Planning a Kitchen: Remodeling Project

When planning to start a project it is very important to understand the order of the things you want to do. Choosing the color, the material, the texture, the make, the design, the quality must be orderly. It is not wise to buy beautiful rims and then shop for a car that does not look good with them.

The installation order of the cabinets, countertop, floor, backsplash, lights etc…, does not necessarily match the choosing order.

Choosing Process

• If you want to remodel the kitchen room, the cabinets are your first priority because it will define clearly what direction you want to take. Of course, wood specie, design, stain and moldings are the factors to consider.
• The countertop is definitely the second in line, the choices out there are probably too many, but if you know the design of the new cabinet door then it is easier choosing. In the past 8 years, I have seen many homeowners walking in to our showroom with a small sample of granite that they like and spend hours trying to pick the cabinet door. It creates confusion and unnecessary stress because the countertop is not the most important thing in the kitchen so should not dictate the rules also.
• The floor is very important. Since opinions on how to combine colors are different and personal, I would like to say that I have never liked to look at floors that match or are very close to the color of the kitchen cabinets. A nice contrast brings out the beauty of both the floor and the cabinets.
• The backsplash is the next in line. It represents the connection between the countertop and the cabinets and it should be in synchrony with the floor (Lupton and Miller, 34).
• Wall color, light fixtures and various decorative accessories are easy to pick after you have done the cabinets, countertop, floor and backsplash.

Installation Process

• It is important to remove walls, rough electrical and plumbing if required.
• Floor
• Trims and walls painting
• Install the new kitchen cabinets according to the new layout.
• Once you have leveled the base cabinets, the countertop is ready for installation with the new sink.
• Install backsplash after the countertop.
• Decorative accessories like knobs, light fixtures and touch ups should wrap it up.

Re-facing Process

• Install the new floor around the perimeter of the base cabinets. Re-facing should come first to allow the ¼” thick veneer to cover the imperfections and give the illusion that the new floor is underneath the base cabinets too.
• The countertop needs to be installed before re-facing because solid surfaces like granite, quartz etc, require a perfect leveled cabinet boxes, that forces to fill not leveled cabinets with unpleasant looking shims. Fortunately, you can cover these imperfections with veneers when the cabinet re-facing happens.
• Electrical work for under-mounted lights and plumbing for sink connections should happen before the backsplash.
• The backsplash installation should happen before the re-facing so new light valances can but against it.
• The Cabinet Refacing comes next. Working the magic with the veneer will allow masking all the imperfections left from the floor and countertop installations.
• Painting of the walls is last because the use of glue on the cabinet refacing may dirty them and it is easy to pick colors when you have done everything else.

Works Cited

Lupton, E. & Miller, J. A. The Bathroom, the Kitchen, and the Aesthetics of Waste. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1996.