A DIY kitchen can be a very good idea or a very bad idea, depending on what you want to accomplish. At Kitchens Sydney, we applaud everyone who succeeds with a home improvement project, but there are some things that are better left to the professionals. To help you decide whether or not your kitchen is a DIY project, Kitchens Sydney has prepared some questions and answers to help you.
Question: Are you planning on ripping out your cabinets, throwing out your appliances, ripping up the floor, and tearing down a wall?
Answer: This is not a DIY project unless you have a valid contractor’s license. Make no mistake, while the home improvement shows make it look so easy to build a kitchen from scratch, it isn’t. If you notice, in a DIY home improvement show, you may see the home owner paint a wall or sand something down, but that is about it. Even the television host does very little of the renovation work, which is mainly accomplished by professional contractors while the cameras are off.
Question: Are your cabinets dated-looking and really just need to be refinished to look good again?
Answer: This is a DIY project that you can do yourself. You can buy new doors and hardware easily and refinish the existing frame to match. If your cabinets are wood, then you can refinish them as well; with updated hardware, there isn’t a need to buy all new cabinets.
Question: Is your old linoleum floor truly hideous?
Answer: Installing a hardwood floor or tile floor in the kitchen is something you can do yourself if you have enough time and the right tools. Plan for this project to take the whole weekend, and be sure to pay attention to the instructions so that you have a floor that is laid correctly.
Question: Do you not have enough storage space in your kitchen cabinets?
Answer: There are many new types of permanent cabinet organizers to help you get more out of the space in your kitchen cabinets. We are not talking about flimsy fiberboard shelving, but high quality organizers that will seriously upgrade your existing cabinets.
There are many other DIY projects that will give your kitchen an immediate facelift – like new backsplashes, kitchen islands, and benchtops, but if you are planning on gutting your entire kitchen and doing it yourself, please call us at Kitchens Sydney when you get to the point where you need our help!