Contrary to all you might have heard or read online about kitchen remodeling, renovation steps, and procedures, especially where costing is concerned, there may not be a reason for you to spend as much as you’ve read online before your kitchen would look top notch and up to the current standard.

One of the most important steps to take after making the decision to carry out renovations on strategic parts of your home, your kitchen, for instance, is to establish a plan, one which would have the renovation steps in the right pattern. 

Some of the things you may consider to help your planning process are explained below:

There are series of remodeling magazines out there, both in e-book forms and hard copies, how about you lay your hands on them for trending designs and get your dream kitchen?

The style of your kitchen shouldn’t be totally different from your home’s design. There shouldn’t be a reason for your kitchen to stay different or appear like an abstract; there’s more to kitchen remodeling than adding white appliances or cabinets that wouldn’t fit the home’s design.

• Get an expert to map out a design for your kitchen to scale.
• Even if you’re looking to change the design of your kitchen, don’t forget to incorporate key features presently used.
• Purchase your lighting fixtures, paint, flooring, cabinets, tiles, sink, baseboards, and appliances in advance.
• To ease the demolition process, since you’re going to be carrying it out all by yourself, the cabinets doors should be removed first. 2 screws are often used to attach the cabinets to the wall, so you can unscrew them gently and hold slightly as they are being pulled down.
• The window trim and doorway should be removed next, and it must be done carefully if you still have plans to use them again. You can achieve a safe removal by sliding a knife gently to tug the nails out.
• Switch off all electrical appliances and use wire nuts to provide cover for wires that may have been exposed.
• Get a crowbar to remove the sheets of paneling out of the walls.

Replacing old plumbing inside the wall

Now that you’ve been able to open up the walls, you now have the chance to replace old plumbing. Follow the steps highlighted below;

• Keep your buckets close as you try to remove the older plumbing, because they may break and leak over time.
• The shutoff valves also must be replaced and install a new one for the refrigerator.
• If you were using an electric stove before, a new gas line has to be run.
• Installing and replacing electrical kitchen lighting.

Most kitchen remodels may involve breakfast nook lighting, recessed ceiling lighting or/and new pendants. You may be required to find out the right requirements from your city code department for halogen bulbs, incandescent, and fluorescent.

Electrical installation come in different types, so have the choice to choose out of the options highlighted below:

• Under cabinet lighting.
• Overhead lighting.
• Refrigerator receptacle.
• 220 volts or 120 volts for the oven/range, although this would depend on whether it’s electric or gas.
• Countertop receptacles.

Installing the sheetrock/ kitchen drywall

This might sound like a simple job, but you should also understand mudding itself is a kind of art. After the plumber and electrician have completed their parts, hanging the kitchen drywall is next. It may require about three coats of mud, meaning about three days will be needed in total by the drywaller to dry each coat.

Although, you can still find other products that dry faster on the market, they may not be the right ones for a kitchen.

Since this article centers around DIY kitchen renovation steps, these simple tools will help you get the job done in no time.

• Plenty of blades and utility knife
• Drywall gun
• A pencil
• Drywall gun
• T-square
• Drywall screws
• 4 x 8 sheets of drywall

Cut out the corner and measure to the first stud which should be about 48-inches. Using your T-square, make a straight line after transferring the measurement you got to the drywall and cut along the line again with the T-square. Break the drywall either with your hand or knee. Use screws to hold the drywall to the wall and alternate about a foot apart and a half-inch of the edge.

Painting the ceiling and kitchen walls

Not everyone you see around calling themselves painters have truly learned the art of painting, and the good thing about painting is that you, as an average homeowner can do it yourself. Some of the things to bear in mind as you propose to do a neat painting job are highlighted below;

• Before the installation of the cabinets, the walls should be painted first.
• Don’t go for a brand because it’s cheap, buy quality paints that won’t wear off or get stained easily.
• Go for quality paints that do not retain moisture.
• Don’t just rush to keep your brush in the paint. Spend quality time preparing the walls by filling up the holes with smooth sand and mud before applying paint.
• If there’ll be a need to use tape, get painter’s tape.
• Different brushes have been designed for different purposes, make sure you get the right set of brushes for each part you’re painting. For trims, get angled brushes, while a four-inch brush would work great for the floor and ceiling.
• Unlike what you’ve watched on some shows, paint trays cannot work in this case. To give room for consistency, mix your paint in a big bucket where you can easily keep your brush.
• Quality roller should be used, it’ll make your work less stressful and faster.

After installation of the cabinets, you can still apply a few touches to give the walls a perfect look.

Installing the baseboards and flooring

Although some builders insist that the cabinets should be installed first before installing the flooring, either way, makes sense. Preserving the environment is an important factor to bear in mind while considering the different options available for flooring. Let’s check a few of them out;

Bamboo Flooring

Bamboo isn’t wood, it is a grass known to renew itself every 4 to 5 years. If you’ll be going for the bamboo flooring, you might want to consider the premium type that has been constructed from adhesives that do not have formaldehyde. You can either glue, float, staple or nail a Bamboo and it comes in different patterns, either vertical or horizontal. Bamboo flooring shouldn’t be installed in wet areas of the kitchen.

Cork Flooring

Cork flooring can be inviting and warm, but not a great idea for a wet place as moisture is known to make it swell over time.

Recycled Carpeting.

A lot of the recycled carpeting out there are made from beverage containers and recycled plastic food. They’ve proven to be a better option than nylon carpets, considering their vibrant color options. They can resist stain, although they can cause lungs irritation over time.

Installing the kitchen cabinets

Here, you might want to consider employing a professional to get a perfect job done for you. Hanging cabinets on your own may not come out as you wish them to be. Your cabinets need to level, plumb and be installed in the right way.

The kinds of kitchen cabinet installations

Normally, there are base cabinets which are fastened to the walls and can touch the floor and wall cabinets which are fastened to the walls alone but cannot touch the floor. The cabinets must be secured at the same level as each other. The choices available for cabinets selection are plus scribes, bottom molding, and crown molding. The spaces between the cabinets and the walls are covered by scribes.

Installing cabinets

Installing the cabinets shouldn’t take more than a day, and wherever store or company you buy the cabinets from should provide you with installers who are qualified to have it fixed for you. Before allowing the installer to move on with the installation, make sure to have reviewed the layout with him, so he has an idea of the exact location you want the cabinets to be sectioned.

At this point, you may have to put a call through to your contractors to help you with the completion of your kitchen remodeling.

Installing your plumbing and electrical appliances may be a difficult task for you, especially if you have little or no idea of how it is been done. The installation of the receptacle plates will be completed by an electrician to be line with the backsplash. Also, be careful with your flooring as you move in heavy appliances like your stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher. 

Lastly, before paying your contractors, check for leakages at every strategic point and ascertain that it is tightly fitted and good.