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A tired and dated kitchen was updated with new flooring, cabinets, tiled splashback, benchtop, tap and sink for $9,000.
The project
I recently completed a renovation of my in-laws' rental unit. It's a third floor one-bedder and the whole place was starting to look tired, dated and a bit grubby. In particular, the kitchen had very little bench space and a horrible old freestanding gas oven/stove combination.
To begin the renovation, the old lino flooring and carpet was ripped out and I installed a water-resistant laminate flooring in the kitchen, living and bedroom areas. This was my second time installing floating laminate floorboards and I love how easy and quickly they come together.
Once the painting and floors were complete, it was time to update the cabinetry. We went for a Kaboodle kitchen set up ordered through our local Bunnings. I found that the Kaboodle planner tool was pretty easy to use and it allowed us to print a list of all the pieces we needed to order.
The cabinets went together reasonably easily – I did have to cut two cabinets down to size with a circular saw as the space I had to work with was slightly smaller than off-the-shelf dimensions. I have since realised that Kaboodle will make cut-to-measure cabinets, which I will be trying next time.
Once the cabinets were in, I had an electrician and plumber install the oven, stove top and water connections. The final tradie job was to have a tiler retile the splashback with subway-style mosaic tiles and black grout. To match the benchtop, I also used a small Spotted Gum panel to reframe the window sill.
As this project was done around my full time work, it took six weeks of weekends and evenings to complete the whole unit, but it was a really rewarding experience.
Materials
- Paint: British Paints Clean and Protect Matt Indoor Paint in Lexicon Quarter
- Floating floors: Floor Select 8mm water resistant in Tarragon Walnut
I used aluminium angle to flash between the ends of the boards and doorways where there were no skirting boards.
- Subway tiles: Decor8 Metro White ceramic mosaic
- Kitchen cabinets: all Kaboodle, doors in Provincial White, benchtop in Hickory Maple
- Island bench panelling: VJ MDF Panels painted with the same colour as walls
- Sink: Estilo single bowl sink with drainer
- Mixer tap: Dorf WELS 5 Star 6L/min Kip Sink Mixer
Budget
I kept track of the costs of this renovation, however as I was renovating the whole unit I can only estimate the proportion of plumbing, tiling and electrician costs involved in the kitchen. The complete unit was renovated for a little over $16,000 (plus my time spent on the project at around 75 hrs).
The materials and appliances for the kitchen cost just shy of $6,000 and I estimate about $3,000 of the trades cost would have been allocated to the kitchen totalling around $9,000.
Before and after
How to tile a splashback
Whether you are renovating an investment property or just want to give your kitchen or bathroom a little facelift, one of the most cost-effective and simple methods is to replace the splashback. For a step-by-step guide, visit How to tile a splashback.
More kitchen renovation projects
You can get loads of ideas and inspiration for your kitchen from our clever and creative Bunnings Workshop community members. Check out our Top 10 most popular kitchen projects and Top 10 most popular renovation projects.
