Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Nov 25, 2012 2:44 pm Hey all, I have been scouring the internet for ideas but it is difficult to find objective and honest advice. Having just purchased my first house i am looking at doing a facelift on the kitchen and was looking for some advice. As there are quite a few other things i am looking at doing i was hoping to do it relatively cheaply, around 2 to 3K. My thoughts thus far are to simply redo bench tops and cupboard doors/handles. What sort of money would i be looking at for that? Would i need to redo the splash back or could i get away with using a tile paint type thing to bring it up to date a little. This is the best picture i have of the kitchen at this stage: http://www.propertiesonline.com.au/agen ... 543_lg.jpg I'm open to any ideas or suggestions you guys have as alternatives also. Thanks in advance. Adrian Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 2Nov 25, 2012 3:28 pm Hi, I think it looks tidy enough. The benchtop wouldn't be cheap as you'd have to get it custom made (wide end). I don't think it would change the look that much. If you change the benchtop the tiles will probably get damaged so you'll need to do them also. I'd just change the handles and maybe paint the tiles then leave it for a few years or until you want to get a new one. Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 3Nov 25, 2012 5:52 pm Thanks travelbug. I was thinking about just doing handles and painting the tiles. However i REALLY dislike the timber edging on the bench tops, it makes the kitchen look quite dated in my opinion. Also i'm not a huge fan of the colour of the doors etc. Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 4Nov 25, 2012 5:52 pm The colour of the cupboards actually isn't too bad. I would definitely replace the handles to something silver. Changing appliances to stainless steel ones would instantly make it appear newer too. Obviously this wouldn't be cheap but if you did your research and managed to grab a bargain it could be done within your budget. Those tiles are a bit dated too so if you could paint them (I'm not sure how this works), or even get new tiles installed, it would be much better. Just my opinion though, good luck! Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 7Nov 25, 2012 6:07 pm Thanks kjw -I'm pretty keen on the idea of painting the tiles, White Knight paints make it look pretty easy with some really nice results. Not entirely sure i could do the same with the doors though. I will definitely be updating the tap ware and will be putting a darkish toned strand woven bamboo flooring into the lounge which i will extend through the kitchen. I'm not too sure the existing colour on the doors will match what i have in mind and figured it might not be too expensive to change them out entirely while i am at it. Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 8Nov 25, 2012 9:17 pm All the expense of a kitchen is in the doors and bench tops. Unless you can do all the work your self it wouldnt be worth it. Just changing the handles and bench tops would make it look alot better. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 9Nov 25, 2012 10:24 pm Congrats on your house purchase. Very exciting. We sold our flat in Melbourne recently and did our kitchen in 2009. The appliances were the most expensive part for us. Doors and handles aren't as expensive as you think. Here was our kitchen. The previous one was shocking. Orange laminate and peach cupboards with an old stuff. Our new house kitchen was done in 2002, but the owners scrimped at the time and used standard melamine doors etc. Shocking, but the layout is right. We got ours done with http://kitset.com.au/ and did it ourself. They ship anywhere and are all Australian made. Where are you based? http://i1.au.reastatic.net/456x342/2a18 ... image2.jpg These are my questions; you may not do these straight away but food for thought. 1. Will you be replacing the appliances? For a decent stainless steel set you're looking at around $2000 including rangehood, oven, cooktop. For your budget, that can always be replaced later. It's one of the biggest parts of the kitchen that can completely change the look. 2. Will you be changing the tiled/vinyl floor? This can also completely change the look. My experience with tile paint is that is look great, but is not strong if you bump it with a knife, kettle, pots and pans etc. At least the taps are already in the sink... But it's cheap and worth a shot if you don't want to spend money on a splashback yet. Here's what I'd do, only if the kitchen is the right layout and you don't want to change any of the actual cupboard layouts etc. 1. New handles. These can be purchased at Bunnings for around $5 each. Stainless steel, something modern. Easy to do yourself if handy with a screwdriver and a spirit level. 2. New doors. Go for matt vinyl. They are easy to put on if the hinges in your current kitchen are fine. This will save you an incredible amount of money. Just measure up all the doors, and email kitset for a quote. They will provide options. Keep in mind, the new doors are fine, but if you wanted to replace the end kickers (the panels at the end of the cupboards), then do this at the same time. 3. Definitely go new benchtop. It will make the biggest difference. Our one cost $700 and it's roughly the same size as yours. Laminate is fine, and they make it in types that look like stone now too. ie. flecks of stone throughout. It may cost $300 for someone to install. 4. New sink (these are cheap, around $150). You can spend up to $1500 on one but that is very excessive and not worth it. Your current sink is massive, and takes up alot of benchtop space. We had the same one in our place before we renovated. 