The kitchen sets the tone for your entire home. If you have old, worn-out, builder-grade cabinets, your kitchen will look cheap and uninspired, but fixing the problem isn’t easy. If you own your home, you can always rip the kitchen apart and replace it, assuming you have bags of cash lying around. If you don’t, you can always paint the cabinets. However, if you rent your home, you have fewer options; your landlord probably won’t do the remodeling for you, and you’ll want to avoid permanent changes like paint unless you get specific approval.

There is a surprising solution to this problem, however: Vinyl wrap. Yes, the same stuff that is slapped on cars to give them a whole new shiny look can also be applied to your kitchen cabinets. The results can be quite dramatic, the vinyl wears surprisingly well, it’s extremely cheap (especially if you do it yourself), and best of all, it’s relatively easy to remove and leaves no residue, so your security deposit is safe. Here’s everything you need to know about vinyl wrapping your kitchen.

For this project, you can use automotive vinyl wrap or vinyl wrap specifically designed for furniture and cabinets, like this one, which costs about $50 for a 3-meter roll (just under 10 feet), or these films from 3M which cost about $30 for a 5-foot roll.

One of the great things about vinyl wrapping your kitchen is the choice of colors and finishes. Vinyl wraps come in a wide variety of both: you can get faux wood, high gloss, patterned, textured, and even metallic and glitter finishes. This gives you a lot of design flexibility. And vinyl wrap, when applied properly, can be surprisingly durable; after all, it is used on vehicles that are exposed to outdoor conditions. With proper care, it will last for years; the 3M wraps listed above are rated for a minimum of 7 years of use.