As soon as you start to partially remove benches you have the problem of how to finish off the end of the break in the bench. In addition your dark floor tiles probably don't go under the bench, so you will have a strange gap in the floor tiles, unless you have some matching tiles lying around.

If you are lucky enough to have a well proportioned kitchen with good storage and working doors and drawers then I would look at keeping all of the existing cabinetwork as it is and looking at the aesthetics.

A new reconstituted stone benchtop that complements the existing laminate, and a LED strip lighting mounted on the underside of the overhead cupboards will give it a big lift, and maximum bang for your buck.

You won't be able to easily remove the dark splashback tiles without damaging the substrate underneath so your options to tile over the top are limited. I would consider a light coloured mosaic tiled splashback which will conceal the irregularities of the existing tile.

Finally paint the wall above the overheads to work with the rest of the colours. There are some specialised laminate paints which may work for the cabintwork doors with the right preparation, but you need to some research on their longevity. Laminate paint doesn't work on benchtops, which is why I have suggested replacement of the benchtops.

Don't consider new flooring unless you want to spend some big dollars.

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Best of luck,

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

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R M - I thought that you were looking for a low budget makeover?

I would guess that from your photos that the substrate behind the splashback would be plasterboard, and that the splashback tiles have been adhered to the plasterboard. It will be tricky to remove the tiles without damaging the plasterboard. You need a smooth flat finish for the new splashback, but you can't easily put in new plasterboard as you have left the base and overhead cabinets there, with the original plasterboard behind each cupboard. An expert plasterer might attempt it, but it is going to be another new trade doing a time consuming and fiddly job, with a good chance of a dodgy joint between the new plasterboard and the old plasterboard.

Glass splashbacks look great but they are custom made for the space - so the hole for your microwave powerpoint has to be measured precisely and cast when the glass is made - it can't be cut out later. For the amount of measuring and labour involved custom made glass splashbacks aren't a cost-effective splashback material for a low-budget kitchen makeover, which is why I didn't suggest it.

There are acrylic options which are cheaper, but can melt when adjacent to a gas flame - and it still needs a flush, flat finish underneath, not plasterboard that has been half destroyed by removing old splashback tiles.

At the end of the day it comes down to balancing between what you would like, and how many big dollars you are prepared to pay. For a kitchen that old I would be keeping my expenses conservative and be saving for a new kitchen (with a glass splashback, island bench, microwave shelf and new flooring) to be installed in ten years time.

Best of luck with your research,

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

BUILD Architecture Award 2018 · More Info