My DIY Kitchen Remodel On A Budget

When I decided to do my DIY kitchen remodel, I was looking for resources and inspiration everywhere. Now, having gone through the process, I can share with you all the tips and tricks that I learned along the way. Hopefully it will also inspire you to try it out yourself!

This post is all about my kitchen remodel on a budget!

The Before

When I bought my condo, I knew there was a ton of work that I want to do to it. Luckily, most of that work was cosmetic and something I felt like I could mostly do myself. Of those things, the kitchen remodel was at the top of my list!

Here are the before pictures of what I was dealing with:

At the top of my priority list of things to do were:

New appliances
Painting the cabinets
New cabinet hardware
New backsplash
New countertops
Remove breakfast bar on the island, make one flat surface
New kitchen sink/faucet
New flooring

The Planning and Purchasing

Once I knew what I wanted to tackle in the kitchen remodel, it was time to start the planning process. For me, it was also super important that I keep things as affordable as possible. This really just meant lots of research and shopping, shopping, shopping to find the best fit and best deals.

Appliances

Appliances and countertops are by far the largest purchases I made for my kitchen remodel, and I knew they would be. So when it came to shopping for appliances, I waited for sales! As soon as you decide to get new appliances, start shopping and comparing prices.

For me, I knew that Labor Day sales were around the corner. So first, I began looking at the ones that I thought were the best for the space, checking reviews and doing some price comparison.

Ultimately I landed on a suite of Whirlpool appliances from Best Buy. My condo currently had a Whirlpool dishwasher that was in good working order, so I figured it would be best to try to match with those. So once I waited for those holiday sales, I landed on ordering these three:

Paint

For some reason, as soon as I saw this condo, I pictures white upper cabinets and a deep blue for the lower cabinets. Once I found some inspiration pictures, it was time to set off to find my perfect colors. Keeping budget in mind, I knew my best bet would be Lowe’s or Home Depot.

First thing I did was head over to each store and look through all the paint sample tiles. I was also painting the entire condo, so I was on the hunt for my wall color as well. I grabbed samples of the deep blue, cabinet white, and my wall white/grey as well.

Once I had 2-3 contenders for each, it bought sample paints and painted some tester patches. This is so essential to seeing it in your space, with your light. Also it’s essential to see how the colors complement each other. After painting the samples, I ended up landing on these three colors from Lowe’s: Indigo Streamer, Du Jour, and Nebulous White.

Hardware

When it came to new hardware for the cabinets, I knew I wanted to do something with a brass finish to contrast with the blue and white I knew I wanted to use. Out of the gate, I fell in love with some drawer pulls from Anthropologie. But never have the words budget and Anthropologie coexisted, so I knew I needed to find a similar alternative. After searching Amazon I was able to find these knobs and pulls:

BINO Brass Cabinet Knobs

BINO Brass Cabinet Pulls

Backsplash

When it came to the backsplash, I knew I wanted to go with a timeless, neutral tile, but with a more modern twist. Subway tile is such a classic, but to give it that modern spin, I decided to go with a longer subway tile laid in a vertical pattern. For this, I chose a 2x8in White Ceramic Subway Tile from Floor and Decor.

Countertops

In the condo, the countertops were half formica and half granite, and needed a whole change. I knew this would be the other big price undertaking in the remodel. But it was also essential that I got all new, especially if I wanted to get rid of the breakfast bar.

After doing some research, I figured out that my best bet was probably going to be quartz. Quartz is sturdy, has the look I wanted, and can still be affordable. Big box retailers will definitely have lots of options, but for me, I wanted to check out local places. It was important to me to be able to walk around a yard and see the actual slab that would become my countertops.

After researching local spots near me, I was able to find a couple of yards to explore. Once I got there I fell in love with a off-white veiny quartz that had just a touch of sparkle. And I was even able to get a great deal!

