My Kitchen.. Need Cheap Ideas!
My kitchen is ugly, dark, and outdated. So is the rest of my house sort of.. with the exception of the dark part. The kitchen is the worst though... wood paneling, ugly colored door and window frame paint, some 70s-style laminate sheet type of floor that's peeling at the edges, etc. This is why I'm looking for inexpensive ideas. It's not worth using high-end products in my kitchen while the rest of my house is lame. Plus, I'm a cashier;)
My mom is taking a 4-day vacation at a local beach with some friends, something she hasn't done in.. I don't remember her ever doing that actually. She works hard to pay the bills, and I want to surprise her when she gets home.
Here are my questions and areas in which I hope for some sort of advice or suggestions:
Wood Paneling-
I want to paint the wood paneling a fairly light color. Do I need a primer first? Does it need to be water-proof for around the sink? What type of finish do you suggest? What type of product should I use to clean the paneling before I paint them?
Windows- The paint on them is old and chipping in some places. How do I get rid of the old paint so I can repaint them? Just chip it off? Sand it?
Canibets-
My cabinets are just plain pieces of wood with some protective clear coat over them. How would I paint these? Can I just wash them and paint right over them? What product should I use to wash them? Could I add some skinny moulding pieces in rectangular shapes near the edges of each wood slab to add some texture?
Stove-
I have a gas stove. Do I need to call some gas guy to disconnect my stove/oven in order to paint the wall behind it? Will it be expensive?
Flooring-
I feel as though I could peel the whole sheet of whatever it is in my kitchen floor off of my kitchen floor fairly easily. I'm thinking of going with some type of durable, flexible tile- vinyl?- that doesn't require any mortar or anything.. the adhesive type. Any suggestions? What condition should the floor under the current "floor sheet" be in in order to apply adhesive-type "tiles"?(the floor project is for another date in the near-future)
Other-
Any other suggestions or quick, cheap, affective asthetic-improving ideas are wayyy welcome.
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this and help me out:)