Make Over Your Kitchen In ONE WEEKEND With These 7 Cheap + Easy Upgrades

Designer Taniya Nayak transformed our green rooms (you know… where the celebs hang out while they’re waiting to come onstage) several years back, and her cozy chic work still gets raves (watch “This Is Us” star Chrissy Metz talk about how much she loves the “Adirondack Room”).

But there’s one more area that she’s been itching to get her hands on -- our underwhelming backstage kitchen.

She finally convinced us to let her give it a sleek new look, and with her budget-friendly tips below, you can do the same thing with your own kitchen in only ONE weekend! (watch the video above to see her tips in action—and to see Rach’s reaction to the impressive “after.”)

UPGRADE YOUR CABINETS

WITH: PAINT (Even if They’re Laminate)

Even if you have inexpensive laminate cabinets like we had backstage, Taniya shows you how to quickly and easily transform them. Just sand, prime and then paint them any color you want. Be sure to use a satin or semi-gloss finish to make them easy to clean.

WATCH: 4 DIY Projects for Under $50 That Can Transform an Entire Room

Tip: Take the cabinet doors off before painting to make sure you cover all the nooks and crannies.

WITH: Trim

Rachael Ray Show

In addition to painting, make your cabinets look a LOT more expensive by adding inexpensive wood trim around the edges.

WITH: New Hardware

Switch out your cabinet and drawer knobs for an instant update. If you only have $100 to upgrade your kitchen, this is the step that Taniya recommends doing.

WITH: Contact Paper

Rachael Ray Show

Contact paper comes in all kind of designs now. The wood-grained type that Taniya uses is super inexpensive, and you just peel and stick. Taniya says that the only tools you need are scissors for trimming and a credit card for smoothing out air bubbles.

TRANSFORM YOUR WALLS

WITH: Peel + Stick Wallpaper (or Faux Brick)

Like contact paper, this product adds a lot of visual interest for very little effort (and expense). You can also use super-inexpensive peel-and-stick faux brick sheets to get the look of brick with only a fraction of the expense and hassle.

WATCH: Watch How a Viewer Redid an Entire Room (Including Countertops + Floors!) for $71!

TRANSFORM ANY WOOD SURFACE

WITH: ‘Gray Wash’

Want to make new wood look weathered? Just do a “gray wash” to give it a nice, aged look.

WITH: Wood Veneer (That Velcros On!)

Taniya uses a wood veneer that looks like reclaimed wood but sticks to your wall with velcro! Sounds a little weird right? Watch the video and it will all make sense!