A person spends a lot of time in the kitchen. Here they cook food, have breakfast and lunch, arrange gatherings with friends. Considering that typical kitchens of high-rise buildings in most cases rarely exceed 6 square meters, there is often not enough free space. Having made repairs, you can make the kitchen more comfortable and visually expand the free space of the room. Do-it-yourself kitchen renovation can be done by anyone, although it should be noted right away that it is unlikely that it will be possible to do without the involvement of specialists. Ideas for repair can be gleaned from the Internet or try your own version. The most important thing is that the repair turned out to be budgetary and did not require updating for a long time.
Planning
Do-it-yourself kitchen renovation begins with a project. You can order the drafting of the project from professional designers. They will be able to correctly divide the space into zones and usually present the customer with more than one repair option. But such services will cost a decent amount, and our goal is to make cheap repairs. Therefore, you can draw up a plan for the future kitchen yourself. To do this, on paper, you can sketch a detailed plan of the room and decide on the arrangement of furniture and household appliances. The kitchen room should be divided into two parts: the cooking area and the dining area. In addition, it is recommended to immediately mark the location of electrical outlets and the wiring diagram.
To make the plan more visual, you can make a three-dimensional model of the kitchen. To do this, you need to take a cardboard box, cut holes in the sides imitating a window and a door. Then the interior of the box is furnished with children's cubes, which will play the role of kitchen furniture. This will give you a better idea of what the kitchen will look like after the renovation, and you will be able to try out different ideas and options.
We prepare materials
How to make repairs in the kitchen and not waste the family budget? It is necessary to take a responsible approach to the choice of building materials. The kitchen serves mainly for cooking, so there is always high humidity and evaporation in the room. The selected materials must be able to withstand the harsh environment.
- The most budget option for finishing the ceiling is plastic panels or water-based paint.
- Walls can be leveled with drywall or putty with cement-sand mortar. The surface of the wall near the gas stove, sink and cutting table can be finished with ceramic tiles. Washable wallpapers can be used for the rest of the walls.
- As a floor covering, you can use a laminate or cheaper linoleum.
How to make repairs in the kitchen
- Repair work begins with the release of the premises from the old furniture. Then the old flooring is dismantled, the ceilings are washed off and the wallpaper comes off. If you are planning to replace a window or door, it is best to do it at the initial stage.
- After the walls and floors are cleaned of dirt, it is necessary to separate the electrical wiring and install communications.
- Water pipes are better to choose metal-plastic. They are more durable and easy to install on your own.
- But do-it-yourself gas supply is unlikely to be done. To do this, you need to get permission and call the gas service workers.
When installing water and sewer pipes, remember that their length should not exceed 150 centimeters, otherwise the throughput will decrease.
After that, you can start decorating the room.
Ceiling
A kitchen renovation starts with finishing the ceiling. The following ideas can be used here:
- Water based paint. This is perhaps the most budget option. The paint is applied to almost any coating and dries quickly. Among the shortcomings can be noted the fragility of such a coating.
- Drywall. This material is convenient in that you can hide electrical wiring under it and hide the unevenness of the ceiling. The disadvantages include the fact that drywall sheets will reduce the height of the ceilings.
- Plastic panels. Under this coating, you will need to install a frame made of rails or a metal profile. Plastic is well cleaned of contaminants and has a long service life. The disadvantages are the same as in the previous case - the height of the room will decrease.
You can install stretch or multi-level ceilings. But it will be very problematic to bring these ideas to life without resorting to the services of professionals.
Walls
Finishing the walls in the kitchen, you can try to implement any design ideas.
- Painting. The easiest and most economical option. The walls can be made plain or try the option using different colors. Matte shades are more suitable for the kitchen. Glossy paint will look good on the walls, but it emphasizes all the defects, so before applying it, the walls must be leveled.
- Tile. Finishing all the walls of the kitchen with ceramic tiles is impractical. It is much more profitable to use tiles near work and cooking surfaces. Installing tiles is a rather time-consuming process, but given the small area of coverage, it is quite doable with our own hands.
- Wallpaper. In stores you can find a wide range of wallpapers of various price categories. For kitchens, non-woven or vinyl products are more suitable. They have a high margin of safety, they lend themselves well to washing.
Wallpapering is not difficult. To further simplify the process, it is not recommended to use wallpaper with a complex pattern. Sheets may be difficult to fit. It is best to use wallpaper with a width of about one meter. The joints of the walls and ceiling can be closed with special borders.
Ceramic tiles are more difficult to install. It is applied with a special adhesive. Be sure to use the building level and plastic crosses that fix the tiles at the same distance. After the glue dries, the seams must be treated with a silicone compound.
floors
Before laying the flooring, you need to assess the condition of the base. If the floor slab needs to be leveled, a cement screed will need to be poured. Finishing is carried out only after the screed has set. For finishing floors, you can use the following options:
- Laminate. A practical coating that attracts buyers with its price and ease of installation. Before laying the laminate, it is recommended to use a waterproofing layer.
- Linoleum. Differs in simplicity in laying and leaving.
- Tile. This finishing option is considered the most optimal. It is recommended to install a warm floor system under ceramic tiles.
Kitchen Design Ideas
In order for the kitchen to be not only beautiful, but also convenient to use, it is necessary to properly arrange furniture and household appliances. Here's what a basic setup might look like:
- The gas stove should be located near the gas pipe. The maximum permissible length of the flexible connecting hose must not exceed 1.5 meters.
- A place for drying dishes and a drawer for storing them is best located near the sink.
- The refrigerator should be located as far as possible from the gas stove.
- An exhaust hood must be installed above the gas stove.
Furniture is usually arranged in one or two lines. The main thing is that the free space allows two people to pass without problems.
To visually increase the free space, you can use the following ideas:
- Do not use elements for decoration and furniture in too many colors. It will look gross. It is better to limit yourself to two, maximum three colors. For walls, it is recommended to use white or cream shades.Furniture in this case is better to choose in light brown tones.
- You can go from the opposite and try to play in contrast. Ideas using black and white shades will visually expand the kitchen space.
- The kitchen should match the design of the rest of the apartment. This will create the effect of transition from one room to another. Using this idea will blur the boundaries of the kitchen and surrounding areas.
- For lighting, it is recommended to use spotlights that can be placed above wall cabinets and work surfaces. Alternatively, you can use a large multi-lamp chandelier. The more light in the room, the larger it seems.
To the question: “How to make repairs in the kitchen and not spend the entire family budget?” can be answered as follows: you need to show a little imagination and carefully choose materials. Budget repairs do not at all imply the use of low-quality materials. Making a major renovation of the kitchen, you can bring your wildest ideas to life.
