Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Kitchen Remodeling
Whether you want to update your kitchen or make it more functional, a kitchen remodel can be challenging, stressful, and expensive. The results can be rewarding with its positive influence on your daily quality of life. To ensure you get the best results from a renovation, you can use this step-by-step guide to kitchen remodeling to help you in your kitchen remodeling journey.
Step 1: Define Your Goals and Budget
Before creating a plan or design for your new kitchen, you must first identify your goals for the remodel. This allows you to have a good idea of the specific objectives and priorities of your kitchen remodeling.
Here are some common kitchen remodeling goals to give you an idea for your project:
- Make it more efficient by remodeling its layout
- Make it more organized by adding or upgrading cabinets and integrating smart storage solutions
- Install new appliances to enhance the kitchen’s functionality or replace old ones
- Enhance its appeal by repainting it with a new color scheme, refacing your kitchen cabinets, installing statement light fixtures, or upgrading its countertops
- Make it more functional and able to meet your needs by upgrading your kitchen appliances, adding a prep sink or more counter space, or installing functional lighting over workspaces
- Update your kitchen by repainting its walls, remodeling or refacing the cabinets, installing new countertops or flooring, or replacing outdated appliances
Whether you have a single or multiple objectives in your remodel, you need to prioritize items in your renovation and allocate your budget accordingly. You also need to be realistic with your budget and allot an additional 20% for unexpected expenses, like repairs and structural upgrades.
Step 2: Design and Layout Planning
There are several layouts you can choose from in designing your kitchen. The most popular layouts are single-wall, galley, L-shaped, U-shaped, peninsula, and island. Here are some considerations when choosing the layout for your kitchen:
- Place your sink, stove, and refrigerator optimally by implementing the kitchen work triangle
- Take into consideration how your family uses the kitchen when designing the layout
- Make sure there is enough space in your floor plan for safe and comfortable movement in the kitchen
- Consider how much countertop space you need
- Place your dishwasher near where you store your dishes and the kitchen sink
- Place your oven near your food preparation area
- Minimize wasted space by using smart storage solutions for your corner cabinets
You can browse websites like Houzz, Pinterest, and Apartment Therapy to take inspiration on how award-winning professionals design kitchens and apply the tips mentioned.
If your remodel involves structural changes, it is best to consult with a professional to ensure the safety and compliance of your home. Professionals can provide design input to create a cohesive look for your kitchen, and help you make cost-effective choices for your kitchen remodel.
Step 3: Choose the Materials and Appliances for Your Kitchen
You have a variety of options for the materials, designs, and appliances for your kitchen. Use the guide below to choose the right one for it.
1. Cabinet Design
When designing your cabinet, you have a few decisions to make when it comes to its material, material, and finish. Here’s what you need to know about the different options:
Cabinet Material
- Solid wood: Comes in a variety of natural hues depending on the wood species. Customizable in terms of style, color, and finish. They tend to be the most expensive cabinet material and require regular maintenance.
- Plywood: Very durable. Lighter and more affordable than solid wood but still more expensive than other cabinet materials. It requires veneer or edge banding to hide its edges.
- Laminate: Resistant to impact, chips, and scratches. Comes in a wide range of colors and finishes. Easy to clean.
- Melamine: Made of pressed wood or plywood with a layer of resin on top of it. Comes in a variety of colors and patterns, including faux wood grain and textured surfaces. Affordable, scratch and stain-resistant, and easy to clean and maintain. However, limited to square shapes, difficult or impossible to repair, and not the best option for hanging cabinets.
- >Medium-density fiberboard (MDF): Can be repainted. Easily crafted to a variety of cabinet styles. Less prone to warping. However, it is easily chipped or scrapped and unsuitable for areas exposed to high temperatures.
- Thermofoil: Its reflective appearance makes it a great option for modern kitchens, but easily shows smears and fingerprints. Easy to clean and resistant to fading or warping. Vulnerable to high temperatures and moisture.
Cabinet Style
- Shaker: Its clean, classic lines work well with modern, transitional, or traditional interior styles, making it a popular cabinet door style.
- Raised panel: Its center panel is raised, adding depth and character to the cabinets. Cabinets in this style often have molding and details that look best in traditional or transitional kitchens.
- Recessed panel: It consists of a flat central panel with a lip or frame around its perimeter. The elegant and mitered seams of its edges give it a timeless look perfect for traditional kitchens.
- Slab: Also known as flat cabinets, it consists of a single flat slab without any raised or recessed detailing. These cabinets have a minimalist and sleek appearance, making them a great choice for modern and contemporary kitchens.
- >Bead board: Its center panel consists of vertical planks separated by slats. It has a casual appearance that suits country- and cottage-style kitchens.
