You already have a backsplash. That four inches that molds into your countertop is the backsplash.

I would recommend adding the undercabinet lighting, since you will get to enjoy it. I would consider painting the walls, but I don't think I would do anything else since you have semi-definite plans to move. You will most likely not get a return on your investment in anything else.

I would not be looking at painting the cabinets if you're going to be moving. The wood cabinets are the best part of that kitchen and work fine with the floor. Also, painting cabinets is quite involved (not a normal DIY) and expensive to have done (not the same process or people as house painting). I would replace the counter before painting the cabinets.

The four inch backsplash matching your counter is your backsplash right now. Typically that would need removal if you wanted to change the backsplash, so find out if that is doable without colateral damage to the counter ...

Changing up/adding to your lighting will be the most effective and practical change, so start there.

I guess I don't really consider that sad strip of laminate a "backsplash "….maybe I splash too much lol but it doesn't catch my messes! I would LOVE to do white marble-ish counter tops but just can't justify the cost right now. I worried about taking that strip that is serving as the blackplash off too….I bet it would leave a mess on the wall and counter. I was thinking maybe add backsplash tile above it?

Under-cabinet lighting and paint. On my monitor I see a greeny-taupe backsplash area and a gray walls that tilt slightly purple. The colors don't work together or with your wood. Find a good cream or white that coordinates with the wood and countertop. That will brighten your space enormously. Bonus, it will help with resale.

The walls are a creamy beige  that we recently painted. It was bright mustard yellow! Bleh

What about looking into other options for laminate counters? Then you can redo the backsplash as well. It seems to me the color of the counter doesn’t work with the wall paint or the floor, but that those two things go together.

I thought about that actually but didn't know how much that project would run for new laminate counters and I hate to go sub par when replacing something like that.  I tried to make the colors work the best I could :(

I think it looks really clean and in excellent condition. I didn't know laminate could sparkle like that. The cabinets look new and even the grout on the floor is spotless. I do not believe you splash. I don't even think you cook! :)

Try the undercabinet lighting. I think it'll make a nice difference.

And yes, you can put tile or another backsplash over the 4" strip of laminate. It is frowned upon on this forum but in real life it's quite common. But you have so little wall showing I don't think it'll do much. I'd reevaluate the paint colors in the room, if the new lighting doesn't brighten it up enough, though.

If you're going to move in a bit, just keep doing whatever you're doing to keep it in good shape. It's plenty nice.

I wouldn't do anything but try to de-clutter the counter. It looks clean and undamaged. New owners will probably tear it all out anyway. If LED lighting under the upper cabs will be a big improvement, do that, but be aware that the "bulbs" may reflect as little dots on your shiny counters. May not be worth the trouble unless you have another 5 years to be there. Change the ceiling lights to 3500-4000K LEDs to brighten things a bit.

Wood finishes are coming back into style. Maybe it's the lighting in your room which we cannot see in your pictures.

Damage to the wall is a non issue if you're replacing the backsplash ... that's what spackle is for ... you'd only need to worry about damage to things that are staying, namely the counter.

While it may not contain your spatters, it is a backsplash, and it is atypical to stack different backsplashes on top of one another, and not generally well received. If you want to try something over it, I'd consider a steciling something on with paint ... at least it's cheap and easily reversible (just more paint).

Your kitchen may not necessarily be "on trend" but it is well-maintained and definitely not an eyesore! I would paint the walls, declutter, and then leave it be. Tile on top of the existing backsplash screams, "I wanted to update everything, but this will have to do", and won't be worth the $$ when you sell soon.

New laminate can be done for under 2K. Then spend another 2K on an electrician. That leaves 1K for a tile backslpash on a 5K budget. That low figure would be a recouplable expense at resale.

WHAT do you use to keep your wood cabinets so new looking ? I consider myself a bit of a clean freak, but still have marks around the knobs. What does Corian cost now? You may want to check that out.

I put this on the wall behind my stove. It goes up with 4 small screws.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Broan-Duct-Free-Universal-Backsplash-Plate-Stainless-Steel/1092009

I love your cabinets! Please don't paint them.

place some cup pulls on the drawers. you need to do very little else. i dont know why you are waiting if moving is in your plans. top returns right now..questionable going forward. you can pocket the sale proceeds..rent for a year and buy when prices soften. explain why "calm down" appeals to you for selling. good realtors navigate through this for their clients.

Maple Cabinetry - Contemporary/Farmhouse Style · More Info

Southlake Tx Kitchen designer · More Info

IMO keep it as is and if you really want help here we need to see what you have for lighting now but changing all the bulbs to LED 4000K will have a big effect on the brightness of the space . If all you have it a center light thenthe chaep answer is a multi headed track light that can be articulated or curved to light the space . When ready to sell declutter and let the next guy worry .From what I see the kitchen looks to be in pretty good shape and peel and stick anything screams cheap. You have abackspalsh and with that counter could possible be inmpossible to remove the backspalsh without damaging the counter leave it with no tile added. BTW in now way change those pulls and knobs .

