12 Tips and Ideas for Remodeling a Small Kitchen
“I am tired of getting pizza,” my husband muttered under his breath the last time he dropped me off at home. While remodeling my small kitchen, I found that this frustration is not uncommon. The great news is that most small kitchens can be transformed with a little creativity, money, and time. The potential is endless – the possibilities are endless!
Clear Goal
If you are new to it, a kitchen remodel will be daunting for you. Now you have to be clear about what you want in your kitchen. If you are planning to make a DIY kitchen remodel, you have to focus on the things that you are looking for in a kitchen remodel. The first thing you need to do is decide what you want to do. Whether it’s updating the cabinets or swapping out a back splash, make a list of projects and tackle the ones that are most important to you.
Plan Your Budget
Next, plan your remodel budget. I recommend keeping expenses under $2,000. (That’s not a typo!) As the saying goes, “If you can’t afford to fix it, don’t sell it!” The majority of costs for a kitchen remodel come before you even start the work – permits, surveyors, appliances and faucets, etc. A reasonable budget allows you to spend all of your money on the projects that are most important to you.
Kitchen Material
The kitchen is the heart of your home, so you’ll want to choose the best material to build a wonderful kitchen. When choosing a kitchen, make sure the material chosen is resistant to heat, moisture and stains, odor and insect bites. The material can take a beating with everyday use, including deep stains from pots and pans or high heat from the oven or stove. So you need to choose a material that withstands the wear and tear.
Decide Your Flooring
One of the important things to consider is the flooring of the kitchen. It is highly recommended to use laminate flooring. It is an environmentally-friendly and high-quality flooring material for your kitchen.
For a material that is durable, it is best to choose wood flooring. If you are trying to create a rustic look in your kitchen, you have to install hardwood floors instead of laminate. These types of flooring are easy to clean and are eco-friendly.
If you are planning to make your kitchen retro-looking, you can try vinyl flooring. It is a durable, durable and eco-friendly material that is an excellent choice for your kitchen.
Shopping List
I am a firm believer that when you have a plan, and you know what you want, the work becomes infinitely easier. We made a list of goals and took that list to Home Depot to take care of the shopping. Our ideas ranged from refinishing the floor and countertops to painting the walls a deep green. The kitchen remodel only cost us $2,350.00, and the best part is that it was well worth it. We are so much happier with the results that we didn’t even think about what we would do with all of the extra money.
Renovation Permit
Now that you have your list of goals, where to begin? As mentioned, you will need to find the permits to begin the work. If you are working with a contractor, he or she will be able to direct you to the correct department and help you find all the right information you need. Be aware, however, that you are going to pay more money in the beginning if your permit is not approved. So, make sure that all of the information you get is correct.
Choose Your Contractor
If you are in the process of deciding on a contractor, give them a call to make sure they have the proper licenses, credentials and background checks. A little investigation will make your life much easier. Once you have the permit and your contractor, start working!
My husband and I tackled the cabinets first and the next day we went to Lowes to buy everything for the new cabinets. (Home Depot’s prices on cabinets are way too high!) When we got back, we tackled the countertops. After only a few hours, it was almost done.
Removing Old Cabinets
Deciding on new countertops, backsplash and backs, stain, and paint is the easy part. It is removing the old cabinet doors, cleaning and prepping the wall for painting, and nailing down the new cabinet doors that is the challenge. We spend about two days in the kitchen before we were able to move back into the kitchen.
Choose Your Color
You can choose rustic and rustic colors like green, red and blue shades for your kitchen cabinets, so that you can create a fabulous look in your kitchen. The color that you can choose from is wood color like red, orange, brown and yellow. You can also choose stainless steel colors for your kitchen kitchen cabinets to add some extra functionality in your kitchen.
To accessorize your kitchen cabinets well, you can choose the metallic colors like blue and silver shades. You can also add custom knobs, handles and drawer pulls in these colors, so that you can maximize the functionality of your kitchen cabinets.
Stain and Paint
The next step is to stain and paint. If you are going to paint the cabinets and trim, you need to do that before you stain. The cabinet paint is much darker than the trim and back splash. Once you have done the trim, let it dry thoroughly before painting the cabinets. Let it dry about one day and then add the second coat. The second coat takes about two or three hours.
Once the cabinets are all painted, paint the backsplash and add the grout. Remember, when the cabinets are finished, they must be sealed. To seal the cabinets, you need a special under-cabinet sealer that will protect your new countertops from damage.
Faucet and Sink
The last step is to add the faucet and install the sink. If you are doing a little of everything at the same time, you will want to invest in a double-hook faucet. We decided on a three-handled faucet with a cute accent on the other side. We bought the faucet from Lowes and used a red door frame for the sink.
Now, it is time to finish your kitchen! Go shopping for all of the accessories that you need to finish the kitchen. Get that perfect plan and, if you follow the rest of the plan, your kitchen renovation project will be a lot easier and cheaper.
Keep Things Near
Keep the dining room table, the sink as well as the baking machine as close together as you possible can. I don’t know why, but I didn’t fully realize how much faster I can get baking done when I’m actually standing beside the sink, but the one thing that is the fastest is standing beside the sink and balancing the over-sized pan on my hip. When you have a lot of liquid to pour into your pans in a short amount of time, standing close to the sink makes life very easy.
