10 DIY Kitchen Reno Mistakes You Can Avoid

​DIY projects can save money, increase the value of your home, and make you feel good about what you’ve accomplished. A kitchen remodel is a significant project that can add a great deal of value to a home. However, DIY projects can be risky, especially if you are new to them, as mistakes are inevitable. It’s important to learn which mistakes to avoid. According to Bill Gassett of Maximum Real Estate Exposure, "Poor-quality workmanship . . . can easily decrease a home's value." Here are 10 common DIY mistakes people make during a kitchen remodel that are easy to avoid.

1. Not Asking For Help

Before you start planning your remodel, talk to someone with expertise in kitchen remodeling.Show them your plans and ask for advice.They will think of things that you would not have come up with on your own. They can guide you in the right direction on details like which materials and appliance brands to use. They can also help you ensure that your design fits your actual needs for the space.

2. Gaps Between Walls and Cabinetry

​No home is perfectly level, however, you try to make cabinets level when you hang them. But because of this, gaps occur next to the wall. To fix this problem, use a wood shim to fill the gap. It’s the same principle as putting something under the leg of a table to stop it from rocking back and forth. Then, you can use the same molding that covers the rest of the room to hide the shim.

3. Poorly Placed Lighting Fixtures

People who aren’t experienced with remodeling often don't think about lighting fixtures and don’t budget for them. Instead, they just keep the old lighting, but it may not match the new kitchen design. Lighting fixtures should line up over the sink, countertops or kitchen island.To avoid this problem integrate lighting fixtures into the overall kitchen design from the beginning. Budget to hire an electrician (get multiple bids). One thing you can do yourself is to repair the ceiling after the electrician has installed the lightning. For safety, you should let the electrician handle the wiring.

​

4. Badly Laid Floor Tiles

​According to Gassett, if the subfloor is uneven or there is something wrong with the underlayment, tiles laid on the floor can crack or shift. First, do a test to see if the subfloor is even. Then secure the subfloor to the floor joists. Use the appropriate type of underlayment for the type of tile you’re using. For example, use liquid underlayment for porcelain or concrete tile. If this sounds unfamiliar, don’t worry, the tile supplier you work with can explain how to do this. The underlayment will compensate for any unevenness in the floor and prevent the tiles from cracking.

5. Painting Without Prepping

If you try to cut corners and do your paint job as quickly as possible it will show in the results.Telltale signs of an amatuer paint job include, paint on light switches and imperfections in the wall that are poorly covered, like cracks and dents. To avoid these mistakes, spend the time to prep and clean your surfaces properly.
Before you start painting, be sure to do the following:

• Repair imperfections in the wall’s surface
• Take off the outlet covers
• Wrap light fixtures in plastic
• Cover hardware with masking tape
• Place painter’s tape along the ceiling and molding
• Remove the tape while the water-based paint is still drying

6. Not Protecting the Rest of Your Home

​During your remodel, you will need to take measures to keep the rest of your home clean and free from dust and paint. This way you will avoid a major clean-up job when the renovation is finished. You can use plastic sheeting and tape to seal off the kitchen area from the rest of the house. You can even add an adhesive backed zipper to create an entryway into the work space. Take steps to protect your new kitchen as you go, for example, cover your countertops with cardboard secured in place by painter’s tape to protect them until the remodel is finished.

7. Poorly Planned Tiling

Common problems with poorly planned tile work are large gaps filled with  grout and pieces that don’t fit together well. For a professional look, use grid-paper to make a “map” of the area you’re going to tile. Put electrical outlets, door frames, and other obstacles on the map. Then lay out your tile on the map, starting in the center. Test out your calculations by laying some tile in a non-conspicuous area first.

8. Leaving a Space Between the Wall and Floor

If the baseboard or shoe molding wasn’t removed before laying a new floor, a gap between the floor and the wall will result. Before putting down new flooring, remove any existing molding first. Then put down the new flooring. You should use the manufacturers recommendations to determine how close the flooring should be to the walls or cabinets in your kitchen. After that, you can lay a baseboard or shoe molding to cover the area where the floor and wall meets.

9. Forgetting about Workflow

Your new kitchen may look great, but if you forget to organize the space to fit the way you work in it, or your workflow, you will be missing out. The three busiest areas of a kitchen are the stove, sink, and refrigerator. This is referred to as the kitchen “work triangle”. Make sure to place these areas close together in a way that enables you to move efficiently between them.

​

10. Not Looking at the Big Picture

​Don’t forget to think about how all the elements of your new kitchen fit together. Key elements to include as you plan your grand kitchen design include paint colors, appliances, cabinetry, hardware, and flooring. If you take the time to consider each of these elements in relation to each other, you’ll end up with a much more cohesive and appealing design.

Sources
https://www.marthastewart.com/1122001/kitchen-renovation-mistakes-and-how-avoid-them
https://www.familyhandyman.com/kitchen/mistakes-diyers-make-when-remodeling-a-kitchen/
https://www.familyhandyman.com/cleaning/dust-remodeling-debris-diy/
https://www.houselogic.com/by-room/kitchen/diy-remodel-kitchen/?site_ref=mosaic