HELP! Counter tops/cabinets need to be replaced...CHEAP! I need ideas!

Question

I live in a mobile home, which says it all. The countertops are plastic, cracking, & glued on but has come off from the water running underneath causing the cheap wood to swell . The entire pc around the edge has come lose and fallen off. I can't go to home depot and just buy new because the depth is different than that in a house. The cabinets aren't 'real', basically they're boxes built on the wall with doors. They can't be refaced. I still have to tackle the floors too...I may just paint them at this point! I live in a nightmare! Please give me some good ideas! Thanks

Z · Answer

Are you close enough to Knoxville, TN so you can check out their Habitat for Humanity ReStore? They often have used kitchen cabinets that would be much less expensive than new.

Annie · Answer

I have a few ideas. They are cheeper ideas but will require a lot of work on your part. What I would do is for the counter tops I would make concrete counters. I would then give the concrete a nice acid stain before sealing them. This might be a tad bit too involved. In which case I would go with a tile counter top. You can buy some of the cheeper tiles at the hardware store. There are ones that are $0.98 a square foot. You could then install them over a new piece of plywood you bought at the hardware store and cut to fit. The edge of the counter could be trimmed out in some molding. This wooden molding could be either painted or stained. If you don't want to mess with trying to find a wet saw to cut the tile you could always go with a mosaic style counter top. You could buy cheep tiles and ones you find at a restore. Break them up, make a cool design. Mortar them into place. Make sure to seal the mortar! For the cabinets the restore would be a good place to find new ones for cheep. At my parents house we took their cabinets sealed them with kills paint, painted them white and then added on molding to the front of the doors. Made it kind of like a picture frame. As for the flooring you could check out brown paper bag flooring. I have never tried this but it looks really nice. You can buy the bags on line for practically nothing. If you do decide to paint the floors you can always add a nice stencil to the floor design to give it interest. If there are any of these ideas you want to know more about just let me know and I will send you additional information and/or pictures.

Z · Answer

Rebecca, Annie's idea of the using the paper bags (or brown craft paper works too) is great. It can also work for your countertops. Brown Paper Floors: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/floors-ceilings/paper-bag-floors-1147044 Painted linoleum floors: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/kitchen-dining/painted-vinyl-floor-update-986150 Wood Flooring as Kitchen Counters: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/kitchen-dining/countertops/my-kitchen-remodel-diy-butcher-block-countertops-156773 DIY concrete over existing counters: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/kitchen-dining/countertops/diy-concrete-countertops-over-existing-formica-3183370 Contact Paper counters (if you go this route, check your local dollar store): http://www.hometalk.com/diy/kitchen-dining/kitchen-dining-furniture/diy-countertop-revival-2729588 Painted counters with latex and craft paint: http://www.hometalk.com/diy/kitchen-dining/kitchen-dining-furniture/painting-my-countertops-2646161 If there's any way to save the current cabinets, that will save you the most money. Can they be reinforced with lattice strips on the outside, then reinstall the doors on top of the lattice? Lattice is a thin pieced of lumber about a quarter inch thick by about one and a quarter or so wide that comes in lengths of 8 feet. If you can save some, but not all, maybe you could find some old furniture, chest of drawers, wooden pantries, or even a buffet and hutch that could take the place of the ones you cannot save, giving yourself a 'furnished' look kitchen. An old chest of drawers could become an island and others could set against the wall with open shelving above for dishes.

Rebecca Duff · Answer

@.Annie....and to think I was laughing about paper floors at another person the other day! I'll have to look that up! You've given me some great ideas ...thanks so much! Don't know about that concrete...I hear it turns out beautiful though.

Rebecca Duff · Answer

@ Becky..yes, I actually live in Knox county, that would be an option. I can't imagine a paperfloor...I'm very curious now. Thank you both for your ideas!

Kinney Michael · Answer

resource center or habitat, best bet, want ads- too

Atlanta Design & Build · Answer

The Habitat ReStore is a terrific bet and Craigslist can sometimes be helpful.

The Garden Frog with C Renee · Answer

for a budget friendly kitchen redo, painting the cabinets if they are still in good shape would be the least expensive way to do it-think about using chalk paint so you can skip the priming step (but you must thoroughly clean and degrease the cabinets). For the countertop, think about thick plywood (about $45 a sheet) that can be stained and sealed with a polyurethane for food surface. You could have your lumber/home store cut the plywood the depth the counters are now. for the floors, the paper bag idea is a great one but you should also check out the back aisles of your home stores for remnants of linoleum or laminate/wood flooring. I have found flooring for $1 a box (it was 4 boxes of special order $41 regular price!) that was sitting hiding in the clearance aisles. Deals are to be found if you look and be patient. Painting can work too and just remember that prep/cleaning is very important. As Atlanta stated watch Craiglist too because sometimes people give away useable stuff. You could even put an add on the wanted section asking for anyone gutting a mobile home or who may have extra flooring, etc.
Good luck!

Pat · Answer

Mother used Contact paper to cover her countertop....worked temporarily. There are kits you can buy to paint your countertops.

Rebecca Duff · Answer

unfortunately, it has buckled because of the water running underneath...it has also come loose so painting isn't an option on the counter tops....thanks though for your input!!

Cyndy B · Answer

Rebecca, you're getting some great ideas here! ) When we updated cabinets in a singlewide, we also cleaned and Kilz'ed which are not the fun part but very necessary. I then added paintable beadboard wallpaper to the 'insert' part of the doors and we caulked all around the edges to make a smooth finish. A little time-consuming but very inexpensive! Mine are currently painted mustard and then aged with a dark stain.

I hope all the ideas folks are sharing will help you 'dive in'! There are a lot of upgrades you can do yourself for very little money. Don't get hung up on being in a mobile home, most upgrades for 'regular' homes also work for your home! Keep checking here and Pinterest, there are so many talented folks who share their ideas and methods! Have fun and I look forward to seeing your new kitchen! 
 P.S. there are also a lot of tutorials for making inexpensive but very cool wood countertops so you might want to check them also (That's on my personal wish list, maybe later this year.....).

Jeanette S · Answer

When it comes to kitchens, there aren't any cheap ideas...particularly with counter tops. Good luck to you...wish I had some ideas, but don't! Post photos of before and after!

Cyndy B · Answer

Rebecca,  I forgot to mention when discussing the beadboard wallpaper...we have 4 upper cabinet doors that had 'decorator glass' in them - aka UGLY. The beadboard covered those too, plus I painted the inside with chalkboard paint for lists, reminders, love notes....whatever you like. ;)

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