Sink and Faucet

When it came to the new sink and faucet, I knew certain things that I wanted, but I was open to exploring what was out there. For my sink, the criteria for me was really that I wanted it to be one basin with a center drain. I also was leaning toward black for a little bit on a contrast. Searching around Amazon I was able to find this sink that also came with some amazing accessories.

For the kitchen faucet, I wanted something that tied in with the cabinet hardware. I also wanted something with a more sleek modern look. When I found this champagne brass kitchen faucet I knew it would be perfect.

Gunmetal Black Drop-In Kitchen Sink

Kraus Single Handle Brass Kitchen Faucet

Flooring

As soon as I stepped into the condo, I knew new flooring was at the top of my list. I wanted to a sleek durable flooring throughout the entire condo. So that was another element I was trying to coordinate with cabinet colors, countertops, etc.

To find the perfect LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank) flooring, I checked out several stores and what they had available. Lowe’s, Home Depot and Floor and Decor all had LVP options that could have done the trick. Be sure to go around and look at samples! Colors tend to vary so much from pictures, and also in different lights. Ultimately, I fell in love with this flooring from Floor and Decor.

Nucore Blonde Oak Rigid Core Luxury Vinyl Plank

The Work Begins

Now that I had everything planned and purchased, it was time for the work to begin! In this section I will describe the process that I went through as best I can and I’ll be sure to include any tips and tricks or mess ups I encountered along the way. I hope that my experience will help you in yours!

Demo

If you’re anything like me, there is something so very satisfying about the demolition portion of any DIY project. But for many, it can also be a daunting task. So here I will break down the order in which I took things apart to prepare them for being rebuilt.

In order to accomplish the demo as safely as possible, there were a few things that I bought to make sure I was protected. First and foremost I needed some protective eyewear, and I found these glasses called Stoggles. They are so comfortable and super cute to boot. Next I needed a pair of good work gloves. Once I had these, I was ready to get to work.

Tile and Countertop Removal

For me, the first order of business was getting the ugly backsplash tile off the wall. This stone tile was behind the counter but also went to the ceiling above the cabinets. I knew that I wanted to have no backsplash above the cabinets, so I needed to get the stone tile off so that I could repair the drywall and paint it.

For taking off the backsplash, my absolute best friend became this trim puller and a hammer. Using the trim puller at the edge of the tile and tapping it with the hammer loosened my tiles and pulled them off the of the wall. There were a few placed where the tiles were extra attached and pulled some of the drywall off. If you aren’t prepared to patch up some of the drywall, be careful when removing it!

This was a rather painstaking process since some of the tiles were hard to reach or very attached. But eventually, I was able to get them all cleared away! Once I had the tile removed, I was able to loosen and lift off the countertop as well. I simply needed a crow bar and the trim puller again to leverage the pieces of formica off.

Flooring Removal

Luckily for me the floors in the kitchen were already buckling and coming up. This was ideal for me since I was clearing them out anyway. So for this, I simply had to remove the baseboards with the same trim puller and hammer in places where they had them. Then I cleared out the appliances and I was able to pull up the buckled hardwood piece by piece.

There were places where the wood flooring left some of the glue behind. I took a scraper/putty knife and began to clear away the remnants, making for a smoother surface for the new flooring to go down. Once it was all cleared away and cleaned up it was time for the next step!

Island Remodel

One of the bigger undertakings in this remodel was turning the current island with the breakfast bar into one flat surface. The first thing I needed to do was turn off any water and power sources to the island. There was an outlet in a space that was no longer going to be there so I knew that would need to be moved. I also removed the sink and faucet that I would be replacing.

Next step was carefully removing the granite countertops. They were HEAVY, so it was essential to have extra hands to carry it off. Helping to remove it, I went around the seam where counter met cabinets with a blade to loosen the grip. Then, using a pry bar and a hammer i was able to loosen and the pry the countertop free.

Once we had the countertops removed we were able to assess where any wires were and decide where we were going to move the outlets before cutting the island down to size. Some of the outlet we capped the wires and added in a covered box. For the switch for the disposal we moved it to the outside right side near where the sink would be.

