Turn your galley-style kitchen into both an entertainer’s delight and a family friendly zone with a clever reno. This kitchen had good bones, so the original layout and many existing features were repeated but given an upgrade.
The key to the new design was doubling the size of the island to make it a spot for prep, cooking and dining. Done in edgy industrial style, the kitchen features horizontal lines for a streamlined effect and is sleek but still welcoming – a real hub of the home.
Rip out the old and bring in the new! Make sure you call in the tradies for all plumbing and electrical work but you can do the stripping, design, painting and cabinet installation yourself.
How to renovate your kitchen
1. Strip and clear room
Turn off all plumbing and electricals. Remove cabinetry and appliances, leaving the sink cabinet. (Not moving the sink will saves on plumbing costs.) Re-use cabinetry in the laundry or garage if you can, or list on an online trading site. Remove the tiled splashback using a hammer and chisel. Patch the wall and prepare it for tiling.
2. Design layout
Use cardboard cutouts in the actual size of appliances and cabinets to set out the kitchen layout on the floor. Name the cutouts and mark with their size in millimetres. Taking the existing sink location as your cue, aim to create the classic kitchen work triangle of sink, fridge and cooktop.
3. Install cabinetry
Clamp island cabinets together and cabinet next to sink. Check for level, adjusting cabinet feet as needed. Attach drawer runners before installing the cabinets. Measure, cut and install the sink benchtop. For island waterfall, cut top and side piece with a 45° angle at one end. The timber panel sits on top of the benchtop.
4. Tile the splashback
Apply tile adhesive to the wall using a notched trowel. Mask off benchtop edge, then lay first row using spacers at the base and between tiles. Use a tile cutter, where needed. Lay second course. Apply grout with a float, washing off haze with clean water and a sponge. Seal join at benchtop and leave to cure.
5. Paint the walls
Lay dropsheets and mask off electrical outlets. Clean walls thoroughly with diluted sugar soap and leave to dry. Cut in around the edges and electrical outlets with a wide paintbrush, then apply paint with a roller. Once paint is completely dry, install floating shelves and the wall cabinets.
6. Make benchtop cutouts
Mark the benchtops for the sink and cooktop, then use a jigsaw to make cutouts. Position sink and cooktop, then have a tradie hook them up, along with the oven and dishwasher. Put the fridge in its nook, add your small appliances and accessories and your brand new kitchen is ready to go.
How to install floating shelves
What it lacks in size a galley kitchen makes up for in efficiency. Floating shelves and cabinetry use up your dead wall space without adding bulk, while a dishwasher means one less cabinet but eliminates sink clutter or the need for a drying rack. Simple, streamlined and storage savvy.
Gather your supplies
- Offcut of hardwood panel
- 200 x 16mm pine dowels
- Drill
- 16mm spade bit
- PVA wood glue; sandpaper
- Stain and varnish
- Lint-free cloth
- Fast-setting construction adhesive
- Caulking gun
Step 1
Determine where centre of timber studs are behind the plaster in the wall. Transfer to edge of shelf and use 120mm spade bit to drill 120mm deep holes in the shelf.
Step 2
Squirt PVA glue into holes, then tap lengths of dowel into each hole.
Step 3
Round sharp edges at front of shelf with sandpaper, then apply a coat of stain and varnish with a cloth. Leave to dry.
Step 4
Take an offcut of the hardwood and drill a 16mm hole through the centre of it. Use this as a jig to drill the holes in the studs for the dowels. Sit jig on top of tiles, align centre of hole with stud on wall and drill a 16mm hole through it into the stud. Drill hole 80mm deep to suit 9omm deep studs.
Step 5
Check that depth of holes in wall is more than the dowel protruding from the shelf and adjust if required. Squirt construction adhesive into wall holes, then insert dowels. Push shelf hard against the wall and hold until the glue grabs.
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