Planning a kitchen remodel

A kitchen remodel is several trades in a tight room, and most of the delays come from doing things in the wrong order. The countertop cannot be measured until the cabinets are in, the backsplash cannot go up until the countertop is down, and the walls are far easier to paint before the cabinets cover them. Plan the sequence first, then the quantities.

This planner follows the usual order of work for a full remodel with new cabinets, a stone or laminate countertop, a tiled floor and a tiled backsplash. If you are only replacing the countertop or adding a backsplash, skip to that step: the quantities work the same way.

Step 1: Measure the room and sketch the layout

Draw the room to scale with the windows, doors, the sink drain, the gas line and the vent. Mark each run of base cabinets along the wall, and the island if there is one. Keep a clear walkway between the counters and the island, and check that the dishwasher, the oven and the refrigerator doors can all open at once.

The layout fixes the countertop size, which is the most expensive single material in most kitchens. For an L-shaped kitchen with runs of 12 and 8 feet at 25½ inches deep, a 6 × 3 foot island and a 4 inch backsplash, the countertop is about 62.7 square feet. With a 20% allowance for cuts and seams that is 75.2 square feet to buy, or 2 quartz slabs, weighing about 1,034 lb in 3 cm stone.

Step 2: Rough-in the wiring, lighting and the range hood

With the old cabinets out and the walls open, run the new circuits, move the outlets and boxes, and set the plumbing for the sink and the dishwasher. The electrical code requires at least two 20 amp small-appliance circuits for the countertop outlets, GFCI protection at the counters, and outlets spaced along the counter so that no point is far from one. A permit is needed for this work in most places; have it done or checked by a licensed electrician, and inspected before the walls are closed.

Plan the range hood now, because the duct goes through the wall or the ceiling before the cabinets go up. A 60,000 BTU gas range in a 14 × 12 foot kitchen needs a hood of about 600 CFM on an 8 inch duct, and over 400 CFM many codes ask for make-up air. A 30 inch electric or induction cooktop in the same room needs about 350 CFM on a 6 inch duct. Recessed and under-cabinet lights are wired at the same stage.

Step 3: Tile the floor before or after the cabinets

There are two ways to do it. Tiling the whole floor first is simpler for the tiler, leaves no edges to cut around the cabinet bases, and lets you change the layout later. Tiling after the cabinets uses less tile, but the new floor raises the dishwasher and range openings, and a dishwasher can end up trapped under the counter. Whichever you choose, decide it before you order the cabinets, and check the finished floor height against the appliance specs.

A 12 × 10 foot kitchen floor in 12 × 12 inch tile with 10% waste takes 130 tiles, which is 13 boxes of 10, with about 2 bags of thinset and 9.4 lb of grout for 1/8 inch joints. A tile floor needs a stiff, flat subfloor. Vinyl plank is the usual alternative in a kitchen, and it is ordered by the box from the area plus waste.

Step 4: Paint the ceiling and walls before the cabinets

Patch the drywall where the old cabinets and the rough-in left holes, then prime and paint the ceiling and the walls while they are bare. It is far quicker than cutting in around new cabinets, and the paint behind the upper cabinets and above the range does not show anyway. Kitchen walls take steam and grease, so a satin or semi-gloss finish is easier to wipe clean than flat paint. Keep some paint for a final coat and touch-ups after the cabinets and the backsplash are in.

Step 5: Set the cabinets, then template the countertop

Base cabinets go in first, level and fixed to the wall studs, because the countertop sits on them and any slope shows along the edge. Upper cabinets are hung from a level line. The countertop fabricator measures (templates) only once the base cabinets are installed and level, and usually wants the sink, the faucet and the cooktop on site or their spec sheets in hand, so the cutouts are right.

Stone countertops are cut to the template, so there is a gap of some days or weeks between templating and installation: ask the fabricator for the lead time, and plan a temporary sink if you need one. Laminate and butcher block can be bought in stock lengths and cut on site.

Step 6: Install the countertop, then tile the backsplash

The backsplash goes up after the countertop is installed, so the bottom row of tile sits on the finished counter. Leave a small gap there and fill it with caulk, not grout, because the counter and the wall move independently. Use the same flexible caulk at the inside corners and where the tile meets the upper cabinets.

For the L-shaped kitchen above (20 feet of counter) with an 18 inch backsplash up to the upper cabinets, 3 × 6 inch subway tile takes about 249 tiles, or 25 boxes of 10, with 4.7 lb of grout and 20 feet of caulk along the counter. Take off the window and the range hood opening if they are large, and center the layout on the range or the sink so that the cut tiles fall at the ends.

Step 7: Trim, appliances and the final coat

Fit the toe kicks, the baseboard and any crown molding on the cabinets, connect the appliances, and give the walls their last coat. Caulk the gaps between trim and walls before painting. A gas range or cooktop should be connected by a qualified installer, and the electrical and plumbing work signed off before you use the kitchen.

Before you start

• Permits for the electrical, plumbing and any gas or structural work, and the inspections before the walls close.
• The appliance spec sheets (sizes, cutouts, power and duct) before the cabinets are ordered.
• Whether the floor goes in before or after the cabinets, and the finished floor height at the dishwasher.
• The countertop lead time between templating and installation, and a temporary sink if you need one.
• Somewhere to cook and wash up while the kitchen is out of use.
• A dumpster or a plan for the old cabinets, counters and drywall.

Mistakes that cost people money

• Templating the countertop before the base cabinets are level and fixed.
• Tiling the backsplash before the countertop is in, so the bottom row does not meet the counter.
• Tiling the floor after the cabinets and trapping the dishwasher under the counter.
• Forgetting the range hood duct until the upper cabinets are hung.
• Grouting the joint between the countertop and the backsplash instead of caulking it.
• Ordering stone by the exact square footage, when it is sold by the whole slab.

Frequently asked questions