What to Select Before Your Kitchen Remodel Begins
What to Select Before Your Kitchen Remodel Begins
Are you planning a kitchen remodel and wondering what the best order is for you to make your kitchen remodel selections?
If you aren’t sure where to start with your decisions - we can help take the mystery out of the process.
Here’s the deal, remodeling is always a time of excitement and also a little anxiety.
We have found that the best way to reduce anxiety and help the process go smoothly is to have your plan set and all the important decisions made.
This might seem difficult when you're excited to get going, but I promise you that having a wall torn out and then finding out you won't be able to receive your cabinets or flooring for 8 or more weeks is much more stressful than waiting to start until the plan is firmly in place.
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What exactly do you need to get for your kitchen remodel and in what order? We break it down for you.
1. Select Your Contractor
As I have mentioned in the past, selecting your contractor, making a budget and an overall plan for the project should always be your first step.
Having one point of contact for all of the project coordination will take a lot of pressure off of your shoulders as a homeowner.
Finding an honest, reliable, contractor with all the required insurance and licensing is something that can really pay off.
Selecting a contractor with proper licenses and that will pull necessary permits are steps that are important to protect you in the remodel process.
We know interviewing contractors can feel overwhelming, so check out some of our tips for getting your best estimate in this article.
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2. Choose Your Flooring
Take time to consider your current use of the kitchen. You must select your flooring type, and much of that decision will be based on your preference for durability, style, and your budget.
This is important prior to cabinets as it may impact the order in which items are installed. For instance, floating flooring will be installed after cabinets are installed since they need to expand and contract. On the other hand, solid hardwood that is nailed and/or glued down could be installed before or after the cabinets based on preference.
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3. Pick Appliances
We always have our clients pick and purchase their appliances right away in order to know the layout of the kitchen and the exact size when ordering cabinets.
Keep in mind that the appliances should not be delivered or installed until much later in the project (most likely after the cabinets are installed, but check with your contractor).
4. Explore Your Options For A Sink
Know the size and style of your sink (drop in, under mount, farmhouse, etc.) to make sure you know what size and type of sink cabinet to purchase. Beyond the cabinet, you will also need to know before you can purchase a faucet since there can sometimes be limitations as to which faucet can work with a sink.
The type of sink will also dictate the type of countertop you can use. For instance, you would not have a laminate countertop with an undermount sink as the water would penetrate the countertop and ruin it. In addition, if you have an undermount sink and want granite countertops, there may be additional cost to hand polish the hole for the sink.
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5. Find The Right Faucet
This is important because it needs to match your sink selection and may impact your plumbing plan. For instance, if your sink has a single hole, you will need a faucet with a single hole. If it has multiple holes, then you will want to consider additional accessories such as soap dispensers, water filter faucets, etc. For many undermount sinks, you will be able to select any faucet you like, as it will be drilled by the countertop installer per your selection.
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6. Create A Cabinet Layout
Lots of big decisions in the cabinet design and it's important to work with an experienced professional to avoid major issues and to make sure your measurements line up with all the other components of your kitchen. Cabinets can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months or more depending on your selection, so make sure you are timing it well with the project.
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7. Select Your Lighting
This is a good time to consider all your layers of light for the space. Decide if you're doing pendants over the island, can lights over the walkways and/or under cabinet lighting for more lighting on the countertops. Now that you know the layout of the cabinets you can purchase the correct size and type of lighting for the space.
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8. Find The Right Countertops
In order to get an estimate for your countertops you will need to have picked and ordered your cabinets and be able to provide the cabinet layout. The actual tops will be measured after the cabinets are installed and can take 1-4 weeks to be installed after the measure.
9. Decide On A Backsplash
If you are going to have a tiled backsplash it will need to be picked and purchased to be installed after the countertops are in place. If you decide not to have a backsplash, hopefully you selected a countertop with a 3 or more inch backsplash to help protect your walls.
10. Choose Cabinet Hardware
Cabinet hardware can be purchased any time after you have your cabinets ordered but should be installed near the end of the project. The reason for this is that you do not want the people working in the kitchen to bump, hook onto, or scratch the hardware when they are working.
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11. Pick Out Your Paint
Now that you have all of your most expensive and permanent selections for your kitchen you can put the final touch of fresh paint. Having this as the last step is the best way to avoid having to touch up unnecessarily and helps ensure your selection is enhancing the space.
Conclusion
Planning ahead for your kitchen remodel by ordering things in the correct order will help you:
Be more efficient in communicating how you want the work completed and completing the work
Can help ensure you don’t waste money having to select different items
Help the outcome of the overall design be more cohesive
We know it takes extra effort, but we also know it pays off big time!
Now we want to hear from you! Do you have experience planning a kitchen remodel and buying items in the wrong order? What is the hardest selection on the list above? Let us know in the comments below!