Remodelling the kitchen will certainly add to the value of a home, however, it can be very expensive. Any of the following projects will give your kitchen a pick-me-up without breaking the bank!

1. Refinish your cabinets.
In many cases, the finish on your cabinets will soften around the handles - this is the result of body oil breaking down the finish. Most finish can be stripped off fairly easily. Use one of the newer citrus-based strippers and layer it on. After the finish was removed, we applied a stain that gave a totally new, fresh look.

2. Freshen up your walls.
A fresh coat of paint works wonders. Try your hand at one of the faux techniques that are so popular, including sponge painting, the ragged effect or the fresco effect. There are roller covers available now to make the task easier and even striping rollers, which give the illusion of striped wallpaper at a fraction of the cost. You might also consider a new wall covering or even a simple border.

3. Add moulding.
Moulding can be the finishing touch in any room. If you are handy with a saw, try topping off your wall cabinets with crown moulding. Mitring the corners can be a little tricky however; check your local diy shops for 'mitre-less' moulding. The idea behind mitre-less moulding is the pre-formed corners - they form a 90° angle for inside corners and outside corners. All you need to do is make straight cuts.

Keeping this in mind, you may even try your hand at installing crown moulding (at the ceiling) or maybe a dado rail. In general, choose a more expensive wood (such as oak) if you plan to stain the moulding, and use a stainable wood putty to cover over any nails. If paint is the way you want to go, consider pine, and fill over the head of the nail with filler.

4. Replace the work surfaces.
Cabinets in good shape? How about the work surfaces? Work surfaces take a lot of abuse and can look worn and drab. Replacing the work surface is certainly more expensive, but often worth the effort. New work surfaces will really make it feel like a new kitchen.

5. Decorate your windows with colour.
Does your window treatment need updating or a little colour? Here's a quick remedy: Hang a curtain rod and simply fold fabric placemats or napkins over it. If they are square, hang them on the diagonal. For rectangular fabric, fold lengthwise. Another option is to fold all of the rectangular fabric the same length, or fold in half on each end, allowing it to drape in the middle.

6. Get creative with knobs and handles.
Changing knobs and handles is very easy. There are so many styles to choose from -- I've seen handles shaped like fruit, vegetables, knives, forks, spoons and even teapots. Be sure to measure the distance between the holes of the handles, as they are not all the same. There are backer plates available that will cover existing holes should you need to drill new ones.

7. Change the cabinet fronts.
There are several ways cabinet fronts can be embellished or totally changed. If the doors are flat, add moulding to give the illusion of a panelled door. This can be done very inexpensively using screen moulding. Draw a line around the door (1 1/2 to 2 inches in from all sides is pretty standard).

Cut the moulding to that length, mitre the corners and attach to the front of the cabinets with wood glue and 1/2-inch tacks. If you have panelled doors, remove the panel from a couple of the doors and replace them with glass. Consider coloured glass that is available in sheets. Cut the glass to size and secure in the same way as you would reglaze a window, using glazing points. Another alternative is to insert plain glass and use faux stained-glass paint and faux leading (available at craft stores) to really create a focal point.

8. Update appliances.
Are your appliances working great, but the colour went out years ago? Fronts of dishwashers and some refrigerators are easily replaceable. Most manufacturers offer several colours, or you can have fronts made to match your cabinets - check with your cabinet manufacturer.

Appliance paint can also bring you a new colour. Just remove the handles and use masking tape on any areas you don't want painted. Also, place the appliance in a spray booth to prevent over-spray. Hint: An appliance box makes a great spray booth (check with your local appliance dealer; they will more than likely have some empties).

9. New flooring.
There are so many types, styles, patterns and colours of flooring to choose from it will make your head spin. A couple of points to keep in mind when looking for flooring: Ceramic tile is thick and will make your cabinets lower (about 3/4 inches or more) than you are used to. For me that was a good thing - I'm 5'1" and standard cabinets are a bit too tall for me. Self-adhesive vinyl tiles have come a long way over the years and are very easy to install, not to mention they are much cheaper than some of your other choices.

10. Add accents.
The kitchen is a great place to display collections, and you can make inexpensive pine shelves and secure them with ready-made brackets. Or, you can sandwich each shelf between two strips of 1'-by-1' pine boards cut about 1/2 inch shorter than the shelf. The shelves should fit very tightly between the one-by-ones. Paint or stain them.

Another fun accent is colourful placemats. This is also great way to save some of your children's artwork, or dried leaves or flowers. Simply place a design between clear, self-adhesive laminate cut about 1/4 inch larger than the size mat you want. After the laminate has been adhered to front and back of design, trim off about 1/8 inch of the laminate. Leaving the small outside trim will seal the objects. The mats can be wiped with a damp cloth without disturbing the insides.