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Kitchen remodeling advice for the do-it-yourselfer

By John O’Rourke

Remodeling a kitchen is not as easy as it may appear. What you save in dollars you could make up for in irritation. If you choose to do it yourself, make sure you have a good chunk of time set aside. Once you take apart your kitchen, you will be anxious to get it in working order again, especially if you are living in the house and it is your only kitchen.

Your kitchen may very well need an updated design and layout. It’s not every day that you remodel your kitchen, so take the time to plan it out, giving thought to your lifestyle and everyday needs in the kitchen. Most suppliers of kitchen cabinetry have a designer on staff. Work with the designer to create a kitchen space that works for you. For free do-it-yourself design advice, check out the National Kitchen & Bath Association website, www.nkba.org.

Before removing your old kitchen cabinets, you would be wise to wait until all of the cabinetry pieces and other special order items have arrived and have been inspected to your satisfaction. It only takes one missing or damaged cabinet to hold up progress on the entire kitchen.

After removing the old cabinets and countertop, you may need to relocate or add some plumbing or electrical outlets and lighting to coordinate with your new kitchen layout. Unless you are well qualified in these respective trades, it is advisable to hire a licensed plumber and electrician to do the necessary upgrades. It is best to get this work done before the new cabinetry is put into place in case new wires or pipes need to be run through the walls.

If the walls have been opened up to expose the framing, this would be a good opportunity to add some blocking between the studs. Blocking should be placed at a height on center with the top rail of the wall cabinets and/or base cabinets to be installed. This blocking will provide a solid foundation to hold the screws when installing the cabinets.

Once the wall has been covered with sheetrock you may be anxious to get to work installing the cabinets. Please be mindful that it is much easier to prepare what will be the exposed areas of the wall before the cabinets are installed than afterwards. Take your time and prepare a smooth finished wall surface. Apply at least a coat of primer and possibly a base coat of paint before installing the cabinetry.

Before you start installing the cabinets, it is critical that you first check the floor and determine if it is level and find the highest point on the floor within the footprint of the new cabinet layout. This high point will become your benchmark for all height measurements.

One other floor-height consideration must be addressed, and that is the finished height of the floor. If you will be adding any additional height to the existing floor surface after the cabinets have been installed—such as a finished wood or tile floor, underlayment for vinyl or any other floor buildup—then this must also be taken into account at this time. The top of the base cabinets are designed to be 34-1/2 inches above the finished floor surface. Adding a countertop 1-1/2 inches thick will give you a finished counter height of 36 inches even. This is the standard in the kitchen industry. Most appliances are designed to fit within these height measurements. You may not be able to get the dishwasher or other under-the-counter appliances in or out if the floor is too high in front of them.

If your kitchen has any one-piece tall cabinets, such as a pantry cabinet, the height of this cabinet will in most cases determine the finished height of the wall cabinets. Depending on the design of your kitchen cabinetry layout, it may also be critical to determine if the walls are perfectly plumb or which sections of walls tend to lean in. These wall variations should be taken into account when positioning the various cabinetry components. The design of your cabinetry layout will also determine which cabinets should be installed first. Cabinetry with a face frame is much more forgiving to install than is frameless cabinetry which requires more accuracy in the installation.

Refrain from using drywall screws when hanging cabinets on the wall. The small head of the drywall screw can easily pull through the backing of the cabinet, and the screw itself can break under the weight of the cabinets and its contents. Use the proper screws provided with the cabinets or purchase screws for this purpose from your local hardware store.

Most cabinetry does not come with the holes pre-drilled for hardware. Remember, the old adage “measure twice and cut once” holds true for drilling holes in the face of your new cabinet doors and draws. Experiment by placing the hardware where you think it will look and work best. Have other family members give their input also before drilling any permanent holes. Double check the location of your drill holes and then drill from the face of the door or drawer into a wood block pressed against the back side.

Best practice dictates that countertops should be measured and fabricated after the cabinetry is in place. Depending on your choice of a surface material, the countertop will most likely need to be fabricated and installed by someone who specializes in such products.

A kitchen remodel carefully thought out and put together will give you years of enjoyment. Doing it yourself can also give you the satisfaction of knowing you have personally contributed to the comfort and beauty of your home, not to mention the extra money you will save in doing it yourself.


John O’Rourke is the owner/operator of Case Handyman Services of Cape Cod. He has been maintaining, repairing and improving homes for more than 25 years.

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