🖼️
The project:
Our kitchen was small and tired with a free standing gas oven that was often affected by any breeze blowing through the back door.
Before -
- Materials:
Kaboodle online kitchen planner
Kaboodle cabinets, doors and benchtop
Belissi Stormy Night Splashback
Kleenmaid oven and cooktop
Beko dishwasher
Blanco sink
Adhesive and sealant for splashback
Monument tinted Aquanamel semi gloss paint.
- Tools:
Drills, pencil, square, Kreg shelf pin jig (to add more shelf heights), screw driver, caulking gun, plunge saw, mitre saw, tape measure
- Step 1:
Our first step was removing the wall with the large pantries to open up the space. I detailed this step a year ago here
We made do for a while with a temporary kitchen island and portable induction cooktop while I planned and replanned a new kitchen using the online Kaboodle planner.
- Step 2:
With a plan finally agreed upon, we starting working on the kitchen in stages. We decided on raw cabinet doors below to paint and Hazelnut benchtop with matching overhead cupboards.
I first started on the island area by selling our temporary one and building the new one in its place.
I added framing at the back to fix the island to the floor and to be able to add power points and more space for cooktop and oven install.
To save costs and be able to do custom sizing, I made my own end panels using 7mm ply on the ends and attaching pine lining boards.
My electrician allowed me to fit the backing boards as he was wiring up so that it could all be done in one visit.
As we were trying not to be without a kitchen at all, I added a temporary benchtop out of formply until the rest was done.
- Step 3:
Our next step was to have the gas oven removed (got a gas fitter in for that to disconnect it properly). And then the fun of removing all the old tiles.
- Step 4:
In all my excitement, I neglected to take any photos of the old kitchen going out and the new kitchen going in. We did have help though, a handyman friend of ours helped fit the benchtop, sink etc.
Found my old flatpax handle template from years ago
We kept using the portable induction cooktop until our new one arrived, hence the dodgy set up. It did work brilliantly though.
I didn't want a full depth cupboard here because it was so close to the door, so I cut it down to 200 deep instead of the standard 300mm and added an extra shelf.
Added an extra one here too for better use of the space.
- Step 5:
We took ages to decide on a splashback then found a discounted, cancelled special order so jumped on it. It matched in perfectly with our Monument painted doors and panels.
As the splashback was a full size sheet I used 3mm mdf to make templates first before cutting the actual sheet up.
I love my little plunge saw for these jobs. I had a sheet of particle board under this as a sacrificial piece to avoid cracking the perspex while cutting.
- Step 6:
You may have noticed the walls changed colour during the installation process, I originally had sage green walls but didn't like it anymore with the Hazelnut cabinets so I re-painted the walls with Taubmans Bleached Leather.
We have way too much stuff so it didn't all fit in to the corner and island, so we added the drawers over on the left hand side to be our pantry. So far it's all working well and we're happy with it.
Original kitchen before wall removal
After wall removal and install
- Step 7:
And the temporary formply benchtop did not go to waste. I cut it up and repurposed it in my workshop as shelving