Once that was moved it was time to lower the breakfast bar. We removed the top flat 2x4s to reuse. Then, using a jigsaw, we cut the drywall and the support beams down so they would be flush with the top of the cabinets once the 2×4 was added to the top. Now it was ready to be measured for a new countertop.

*It’s also important to note that this condo has access to a large trash bin, so I was able to clear all the demo debris into that. But if you don’t have access to something large for removal, you may have to rent a dumpster or haul things to the dump!

Kitchen Cabinet Doors and Drawers

The last bit of “demo” was less about breaking and more about taking things apart. It was time to get the kitchen cabinets doors and drawers off so both they and the cabinet bases were ready for prepping and painting. I carefully unscrewed all of the doors and removed all the drawers. I used 2x4s and saw horses to lay out all of the removed doors and drawers.

Prepping

After all the demo work, it’s time to get things prepped and ready to change and put things back together.

Drywall Repairs

One of the first things that needed to be prepared for next steps was the drywall. In the process of taking down the backsplash tile, there was some damage to the drywall. Because I had other projects going on in my remodel that needed drywall repair, I had a drywall guy patch those areas and prepare them for paint. This was one of the only steps I didn’t participate in personally. And honestly I am glad for it. Drywall can be a tricky process and I knew I wanted it to be prepped and ready for next steps.

Sanding, Taping, Painting

The next few steps in this prepping process can be mixed around depending on what your plan is. For me, I wanted to get the walls finished and painted around the cabinets before I painted the cabinets. So painting the walls around the cabinets was really prep work for the rest of the kitchen prep. I used an edge trimmer paint brush around the ceiling line first, and then I was able to use a roll or brush set for the remaining area. Pro tip: in between coats of paint, wrap your brushes and rollers tightly with aluminum foil. This way you don’t have to rinse and dry your brushes as often.

One the walls were painted and set for at least 24 hours, it’s time to start on the next step: sanding the cabinets. Using a fine grit sanding blocks, apply pressure and move along the grain of the wood in a back and forth motion. I will be priming the cabinets and doors but it is important to knock off as much of the seal on the cabinets and make sure the primer and paint have something to a adhere to. This can be an exhausting process but it can make all the difference. Pro tip: make sure you have extra sandpaper sheets on hand and you can just wrap them around the blocks once they have become dull.

Once all the bases and doors have been thoroughly sanded, it’s time to wipe them down and clean up any leftover debris. Sometimes using a slightly damp cloth and then a dry cloth is the best way to get rid of the sanding debris. Make sure you use a more lintless cloth for a clean surface.

After wiping down the cabinets and doors, its time to prepare for painting, which means taping! Using painters tape, trim any area where you will be painting. Scotchblue Painter’s Tape is my absolute favorite for the job. Be sure that you are getting good adhesion to make sure paint doesn’t bleed. Once everything is taped and ready, it’s time to begin painting!

Painting

For my kitchen remodel, I painted the island, and base cabinets Indigo Streamer blue and the upper cabinets a Du Jour white, all latex based paints. Some people recommend oil based for cabinets but I find it easier to paint with something that is easily water soluble and dries quicker. For the wall I used a Nebulous White (all colors from Lowe’s). For the wall paint I used a satin finish, but for the cabinets I went with a semi gloss for more shine.

When it came to painting the cabinets, the first step was a primer. Using this cabinet paint roller I put on an initial coat of primer to all the cabinet bases and door. For lighter colors like the upper cabinets, it’s important to do at least one coat of primer so the white paint will show up to it’s best advantage. Once everything got at least one coat of primer, I left it overnight to make sure it was fully dry.

After the primer is set, it’s time to start on our paint. Using the same washed and dried paint rollers, I began the first coat of paint on the bases of the cabinets and then the cabinet doors and drawers. Having ample space with all the doors is an essential part of making this process easy. Using saw horses and 2×4’s I was able to make plenty of room for the doors and drawers.

