Sometimes we see a video online, or watch a television show that features experienced ‘Do It Yourselfers,’ and think, “Hey—that doesn’t look so hard, I bet I could save some money but putting in a little extra effort, and my home will look just as good!”
Sure, there are certain home improvement projects that can be easily adapted from the television and accomplished all on your own. But, when it comes to remodeling your kitchen, the smallest mistake can quickly become a major problem. In today’s blog, we’ll help you eliminate the headache of a DIY kitchen remodel, and give you the four ways DIY can turn into a disaster.
Removal of Materials
Once you’ve decided that you’re going to remodel your kitchen, and the plan is already in process, the first step is the removal. Whether you’re remodeling your kitchen and removing the cabinets completely, or you’re attempting to reface your kitchen and only need to remove the cabinet doors and drawer fronts, this process can be tricky. When removing your cabinets, you can risk scratching and damaging your countertops, floors and kitchen walls. If you’re trying to reface your cabinets, you can damage the cabinets themselves while removing the doors and drawer fronts. Kitchen materials are often heavy, and there is always a risk of hurting yourself before your project has even begun.
Layout
Both the planning and the installation phases require special care regarding the layout of your kitchen. Whether you’re installing all new cabinets, refacing your cabinets, or preparing to do a mixture of the two, spacing is very important. It can be difficult to make sure that you have perfectly precise measurements when you’re working on your own, and any mistakes while planning the layout can lead to major issues. If you measure too far from the ceiling, your cabinets may be too close to your countertop, and you won’t have enough space to prep and cook in your kitchen. Too close to the ceiling, and you can strain yourself trying to reach the storage space.
Installation
Positioning and placing your cabinets, doors, or drawer fronts require a lot of precision, because you want to make sure that everything is equally spaced and fits together just right. For example, when fitting your lower cabinets underneath the countertop, you need precise measurements to make sure that you’re not leaving space for dirt and moisture to accumulate between the cabinets and floors.
Troubleshooting
Now imagine that you’ve made one of these simple mistakes along the way, but can’t quite figure out how to fix the problem. If you mess up and don’t have an expert there, it can be very difficult to fix any problems.
DIY projects can help save you time and money when executed properly, but the kitchen experts at Kitchen Magic can save you time, money and the headaches that come with DIY disasters. To see the whole refacing process for yourself, check out our Cabinet Refacing Time Lapse Video!
