesn't look so horribly '80's wide-boy'

It is like a Japanese theme? The red and the blue mountain tiles hint at that.

Can you just replace the worktop with a pale laminate? I don't see how that will be so expensive?

I quite like it! But it is definitely a strong look. I think with a different worktop it would look great though.

Fluffy - the £2700 was for a laminate replacement (plus tiling the walls). I couldn't believe how expensive it was..
I have a guy coming round tomorrow who only does worktops so fingers crossed.

The other option is replacing the doors. I'm not sure how painting it would look with the doors being gloss?

paint the walls much cheaper and willchange the athmosphere. no point in replacing good quality with simething cheap

Sorry for the delay. I've got loads of trades from MyBuilder.com That's where I got the guy who did my kitchen. He supplied the worktop (which I chose) and the sink and professional tap because he got them discounted at Howdens, fitted them and retiled. I supplied the tiles and it cost less than a grand all in.

Btw I did it to give the kitchen a bit of a facelift to sell the house. It really needs a new kitchen but they're so personal I reckon the buyer would prefer to choose their own. You've just proved me right!

Thanks bluelady!

We're refitting our kitchen (well we are just replacing doors but everything else will be new). we were quoted 10k but can do it for 2k ourselves.

My mother is also doing hers but they are painting the worksurface with a resin type paint. I have no idea what this will look like and no nothing about the product but might be worth researching?

know nothing....

Oh dear God, what were they thinking? Tbh I think just replacing the worktop with a light colour will make a massive difference and you may find that you can actually live with the rest then without retiling, the floor looks absolutely fine. It’s the worktop that’s making everything else look insane.