As hot as the market is right now you place would sell as is. Would suggest you leave your kitchen as is.

We have can lighting in the kitchen, so that is good. The counters are just so low that it blocks all the light. More than just light though,  I am looking for a way to brighten up the kitchen through colors that aren't so dark and blah. I know painting is off the table because we just painted the majority of the house the same color everyone seems to hate (oops) and that was a lot of work!

Thank you to everyone who said it looks clean and nice...that was actually taken real quick at lunch and I hadn't tidied! I use old English on the cabinets and it helps hide the scratches and I wipe counters constantly because that dark laminate shows everything.

We could make an extra 50 grand on the house if we sold right now but we are needing something bigger and the size houses we were looking at have literally doubled in price from when we started looking and there is only a couple of homes on the market at a time and they sell within days so it's tough. Rent or a new mortgage on a smaller, much crappier home than what we have now would be at least double what we are paying now. So I am kind of stuck trying to make it work until prices get a bit more reasonable.

have you actually talked /invited a realtor over.....its time and no money spent to get detailed info. For the extra money you may be able to get right now ...finding the correct property at a lowered price because it needs a bit of work could be your sweet spot..things like that...your house ?starterhome ? may be in more demand than what you are looking forward to acquiring and you might be surprised and how much of a better deal you can get on the larger property than what you think. You need more information from a realtor.

We spoke to a realtor who said put house would sell in a day but they said we had better wait to list it until we have somewhere to go. They also let us know they didn't have anything they could show us in our price range so there wasn't really anywhere to go from there. We have just been watching the market since but haven't seen anything even worth seeing.  Even the gut jobs are over budget right now.

If the kitchen is way too dark, the easiest fix is to add light. See if you can replace your current LED bulbs with new bulbs with 30-50% more light - go from 60-watt equivalents to 100-watt equivalents. If you need a new fixture, pick one with at least three bulbs. The new fixture should be semi-flush so that it illuminates the top cabinets.

Then add undercabinet lighting if the counters are shadowed.

BTW, rooms can get much darker when the windows are overshadowed by growing shrubs or trees. Take a look outside to see if some pruning would help.

Fori - when I told DH about the “no backsplash tile over the 4” strip because the 4” strip is the backsplash” his response was “the tile isn’t a backsplash - it’s a wall treatment” 😂

We don't actually have a single tree in our whole yard! One of the reasons I liked it because I hate raking.

Hi Amanda - I agree with many who say do little or nothing. Your kitchen is very clean and seems very well cared for. I know it’s painful perhaps, but sit tight, hold onto your money. I’ve been seriously looking for a home for over a year. It’s a second home (to be near my kids), so I totally get that it’s a splurge and I’m not in the same position as many home buyers. My point - I decided to lease until something comes up. My second point - I’d snap up a house such as yours in a minute! I could live in it happily until I decided what changes I would want, if any. Please please don’t make changes now based on making future buyers happy. I now see homes that I looked at last year, kinda fixer uppers. Many have been renovated exactly as I wouldn’t want 😕. If you can, be patient. Many of us are in the same boat. I wish you the best.

Thank you! I am mainly trying to make myself happy while we are stuck here. I totally get that the things I hate may be the things the next person loves though! I guess I need to stick to changing up art and decor etc for now

Invest in things you know you'd want to take with you to a new home. You can't go wrong there.

Two ideas here:

If the mess of a new backsplash and countertop will make you happy then do it. If you don’t sell for more than a year,every month you’ll regret not doing what makes you happy. Upgrade the bulbs and enjoy the renovations for yourself.
OR - Save you money and energy and do nothing. Your house will sell as is.

I would consult another realtor to make sure two of them give you the same advice. Having sold 3 homes, I know that some realtors will tell you to sell now, rent for a while and buy when the bubble bursts. Others will say sit tight.

You’ll get top dollar for your house in this market so you ONLY want to be a seller. That’s why nothing you look at is appealing. Right now, some people need to move now and will bite the bullet and buy a house. If you don’t need to do that, don’t. But talk to another realtor. Consider these conversations interviews for who will be your selling realtor later.

its unclear how much prices will really come down....the most reasonable thing is always the existing thing you have and reasonable modifications if possible..... If you think you would have to pay double what your property is worth have you considered a construction plan for an addi tion. You keep alluding to everything being so much more...but how much do you think time will bring the prices down. It is unknown you have to honestly say.

Your kitchen looks great. I wouldn’t paint the cabinets - they look good and probably wouldn’t look better if painted. But definitely, tear off that 4” laminate splash and tile from the counter to the upper cabinets in a simple subway neutral that isn’t too modern and shiny which would look like you were trying too hard. If a prospective buyer wants to change that kitchen, they’d probably want to change everything for big $$, counter especially and maybe the whole shebang. So your investment is really to bring the kitchen together for you if you find it dark. And tile, which reflects light - and more lighting! - can do all you need.

We have a very small yard which is one of the reasons we need to move. My husband wants to build a shop addition and we can't here :( We looked at buying land and building but before we even got started the price of building materials did the same thing and skyrocketed.