How To Prepare Your Kitchen For A Remodel

A clear 8-step process that you can follow!

You’ve decided that your kitchen needs to go in for a remodel or redesign. You have chosen a home design company to do the job.

A design plan has been agreed upon.

What’s next?

Do you think the interior designer can just come in and start working on your kitchen?

No!

First, you need to pack up and prepare your kitchen for the redesign job.

Packing up your kitchen for a remodel

Packing up your kitchen is an essential step in the remodel process, as it not only protects your belongings from damage during construction, but it also allows you to start thinking about how you want your new kitchen to look and function.

Here are the key steps to take, including tips for organising your belongings, protecting fragile items, and planning for meals during construction.

If you have a small kitchen, here are some small kitchen interior design ideas you can think of incorporating into the remodel.

Plan out what you need to do

It might seem to you that we are talking about a simple thing – packing up a few pots and pans and storing them elsewhere in your house, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

Remember, you’ll need to find suitable places to keep everything from perishable items to condiments and even appliances.

So, make a definite plan on how to do all that.

One important step is to list out items you’ll need during the remodel, such as small appliances, coffee cups, and certain utensils.

These need to be packed together.

Also, make sure you keep eating utensils together.

Finally, if you have pets, make sure you have enough food for them to last throughout the process – or you may have to order a fresh bag.

Here are some materials that are typically used in such packings – paper, bubble wrap, markers, and stick tape.

If you want to update your kitchen’s colour scheme, here are the best colours to use in your kitchen.

Clearing out the kitchen

With your plan for packaging out all kitchen items ready, start clearing out the kitchen.

Take everything off of your countertops

As objects on the countertops are mostly in plain view, it makes sense to start with those, right?

Clear any appliances or other items from your countertops.

You should be able to relocate them to a different room in your home, such as a bathroom or laundry room.

If the space there is limited, you may need to devise a more sophisticated solution.

Empty the cabinets

Group similar items together, such as placing all dishes in one box.

To protect your items, cover any boxes or crates with a sheet to prevent scratches.

When packing glassware, be mindful to stack dishes flat to prevent cracks and breaks, and wrap fragile items (mostly anything made of glass or ceramic) in bubble wrap before placing them in plastic reusable storage bins.

Pots and pans should be packed in moving boxes, but make sure to not overload the boxes so they are easy to lift.

Remember to tape the boxes well to ensure they stay closed during the move.

If you’re thinking of redoing your countertops, here are the best kitchen countertop materials.

Don’t forget to wrap the remaining appliances!

To protect appliances that will stay in place during the kitchen remodel, you need to cover them in plastic wrap.

This will shield them from dust and debris created by the kitchen design process.

This is especially important for things like ovens, refrigerators, and dishwashers, as they are often hard to move and can be affected by dust.

Make sure to take your time and properly cover each appliance, as dirt can easily enter the appliances through gaps, and that can spoil the machines altogether.

Keep utensils in food storage bags

Surprised?

Asking yourself why take care of utensils separately?

Here’s the thing…

Keeping utensils (especially silverware) in food storage bags has the dual benefit of:

Preventing them from getting scratched (which will show), and…
Making it unnecessary to wash them when you’re shifting back after the remodelling is over.

You should also place newspapers between individual dishes to cushion them from bumping into and scratching each other.

Tip: Be careful with sharp objects, especially knives. Keep them in a separate container.

Empty your pantry

Removing all the items in your pantry to somewhere outside the kitchen saves them from catching the dust and debris that will inevitably result from the remodelling work.

It also makes it easier for the kitchen design team to do their work.

Here’s how you can do this systemically:

Empty all the shelves and gather all items on a countertop.
Discard everything that’s expired or past their “best before” date.
Pack up the rest in boxes and containers, and label them.
Put all the boxes and containers in another room till the remodel is done.

Ensure that cleaning supplies are easily accessible

Cleaning supplies ranging from an all-purpose cleaner to things like paper towels and sponges, and a broom and dustpan should be kept easily accessible throughout the remodel.

Also have a separate bucket or bin for construction debris.

Not only will you be able to keep areas near the kitchen dust and debris-free; you can also chip in with cleaning the kitchen if you feel necessary.

Set up a temporary cooking space

Speaking from our experience as interior designers in Bangladesh, this should be handled by the designer/remodelling service.

If they don’t, here’s how you can do it.

The first thing to do is to choose the necessary countertop appliances. Some of these are the blender, the coffee maker, the microwave and the toaster.
Next, set up a folding table in a convenient location in your home and place your appliances on top.
Then, stock up on disposable plates, utensils, and napkins or paper towels for convenience.
And finally, remember to have some ready-to-eat snacks like biscuits, cakes and so on.

Pro tip: Remember to discuss this when you initially consult with the company over your kitchen redesign.

If you’re wondering how long it will take, here’s an interior design project timeline explainer you can refer to.

Remove all the decorations from the walls!

Removing wall decorations is an important step when preparing for a kitchen remodel.

This includes items such as paintings, posters, and other wall hangings.

Not only will these items likely be in the way during the remodel, but they may also be damaged during the construction process.

Start by taking down any items that are on the walls, and carefully pack them in labelled boxes or containers.

Be sure to protect fragile items with bubble wrap or packing paper.

Also, if you’re unsure of where you want to put them back, it’s a good idea to take pictures of the decorations on the wall so you have a reference when you put them back up.