- Glass-front: These cabinets have glass panels surrounded by a wooden or wood-like frame. Aside from allowing you to display the contents of your cabinets, it can make your kitchen look more spacious and brighter.
- Rustic: Often made of pine wood, it features visible knots and its soft material allows for dents that add character to its appearance. This is suitable for farmhouse and country-style kitchens.
Cabinet Finish
Your chosen cabinet finish can bring out the natural beauty of your chosen finish. It can also add colors that complement the overall design of your kitchen. And, it can affect the ease of cleaning and durability of your kitchen cabinets.Here are your cabinet finish options:
- Natural or clear finish: There’s no stain or paint applied, just a plain top coat. It preserves the natural appearance of your solid wood cabinet.
- Stain: These come in a range of colors and opacities, bringing out the natural grain of the wood. It’s best to pick a stain that complements the natural color of the cabinet material and your kitchen’s design.
- Paint: Its wide range of colors offers versatility, making it easy to match your cabinets with the rest of your kitchen. It hides any imperfections in the wood and comes in a variety of textures.
- Glaze: This is a semi-transparent secondary color applied over stain or paint. It adds depth and dimension to your cabinets by highlighting profiles, corners, and detail.
2. Kitchen Countertop Material
Your kitchen countertop material should fit with the aesthetics of the space. It should be able to handle how you use your kitchen to ensure its longevity. You should find it easy to clean and maintain your kitchen countertop to maintain its luster and appeal.
The best countertop materials you can use for your kitchen include granite, marble, natural stone, quartz, butcher block, and concrete.
3. Kitchen Flooring
Since kitchens are high-traffic and messy areas, it is best to choose a flooring material easy to clean and maintain. Your best options in this regard are ceramic tile, concrete, and vinyl.
Ceramic tile and vinyl are the most versatile in terms of design, and you can easily find one that matches the style of your kitchen.
You can use hardwood, brick, or natural stone in your kitchen — all of which are materials that can handle heavy traffic. Keep in mind that these materials require regular sealing due to their porosity.
4. Kitchen Appliances
Your kitchen appliances are possibly the most important functional aspect of your culinary space. Here are some tips for choosing energy-efficient kitchen appliances for your home:
- Consider induction cooktops. They are more efficient and lose the least amount of heat.
- If you prefer gas cooktops, select those with higher BTU, which means it gets hotter faster, but make sure it has variable heat control so it’s useful for gentler cooking.
- Convection ovens are great for all-purpose roasting, since they cook food faster and more evenly. For baking, a traditional oven that can bake, roast, and broil is preferable.
- Your range hood should keep up with your cooktop. A four-burner cooktop should have ventilation of at least 400 CFM. For refrigerators, a dual-compressor unit will cost more but is more efficient and keeps food fresh longer.
- >Get drawer dishwashers. They are easier to load, can handle smaller loads, and can be installed at various heights.
5. Kitchen Lighting
There are three types of lighting — task, ambient, and accent. You need all three of these to maximize the aesthetics and functionality of your kitchen. Here’s what each lighting type does for your kitchen:
- Ambient lighting — This provides general illumination and can set the mood of your space. These include ceiling fixtures, chandeliers, pendant lights, and LED strips.
- Task lighting — It enhances the visibility for reading, cooking, working, and food preparation. Kitchen task lighting includes cabinet interior lighting, drawer lighting, and countertop and under-cabinet lighting.
- Accent lighting — These are lights that highlight artwork, architectural elements, and other decorative aspects of your kitchen. These lights include track lighting, spotlighting, and wall sconces.
Step 4: Hiring Contractors
If you want the best result for your kitchen remodel, it is best to hire a reputable contractor who can deliver the best result. Here are some tips to help you find a reliable kitchen remodeling contractor:
- Seek recommendations from friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues who have recently had their kitchen remodeled
- Look for contractors on the internet and check their reviews and ratings on websites like Yelp, Google, Houzz, or Angie’s List
- Verify the license and credentials of any contractor you are considering
- Ask contractors for references from their previous clients and contact them and inquire about their experience. Inquire about how well the contractor delivered in terms of workmanship, timeliness, and budget and how satisfied they are with the results
- Review the portfolio of your potential contractors and look for examples that align with your design preferences
- Check for warranties and guarantees. Any reputable contractor should stand behind their work by offering warranties to ensure your satisfaction
- Get detailed quotes from several contractors, including the scope of work, materials, labor costs, and timelines for your project
- Clarify payment terms and avoid contractors demanding large upfront payments or cash-only transactions
- Before signing a contract, review terms and conditions, project specifications, payment schedules, and dispute resolution procedures. Clarify any ambiguous terms before signing.