It is tempting to try and get on multiple coats quickly to be done, but I encourage you to give the paint enough time to dry between coats. The last thing you want to do is accidentally pull up the paint you just added because it’s still tacky. Wait several hours at least between coats. I think for both colors I ended up doing 3 coats just to be extra sure of the color. Once you are done with all your coats of paint and let it cured overnight you should be good for next steps!

The Island and countertops

The island remodel and the countertops really went hand in hand with this kitchen remodel. At this point the island was already prepped and lowered during our demo, so it was really about putting all the selection I had made into place.

I had already had the countertop vendor come out and measure, so they were prepared with the new flat slab for the island as well and the back countertops. So once painting was done, it was time for the countertop installation. The vendor I bought from came and installed the countertops, as well as the under-mount kitchen sink that I purchased, and the new kitchen faucet.

If your vendor of choice provides all these same services it will make the rebuild all that much easier!

Flooring

The flooring was one of the last major undertakings in the kitchen remodel. I had never installed LVP flooring, so it was a whole new endeavor for me. The kind I ended up buying (Nucore) already came with an included backing, so nothing needed to be laid in between my concrete floor and the flooring.

The first thing I wanted to make sure if that I was familiar with the locking system of the LVP. As with anything, it took a few attempts to become familiar with the best practices, but in my experience here are some tips I learned along the way.

Tips

First things first, this LVP installation set became my new best friend.
I found it easiest to hook the board into the last at about a 45 degree angle and the singling it down the the corner and clicking it into place.
Use the rubber side of a mallet to tap the board into place.
Use the pulling tool to be able to tap boards into place when the abut a wall. When using it, make sure you are resting the tool on the “wood” part and not the click and lock material, as it snap and breaks easily, making it harder to click more onto it.
LVP cutters will be helpful if you want to buy one, but I used a Miter saw for any even cuts, and a jig saw for corner/odd cuts (of course, be extremely careful when using saws!).
Make sure you are varying your patterns and board lengths to give it a more natural feel. Each LVP is different, so do what looks best for what you have.
Be sure to leave a small boarder where the flooring meets any cabinets/walls to allow for the material to breath without buckling. Any spaces will get covered by trim and baseboards.

This whole process can be exhausting and tricky at times. My best advice is the read up on the product you bought, and watch a many youtube videos as you can until you feel comfortable. Also, be patient! It will get frustrating at times, but the final result will be worth it!

Backsplash

For my backsplash, I decided to do a vertical tile lay After doing some measuring, I figured out the length under most of the cabinets would be two full tile heights and then a cup portion of a couple inches. Luckily, my dad has a tile saw that I borrowed to make all of the tile cuts, but If you don’t know someone with one, they also rent them at places like Lowe’s and Home Depot. A tile cuter is pretty essential with a project like this, so it’s good to have one on standby. Tile nippers will also come in handy when cutting around outlets, etc.

To prep for the backsplash installation, I used some leftover wrapping paper and blue tape to protect my new countertops. Then I collected my supplies. This included the tiles, the pre-mixed adhesive, grout, trowel, float, sponge and bucket for mixing/water. Each tile will have different needs, so be sure that these steps work best for your tiles. Once everything is ready to go, this is how I proceeded with the installation:

Steps

Working in small areas progressively, add a layer of the adhesive to the wall and then score it with the shaped trowel end.
Apply the tile to the scored patch, pressing in firmly.
Continue this process along the wall and you progress down. You may have to pause to cut tiles or make adjustments but try to keep things as steady and moving as you can to prevent things from drying out. With subway tile you don’t need to use spacers, so all of my tiles abutted the one before.
Once all the tiles have been placed, follow adhesive instructions to allow them to dry.
To apply the grout, mix according to the packaging and then apply with the float. Add a glob of the grout to the float and the drag it down, filling the cracks between tiles. Be sure to apply pressure for an even application.
Once the grout is applied you will go over the surface of the tiles with a wet sponge to remove excess. You may have to do this several times.
Allow the grout to fully set and then clean again until the cloudy sheen is off the tiles.