EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT BEFORE REMODELING YOUR KITCHEN

No other room in your home showcases your personality more than the kitchen. Think about the personal touches you have added to present a warm, inviting ambiance. However, coming up with a kitchen remodeling game plan covering all your design criteria requires extensive planning. In other words, you have to think about everything that needs to be done to pull off a successful kitchen remodeling project.

First Things First: Know the Popular Kitchen Countertop Materials

One of the most effective kitchen remodeling projects involves installing a countertop. Whether you build an island in the middle of the kitchen or design a countertop for placement adjacent to the stove, you need to know about the most popular types of kitchen countertop materials.

Granite

If money is no obstacle, granite is the right choice for a kitchen countertop material. The stone resists heat damage and the types of dents and scratches that diminish the value of other types of countertop materials. There are more than 3,000 different color combinations of granite, which gives you the ultimate in kitchen design flexibility. Granite is a solid countertop material choice for increasing the value of your home.

Marble

Marble represents another popular material that also runs at the higher end of the cost range. The magnificently gorgeous stone is impervious to heat and water damage. Because it tends to stain easily, marble is the ideal material for an island countertop used mostly for dining, not prepping or cooking food.

Quartz

Unlike granite and marble, quartz is a manufactured stone that contains up to 95% quartz particles that shape into large slabs bonded by tough resins. The result is a countertop material that is easy to clean and maintain. Quartz does not require sealing to prevent dents and cracks, and the processed stone also does a good job of handling high heat. You can customize quartz into any shape and size, making the material perfect for integrating into a countertop that includes one or more other types of materials.

Soapstone

Typically colored dark gray, natural soapstone has a smooth feel and a reflective appearance that mimics granite’s look. Over the course of a couple of years, soapstone assumes an antique-like appearance that looks beautiful for certain kitchen designs. You can easily sand down any damage caused by strong impacts, although the stone requires occasional thorough cleanings to remove stains.

Ceramic Tile

With many color and style options, ceramic tile is the right material choice for one or more countertop sections. For example, you can add ceramic tiles at the ends of a countertop island to create a highly decorative look. The material handles high heat well, including searing heat that comes from multiple sources simultaneously.

Kitchen Size Dictates Layout

Every square foot matters in the redesign of your kitchen, especially for a remodel that takes place in a small kitchen. Do you have enough room to install a countertop island? Is there enough space to add a prep area that is separate from the primary cooking area? Where can you add more storage to accommodate your growing inventory of kitchen tools and equipment? If you need square footage for the kitchen, you might have to knock out at least part of one of the walls.

The Reason for the Remodeling Project

One of the most important things to think about before remodeling your kitchen is to figure out how you use the kitchen or how you plan to use the kitchen in the future. Your kitchen might be the culinary hotspot for a catering business or simply the place where you entertain guests during informal dinner parties. If cooking is not your main thing, maybe you can downsize the number of small and large appliances that currently take up space in the kitchen. Some homeowners use the kitchen mostly as a storage space for other household equipment and appliances.

Speaking of Appliances

Appliances come in various sizes, from the small toaster sitting on the kitchen countertop to the massive range that would make any chef proud to own. Homeowners who want to remodel a kitchen to include a heavy commercial range have to consider adding materials to the floor to absorb the additional weight.

Here are some appliances and accessories that are popular additions during a kitchen remodeling project:

• Cooktops
• Dishwasher Drawer
• Refrigerator Drawer
• Range Hood
• Warming Drawer
• Microwave

Create a Reasonable Budget

The time has come to think about dollars and cents. You have to decide what parts of a kitchen remodeling project that you can save money on. Saving money can involve going with an off-brand appliance or deciding to paint instead of wallpapering the kitchen walls. You also have to figure out what facets of the project where you can spend more money on. Most home improvement stores, including big box retailers such as Lowes and The Home Depot, offer kitchen remodeling budget tools.

Use a Countertop Estimator

If you decide to install a kitchen countertop, you should use a countertop estimator to help you decide on the countertop’s color and the material used to construct the countertop. The most accurate countertop estimators give you the tools to calculate the size and edge profile of the newest addition to the kitchen. If you plan to remove a countertop and replace it with a new one, a countertop estimator lets you know about every project’s logistical step. Homeowners that go with an island countertop can use an estimator to decide whether adding a range is a sound home improvement decision. To ensure you cover all the countertop feature bases, you should consult with a home improvement professional to ensure the countertop installation project goes off without a hitch.

Depending on the extent of the work required, a kitchen remodeling job can be a do it yourself project. Just makes sure to consider everything you should think about before remodeling your kitchen.