Step 5: Preparing for the Remodel
Before the remodel starts, make sure to prepare for it by following these simple steps:
1. You will need permits before you can start a remodel. The requirements are unique to each area. If you are working with a licensed contractor, they can secure all the necessary permits at once faster.
2. Once your remodel has been approved, clear out your kitchen by boxing up everything. Sort these items according to where you got them. This could be a great opportunity to throw out any items you no longer require.
3. Set up a temporary kitchen in your home. Ideally, it should have a sink and space for your refrigerator, microwave, and trash can.
4. Clear a path for the contractors and set up plastic sheeting between rooms to protect other rooms from dust. You can also protect your floors, walls, and stairs with cardboard and plastic coverings.
Step 6: The Remodeling Process
The length of the remodeling process depends on the scope and size of your project. You can expect a typical kitchen remodeling project to go through the following phases:
1. Demolition
This is the quickest stage of the remodel. Appliances and cabinets are removed, walls are torn down, and the area is inspected for any necessary repairs or structural enhancements.
2. Construction
This is the longest and most work-intensive phase of the remodel. It involves working on the changes and enhancements to the electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and structure of your kitchen. Once this is done, the new drywall and insulation are installed before prepping, priming, and painting any surfaces.
3. Installation
This involves the installation of the new floors, cabinets, and countertops.
4. Finishing touches
At this point, the contractor starts installing the appliances, light and plumbing fixtures, kitchen cabinet hardware and details, and backsplash. When they’re done, they will clear and clean the construction zone of dust and debris.
Step 7: Go Through Your Post-Remodel Checklist
The contractors are now done with your remodel, but you have to make sure everything meets your expectations. Here’s what you need to do before finalizing everything with your remodeling contractor:
Inspect the quality of the construction
And make a list of any defects and mistakes you find. Use the lists below for what to check:
- Check if the contractor has cleaned your home
- Check the quality of your cabinets and their doors and drawers
- Check the electrical outlets if they are at least 6 feet away from the sink and GFCI protected. Any outlets less than 6 feet from the sink are a safety issue and should be fixed.
- Check if any light fixtures installed are working and if there are any visible wires or gaps between the fixture and the ceiling
- Inspect the countertops for any deep scrapes, gouges, or scratches. The seams should not have visible gaps and should be properly lined up.
- The caulking sealing seams and joints of the countertop and backsplash should be clean and neatly applied. There shouldn’t be any missing caulking.
- The plumbing fixtures should be secure and working properly. Hot water should be on the left while the cold should be on the right
- Drains and traps are in place and draining effectively. The drainpipe should be strapped and secured.
- Drains and traps are in place and draining effectively. The drainpipe should be strapped and secured.
- If a gas range or oven has been installed, ask your contractor to show you it has been properly installed. The connector should have enough length for the stove or oven to be pulled away from the wall.
- Tiles on the floor or backsplash should be flush, level, and even. The edges should be even and not raised. Grout lines should be evenly spaced and symmetrical. Porous tiles should be sealed, but not the grout.
- Have your contractor show you how to care for your new appliances
If you have any concerning observations during your inspection, address them with your contractor as soon as you see them.
Gather warranty and documentation
for any products or appliances installed during the remodel. Keep these for future reference. Confirm the warranty details for the remodeling work done with your contractor.
Review the invoices
Receipts, and contracts and settle your outstanding accounts with your contractor.
Step 8: Enjoy Your New Kitchen
The kitchen remodel is done, and you can finally start enjoying your new kitchen. Start by cleaning it up before adding your personal touch. Then, organize your kitchen and get it ready for your cooking, food prep, and gatherings. Here are some tips for maximizing the potential of your newly renovated culinary space:
- Get some drawer organizers to keep your kitchen gadgets in place and sorted
- Get clear bins and wire baskets for your cabinets to organize and maximize the space in your pantry cabinet. Label these to sort your pantry items
- Get shelves and dividers for your cabinets to maximize your storage and organize your kitchenware or dishes
- Arrange your items based on how often you use them. Place items you use every day at eye level or lower. On the other hand, items you use less frequently are placed behind those you use every day or on a higher shelf.
- Store pots, pans, and their lids close to the stove
- Store heavy items on shelves within arm’s reach for easy access and reduced risk of them falling
- Store toxic substances in areas that are hard-to-reach
Aside from organizing your new kitchen, make sure to create a schedule for maintaining the materials of your cabinets, countertops, flooring, and backsplash. Regular maintenance ensures the longevity of your kitchen’s appeal and functionality.
Looking for a Kitchen Remodeling Contractor in the Memphis Area?
Southern Stone & Cabinets is your premium solution for upgrading your countertops and cabinets and renovating your culinary space! Contact us today for a free consultation and tell us about the kitchen remodel that you have been considering.
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