5. New mixer (do this at the same time). Ours was $80 from Masters or Bunnings and does the job fine. Plumber may cost around $100 to install the new tap. 6. Depending on cost, I'd go for a splashback. It's MUCH more expensive than tiles, but the clear glass looks amazing. We knew we would sell, so went with tiles, which are incredibly cheap (we paid $250.00 for something nice). Splashbacks are expensive and may cost up to $700 including installation. The area is not that large for the tiles, and the window helps take space away. Where the telephone point is, I'd run the splashback in line with the underside of the rangehood and move the telelphone somewhere else. Clear glass you can also write on with texta without it staining, and use it as a noteboard. very cool. 7. Paint the flyscreen a white (or whatever colour you choose for window trims. It's very dark and brings the room down because it acts as a focal point. 8. Paint the wooden window a white (or whatever colour you choose for window trims). Use Dulux Aquanamel. It's like enamel but water based and superb. That will add alot of colour the room. You can install appliances later. The only thing to consider is if you get a new benchtop, will you eventually be going for an all in one cooker like the current, or one like ours where the oven and cooktop is separate? In that case, if you want to go for a separate one, wait on the benchtop until you are ready to get your appliances too. The benchtop will need to have a hole cut in to match the cooktop profile. In addition, the rangehood may be a different type to the current one. So the cabinet above the stove may need to be replaced. Our one was a slide out one which you cant see when not in use. So personally I would do the doors, benchtop and appliances in one hit. Paint the tiles for now (max $100 for primer and paint)... then do the splashback or tiles at a later date. Unfortunately the floor will bring it down a little even if the cupboards are white. What type of blinds will you go with for the window? Are you going to paint the house too? The ceiling looks very dark and the walls seem to match the cupboards. It's a nice layout, and good luck. Let me know if you want any more advice, I did the whole thing myself so can give you loads of advice about options etc, without trying to sell you options from an advertiser. Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 10Nov 26, 2012 6:43 am mynameisjonas 2. New doors. Go for matt vinyl. They are easy to put on if the hinges in your current kitchen are fine. This will save you an incredible amount of money. Just measure up all the doors, and email kitset for a quote. They will provide options. Keep in mind, the new doors are fine, but if you wanted to replace the end kickers (the panels at the end of the cupboards), then do this at the same time. So personally I would do the doors, benchtop and appliances in one hit. . I personally would never use vinyl doors in a kitchen. They are not that much cheaper than other options on the market. There are some options that are cheaper than vinyl. There has been far to many problems over the years with vinyl. It might look good now but give it a few years and the heat from kettles, toasters and ovens can affect it badly. If the OP can do all the work themselves then is worth doing what you have sugested, but if they cant a full kitchen wouldnt cost much more at all! Having tradesmen doing renos on old kitchens cost more that you would think. Remember the cabinets are the cheapest part of a kitchen. And just for the record we dont to kitchen make overs so my advice is free from bias. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 11Nov 26, 2012 9:17 am Ah sorry, we used tuff edge melamine for our doors and cupboards and they were fine. I thought it was vinyl. That's even cheaper than vinyl! Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 12Nov 26, 2012 9:27 am Actually scrap that, we did use vinyl essence on the doors. I just checked the invoice and it was melamine that we used for the kitchen... The vinyl has held up really well, it's not a benchtop so it shouldn't come into contact with heat sources anyway! Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 13Nov 26, 2012 10:27 am mynameisjonas Actually scrap that, we did use vinyl essence on the doors. I just checked the invoice and it was melamine that we used for the kitchen... The vinyl has held up really well, it's not a benchtop so it shouldn't come into contact with heat sources anyway! I build kitchens for a living, you would think I know a thing or two about them!! Do you know how many warrenty claims there has been in the industry for vinyl wrap doors?? 1000s No heat sorces?? What about directly beside the oven? What happens when you open the oven door to check on whats cooking? In some cases I have seen every piece of vinyl lift off every door in a kitchen. I have also seen the vinyl shrink back off the edge of the doors on overheads above toasters and kettles. Its didnt happen straight away it actually took about 7-8 years but you could then see about 5-10mm of the material under the vinyl. I am giving my advise free of charge with no bais based on 1000s of kitchen I have seen and built. Trust me when I say that there are far better products than vinyl wrap out there. So are actually cheaper!! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 14Nov 26, 2012 12:32 pm All I'm saying is in our kitchen it was completely fine. Beautiful finish. I guess it's not wise to put steam devices directly under cupboards regardless of what material you use for the door finish. Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 15Nov 26, 2012 4:24 pm mynameisjonas All I'm saying is in our kitchen it was completely fine. Beautiful finish. I guess it's not wise to put steam devices directly under cupboards regardless of what material you use for the door finish. I agree, but sometimes you have to use your toaster under the overheads. I have also seen the edges of doors close to gas cooktops have problems. Melamines, gloss polytec, and polyurethanes finishes are unaffected by heat from ovens toaster and kettles and would be a far better option. I have seen some vinyl kitchens last the test of time but unfortunately its a small number that do. I am on this forum to give advice that I have gained from first hand experience with over 20years in the trade. I probably have built well over 3000 kitchens and used almost every product under the sun. I would perfer to make sure the OP has all the correct info. