We remodeled our dated kitchen for $10,000. The results look incredible, but we've got several regrets.
We renovated our dated kitchen for about $10,000 by using IKEA and doing labor ourselves.I wish we'd paid extra for expert measurements and tested the floor grout before committing to it.In the end, we love our kitchen and are impressed we got it done as home-reno newbies.When my husband and I bought our largely untouched 1990s home last year, we knew every room would eventually need updating. But there was one space we wanted to tackle first: the kitchen.The original oak cabinetry was beautifully built, but the honey-colored tones, dated tile countertops and backsplash, and striped wallpaper made the whole room appear firmly stuck in another decade.
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We renovated our dated kitchen for about $10,000 by using IKEA and doing labor ourselves.I wish we'd paid extra for expert measurements and tested the floor grout before committing to it.In the end, we love our kitchen and are impressed we got it done as home-reno newbies.When my husband and I bought our largely untouched 1990s home last year, we knew every room would eventually need updating. But there was one space we wanted to tackle first: the kitchen.The original oak cabinetry was beautifully built, but the honey-colored tones, dated tile countertops and backsplash, and striped wallpaper made the whole room appear firmly stuck in another decade. Short upper cabinets also made the room feel smaller than it was, and limited our storage potential.We wanted a kitchen that felt modern, more functional, and better suited to how we actually cook and entertain — but we didn't want to spend too much on a remodel.After researching our options, we headed to IKEA.We ordered our cabinets, countertops, and most basics from IKEAThe Swedish retailer's kitchen systems and cabinets caught our eye for their smart design, modular flexibility, and affordability.Before placing our order, we made two appointments with an IKEA kitchen specialist to see cabinet colors, door styles, countertop samples, and hardware in person.The meetings felt overwhelming as we worked through layouts, measurements, and seemingly endless design decisions, but seeing the materials side by side gave us confidence in our choices and helped us catch details we might have missed online.We ultimately went with warm wood-toned IKEA cabinets, off-white glass-composite countertops, a deep farmhouse-style sink, and brass hardware.To keep the space from feeling too uniform, we chose a green scalloped backsplash and beige hexagon floor tile from other suppliers.Taking on the labor ourselves helped us complete the renovation for $10,000Despite being total renovation newbies, we took on most of the labor ourselves and learned as we went. IKEA kitchen installations typically start at around $2,500, so this decision helped us save thousands.Luckily, we also caught IKEA when it was having a 10% off deal, which further lowered our overall cost.
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- What's the story?
- We renovated our dated kitchen for about $10,000 by using IKEA and doing labor ourselves.I wish we'd paid extra for expert measurements and tested the floor grout before committing to it.In the end, we love our kitchen and are impressed we got it done as home-reno newbies.When my husband and I bought our largely untouched 1990s home last year, we knew every room would eventually need updating. But there was one space we wanted to tackle first: the kitchen.The original oak cabinetry was beautifully built, but the honey-colored tones, dated tile countertops and backsplash, and striped wallpaper made the whole room appear firmly stuck in another decade.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- just now ago.
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We remodeled our dated kitchen for $10,000. The results look incredible, but we've got several regrets.
Sources1TypeCoverageBusiness Insider