That's gonna be tight on that budget unless you are DIY. If so, I'd also budget for replacing that leaky window too while you are at it.

I think your cabs look nice. Are they still in good condition with a good finish? If so, and you need to find wiggle room in your budget, I'd leave them be and put money towards other things that definitely need replacing. BB in a mid to dark wood, like walnut would be beautiful with your cabs.

Not your aunt's country kitchen · More Info

In the pic below, the walnut BB is on a blue island but it also looks good against the perimeter cabs, which are close in color to your cabs.

She loves Blue and the Beach - Kitchen · More Info

get some granite...the butcher block won't do anything for your space.....leave cabs as is.....bring different granite samples home.....take a look at how it will change the whole feel without painting the nice cabs...... plan to change floor .....what do you like? more tile-maybe a gray...or laminate squares?? or hardwood?? I'd be so happy to rid the kitchen of the tile floor- I'd allow room for that change in the budget...your budget IS tight.

No DIY. Lisa_a I love the pictures you posted maybe my cabinet could stay.

I going to look into the cork floors

I like your cabinets, too, and think that butcher block will look good with them. I got Milstead floating cork flooring from Home Depot, it comes in several colors. Here's a shot of it in my kitchen (yes, I know that it looks like a picture of a cat, but, really, he just happens to be in the way of the picture of the flooring):

What do you dislike most and what is actually failing to perform? Rather than attempt to change so many elements of the kitchen on your $5000, I think you might be surprised by now much just one or two updates will change the look.

As some others said, I rather like your cabinets. They are charming. If they're solid and the paint is in good shape, I'd dodge the cost of painting or refacing cabinets, in favor of new counters. Or new flooring - I actually like your floors, but if you've got broken tiles, maybe it's time to go shopping for a color you prefer.

I'd also leave the cabinets as they are, Ikea butcher block countertops, a simple but fresh subway tile, and frankly, I think that undercabinet lighting will make a huge change. Wood floors. Perhaps swap out your recessed-light bulbs for LED. I would also update the window. You have a good kitchen for a small budget!

What's wrong with the backsplash? And with the window?

I'd go with hardwood floors and new counters; maybe different hardware.

We have cork floors in the kitchen, and they are really nice. We have natural colored cork, which goes well with our oak cabinets, the expensive thick kind (We Cork, IIRC), not Lumber Liquidators, which is fine for bedrooms but not acceptable for kitchens, I don't think. Definitely a do it yourself job, although you would have to level the floor somehow since any bump or indentation shows through after use. Less so with the thicker cork, but eventually. Glue down with Dap Weldwood, green can, not red, water soluble, not flammable. Make sure you fit the tiles together tightly, and use several coats of varnish to keep grunge out of the joints. Whatever varnish the manufacturer suggests. Not sure how the natural will go with the cherry cabinets I am hoping to get, but we shall see. Not that hard to put down a second layer of cork if I hate the contrast.

Advantages of cork: soft, warm, resilient, water proof, fire-retardant, easy to DIY. Disadvantages: dog toenails scratch it, grunge can get in the joints. DH didn't put enough coats of varnish, for sure. I think only two. Not enough.

I'd post a pic but our kitchen is an embarrassment right now. Melamine countertops have cracks, several drawer fronts are loose or even off.

As for your kitchen, I like the cabinets, would advise new hardware, maybe bigger but still brass. The color contrast between your cabinets and countertops is unappealing to me. Cool countertops, warm everything else. I would consider a lighter countertop in a warm mid tone, nowhere near white.

I would understand what is involved in changing out the floor, including the demo, prep, and installation costs. In changing the countertops, you may also have to change the backsplash and you may want to change the sink, faucet, and garbage disposal too.

I like the cabinets also as they are. I would do counters, backsplash, hardware and change wall paint.

Sink, faucet and garbage disposal as practigal mentioned. You could possibly paint the floor grout a lighter color (grout renew) for the time being and tackle the floor at a later date.

kleveille06:

Please bounce a golf ball on your floors, two bounces per tile minimum. It should make a nice "snick" sound with each bounce. Write down how many "thunks" you get; each is an unstuck tile. With this information, calculate the percentage of failed tile you have.

If you're under 20% or so, you may be able to replace/relay/inject your way out of trouble. If not, I just ate your countertop budget and then some.

Is your subfloor concrete? Are your cracked tile in a relatively straight line? If so, the tile setter may have tiled over a control joint without an uncoupling membrane. There is no fix short of a do-over.

I break this news to at least two potential customers a month here in Florida. Most go into denial.