HOW TO renovate your kitchen

Rip out the old and bring in the new! Make sure you call in the tradies for all plumbing and electrical work, but you can do the stripping, design, painting and cabinet installation yourself!

1 STRIP ROOM

Turn o all plumbing and electricals. Remove cabinetry and appliances, leaving the sink cabinet. (Not moving the sink saves on plumbing costs.) Re-use cabinetry in the laundry or garage, or list on an online trading site. Remove tiled splashback using a hammer and chisel. Patch the wall and prepare it for tiling.

2 DESIGN LAYOUT

Use cardboard cutouts in the actual size of appliances and cabinets to set out the kitchen layout on the floor. Name the cutouts and mark with their size in millimetres. Taking the existing sink location as your cue, aim to create the classic kitchen work triangle of sink, fridge and cooktop.

3 CABINETRY

Clamp island cabinets together and cabinet next to sink. Check for level, adjusting cabinet feet as needed. Attach drawer runners before installing cabinets. Measure, cut and install sink benchtop. For island waterfall, cut top and side with a 45° angle at one end. The timber panel sits on the benchtop.

4 SPLASHBACK

Apply tile adhesive to the wall using a notched trowel. Mask o benchtop edge, then lay first row, using spacers at the base and between tiles. Use a tile cutter where needed. Lay second course. Apply grout with a float, washing o haze with clean water and a sponge. Seal join at benchtop and leave to cure.

5 PAINT

Lay dropsheets and mask o electrical outlets. Clean walls thoroughly with diluted sugar soap and leave to dry. Cut in around the edges and electrical outlets with a wide paintbrush, then apply paint with a roller. Once paint is completely dry, install floating shelves and the wall cabinets.

6 CUT OUT BENCHTOPS

Mark the benchtops for the sink and cooktop, then use a jigsaw to make cutouts. Position sink and cooktop, then have a tradie hook them up, along with the oven and dishwasher. Put the fridge in its nook, add your small appliances and accessories and your new kitchen is ready to go.