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 16Nov 26, 2012 4:28 pm Thanks for the help guys. Jonas, your kitchen looks great. I would hope mine would look fairly similar. Flooring wise i will be going with bamboo, looking at a darkish tone similar to this: http://www.carpetcourt.com.au/products/ ... oo-uniclic So obviously i am looking to have the cupboard doors in a lighter tone than they are at present. I'm not sure i like the idea of vinyl though, although it looks great in your place. Handles will be done at the same time obviously. Don't suppose anyone know what i would be looking at as a rough cost on getting new doors made up in a lighter tone? Bench tops are a must as far as i am concerned and thanks for the suggestion of changing the sink, great idea to reclaim some bench space that i hadn't considered for some reason. I'm also probably going to have the wide end of the bench (right hand side of the photo) removed in favor of a small kitchen island/butchers block type set up. Providing they splash back doesn't get ruined while replacing the bench tops i am hoping to get away with painting the existing tiles for the time being until i am happy to spend the money on glass splash backs. Depending on the cost of all of the above i may consider new appliances in the form of cook top and oven, however i would need to get a few quotes before i knew whether i could squeeze it into my budget or not. Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 17Nov 26, 2012 4:39 pm Are you or someone you know handy?? If so you can save alot of money by taking the doors sizes to a cabinet maker and having them cut the doors and you fit them. To supply doors for an average kitchen in a standard coloured laminex lamiwood(melamine) would cost approximatly $800-$1200. All the hinge holes should be drilled for you in that price. It does depend on how many large doors/panels you have any how many sheets are required. Bamboo is a great option. Its very hard wearing! If you take your time removing the old bench top you might be lucky. It can be tricky getting it out without damaging the tiles. I would sugest getting a new cooktop first especially if you are replacing the bench top. That way the hole you cut in the new top will suit the cooktop you want. Its easy to replace the oven at a later date. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 18Nov 26, 2012 4:56 pm I was thinking about doing exactly that. There would be absolutely no problem removing the doors myself and i assume i would be capable of hinging them and re hanging them. Although i would think even at 1200 they should fit in budget pretty well. Yeah, i am really happy with the choice of bamboo. Now i am just agonizing over coloring 0_o I don't mind the idea of a new cook top first, however the current oven is where the cook top would go so i can't see keeping them both as an option. If i was to look at an oven and cook top option, would that not require me to fill the gap where the oven is at the moment with some kind of cabinet for the oven to go in? Which i assume would be at fairly substantial costs? In terms of the splash back, i will have a crack at doing it carefully. If it doesn't work then it doesn't work and i will suck it up and buy a splash back. Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 19Nov 27, 2012 6:15 am WheelZ I don't mind the idea of a new cook top first, however the current oven is where the cook top would go so i can't see keeping them both as an option. If i was to look at an oven and cook top option, would that not require me to fill the gap where the oven is at the moment with some kind of cabinet for the oven to go in? Which i assume would be at fairly substantial costs? In terms of the splash back, i will have a crack at doing it carefully. If it doesn't work then it doesn't work and i will suck it up and buy a splash back. Not really, the white cabinets are the cheapest part of a kitchen! The material used for your current doors is worth around $140 per 1200x2400 sheet where the same size sheet in white board only costs $25. So if I were you I would go for a seperate oven/cooktop. You get more choice, have the possibility of going for a slightly larger 700-900mm cooktop and you dont have the nasty gap either side the collects food. Just a thought! Before you take the bench top out spend some time and remove the grout or silicon between the last tile and bench top. The more of it you can remove the easier the top will come out and the less likely you are to damage the tiles. When I take old laminate tops out I use a saw and cut them into small sections before I remove them. This allows you to work on small sections at a time(1meter long) Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Kitchen facelift on first home, little help? 20Nov 27, 2012 9:16 am Great ideas and you sound like you have it all worked out. I would definitely go for a white finish, especially as it's a smaller kitchen. This will add brightness to the kitchen and give it the airy feel, working quite well with the lighter coloured bamboo. White never goes out of fashion and is always classic. I also think the biggest difference would be to paint the walls and window trim too, to make it so much brighter. Best thing to do, measure up your doors and email it to kitset kitchens and see what the price options are. They are brilliant with pricing and match any price! 8 6138 So it looks like we finally have some movement on site! Definitely later than expected, but I'll take any progress at this point. I'll drop by over the weekend to get… 5 27716 You never have a fridge against wall as you’ve drawn. The doors can’t open past 90 degrees and it’s difficult and maybe impossible to remove drawers 2 15600 |