Some of the easiest fixes are installing new flooring and repainting with fresh new colors. Fresh and new countertops will produce the most dramatic change when updated because they draw the eye with their huge surface areas. Since you have to pull the kitchen sink and its faucet to replace the counters, it makes sense to replace the sink with a new one; consider a new material, color, or bowl design. As a final nod to the new look, replace your cabinet hardware with new, more stylish hardware.

There are a wide variety of countertop choices these days that range from as little as $10 a square foot to over $100. Some of your options are as follows:

Ceramic Tile Countertops - You have a huge variety to choose from, including size-from tiny mosaics to one foot square, although tiles in the 4 in. to 6 in. range are scaled best for countertops-and color. With the popularity of stone surfaces these days, many ceramic tiles are made to imitate travertine, limestone, and even granite.

Solid Surfacing Countertops - This stone imitator, often called Corian because it was the first entry in the field, comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns, and it has the advantage of being repairable. An abrasive sponge or fine sandpaper will polish out scratches.

Stone Countertops - For the kitchen, the premium choice in stone is granite; it has become much more affordable in the last decade though it is still a high-end option. Some of the softer stone like limestone and travertine found so frequently in baths these days are not great choices for the kitchen because they will absorb stains. This is also true of marble, so limit marble in the kitchen to a baking center area where it is ideal for rolling out dough.

Granite is very hard and dense, so it will not stain as readily as softer stone and will resist wear and hot pots. It's not indestructible, but it is very durable. Part of the magic of stone is that every piece is a little different-an expression of nature. Most homeowners opt for slabs (you are sometimes offered the choice of picking out your own) which are fabricated into countertops. In almost all kitchens, there will be several different slabs, and it will show where they butt. A less expensive alternative is "tiles" made of granite that are set in mortar. The joints are kept very narrow (3/16 in.), but they are grouted-typically with a colored grout.

Sink and Faucet At The Same Time - In order to replace countertops in a kitchen, the sink and faucet have to be removed as well, so it's a great opportunity to replace these for ones with a new look (color, shape, different materials and finishes), a new configuration, or increased capability. Materials for sinks include stainless steel, porcelain-over-cast iron, solid surfacing, quartz and others, and each has their advantages. Sinks are configured in one-, two-, and three-bowl models with varying sizes and depths to each. They can also be undermounted below the countertop, integrated with the countertop in the case of solid surfacing, or designed to drop in. Kitchen faucets are sporting lots of new hand-rubbed finishes, and many new configurations as well including pull-out, wall-mounted, and high arching. Again, all have their advantages as do different types of improved internal valves that can nearly eliminate leaking and frequent maintenance.
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Buttons and Bows - The final touch that will make your cabinets appear new is replacing existing hardware. In all cases you will want to replace door and drawer knobs or pulls, but you may also want to replace hinges. Both hinges and pulls come in a variety of different configurations and sizes, so if you're shopping for pulls at a home center or a kitchen and bath showroom in your community, take an example of each with you (this includes the screw from both a drawer pull and a door pull, which vary in length depending on the thickness of the material they penetrate). Another good source for cabinet hardware is the Internet, which has a huge variety of traditional, contemporary, and whimsical examples. The best advice for the process of choosing: Take a chance on something distinctive (shape, color, material), while also making sure the pull relates to something else in the kitchen (the same metal finish as the appliances or a color common in the kitchen) and that it is comfortable in the hand.