TIPS: UPGRADE AND RENEW OLD KITCHENS WITH IDEAS

How do you modernize a kitchen step by step? After buying a house in Berlin and handing over the keys, there were only four weeks until the move. Money for a completely new kitchen was not there - so we renovated the 70s kitchen, new tiles were set and had a plan: Paint the kitchen cabinets, so that from the 40-year-old kitchen with flowers, a modern kitchen in Scandinavian design is created.

 

Kitchen modernization: before and after comparison

Before we bought our house, we stood in the 1970s flower kitchen and said: This is it. In my opinion, the design was super ugly, flower tiles! The kitchen fronts were green, but this tone! The floor tiles were also not my taste. We agreed: we need a new kitchen!

However, there was a lack of money everywhere, so we decided to completely modernize the kitchen. We wanted to renovate the kitchen fronts, preserve the core of the cabinets and just renew the look. The goal: a Scandinavian-style kitchen at a low cost. In a before-and-after comparison, you can see the modernization well. I'll show you step by step how we renovated our kitchen.

Renovating an old kitchen - before and after comparison

The seventies kitchen in the terraced house

Wall tiles with flowers and tile tiles in brown - that in connection with the green kitchen fronts made the 70s kitchen not a dream for us, but a nightmare. Still, we fell in love with the house. We wanted to change the color of the old kitchen. The kitchen fronts should be painted and the tiles removed.

The tiler advised us to tile over the old tiles. In this way, the entire kitchen could be renovated in a short time (4 weeks before moving in!). The cabinets were still intact after 40 years and should be preserved.

 

We still had a long list for kitchen modernization:

●     Completely dismantle the kitchen & steam clean

●     Painting kitchen fronts

●     Paint handles

●     Renew tiles

●     Adjust new worktop

●     Replace kitchen appliances

●     paint walls

●     Lay the power cable

●     Replace sockets

●     Replace & relocate radiators

Prepare the old kitchen - remove the core from the walls

We removed the wooden panels on two walls and also the styrofoam underneath. The radiator should be moved under the window. The previous space under the worktop is not sufficient for the heating effect.

After removing the wooden panels - with the crowbar - the kitchen looked a little friendlier. Unfortunately, our idea of ​​putting the kitchen sink under the window did not work out at the time. The room is just too small to accommodate everything.

 

Seventies kitchen in green with flower tiles and wooden panels

Dismantle kitchen fronts

It starts with the cordless screwdriver: All doors of the kitchen cupboards are removed. The interior of the 1970s cabinets is still well preserved - there are no problems! Even the pot carousel and the apothecary cabinet work very well. These functions alone would cost a lot of money in a new kitchen!

Renovating the kitchen - step by step instructions - dismantling kitchen cabinets

The disadvantage of a terraced kitchen: everything is very small. The wall cupboards are also not very deep. In addition, the kitchen door will soon be installed again: This will cover the three large cupboards on the left.

The refrigerator is also too small for five people. We gave away the old one and looked for another solution. We planned another kitchenette because we can't eat in the mini-room anyway.

Doors of the kitchen cupboards are dismantled

Steam clean kitchen fronts

In fact, our little model managed to remove the odors from the cabinets and kitchen fronts. Fortunately, the sun was shining outside so that everything could dry immediately.

Steam clean, dry, sand & prime kitchen fronts

Sand down the kitchen

After steam cleaning and drying, we sanded all the fronts of the kitchen. Since we had to save money, we did the manual work with our inexpensive tools.

 

In fact, sanding the kitchen worked wonderfully with our multi-sander *. Important: First, roughly pre-sand (80 grit), wipe over once with a microfibre cloth, and then finely sand again (180 grit). The sanding sheet set * is cheap and absolutely necessary.

Repaint kitchen fronts - clean, sand, prime beforehand

Priming & painting the kitchen

After that, we wiped the kitchen doors with a damp cloth and let them dry before we started priming. Since no more green should shine through, we have already been through here. The built-in door handles with troughs posed a problem. Paint collected here, making painting difficult.

After the priming paint ( water-based acrylic primer *) had dried, we painted the fronts in white and the handles in light gray with colored varnish.

●     White-colored lacquer *

●     Light gray colored paint *

Repaint the handles on the kitchen fronts

Adjust worktop

The old worktop should be completely removed. For our DIY kitchen in Scandinavian style, we wanted to have an inexpensive work surface made of light solid wood. On the one hand, this means more care: sanding and oiling, on the other hand much more brightness!

We decided on an untreated solid birch wood panel and sanded it down several times until it was super smooth. Then we oiled them.

Tip: use hard wax oil instead of oil.

After three years of use, we have to sand down the worktop again, as we haven't oiled again so far. So wine stains and minor blunders accumulated. So next time I would use a hard wax oil *.

Sand down the new worktop and then oil it

Tile or paint tiles?

We thought about painting the tiles. There are even good tile lacquers * that can do this with an opaque finish . But what I really, really wanted was metro tiles - like in the subway hall. We couldn't have done that with the square flower tiles.

We were also unsure about the floor: Can floor tiles be painted without them wearing out over time? I do not think so. So we decided to have the tiles renewed.

Alternatively, the kitchen fronts can also be glued. On the other hand, I imagine that to be difficult - without air bubbles and on the sides. That's why that was out of the question for us. Unfortunately, we couldn't replace the kitchen fronts either, as the cabinets were all of the different widths and can no longer be bought.

Dismantle and clean the kitchen - with the steam cleaner

Laying tiles on tiles

The tiler recommended that we tile over the old tiles. Since we wanted to continue using the old kitchen, the dimensions continued to fit. Otherwise, it would have been really difficult: Our lightweight terraced house has appropriate walls - made of cardboard - as my husband says disparagingly. ;)

For a moment we thought about doing it ourselves. But we quickly became sensible and luckily got professional craftsmen with short notice. How fortunate!

Renovating old kitchen - 1970's design with flowers and wood

Renovating the floor: tiles with a wood look

Because a short time later, the first successes were seen. We also selected the tiles at high speed in the hardware store. I still think the white metro tiles are beautiful. The wood-look floor tiles are a tad too grained for me. However, if you see the direct comparison, the grumbling is at a high level. It looks great!

Kitchen back wall with white metro tiles and floor tiles in wood look

 

In between - due to lack of time, unfortunately only after the tiles - my husband painted the walls. That alone made a huge difference visually. How friendly the little kitchen suddenly looks! Like New!

Paint the kitchen wall - mask off the tiles beforehand

Result: tiles on tiles

The overall picture is just beautiful. The desired Scandinavian style was within reach. The metro tiles go great - also with the grained wood-look tiles.

The new sockets ( with integrated child safety locks *) add extra value to the room. The radiator has been moved, now the only thing missing is the kitchen!

Modernized kitchen in Scandinavian style: Metro tiles and tiles in wood look

The new kitchen from the 70s

The renovated kitchen turned out really great! In the meantime, it has also got white baseboards and a white hood. The white devices were a good decision, which makes them appear a little bigger and a lot friendlier.

Tips: Renovating the old kitchen - modernizing step by step

 

The new solid wood worktop matches the tiles perfectly! It was a good decision to buy the slightly thicker worktop.

New worktop made of light veneer wood with metro tiles = Scandinavian style

Modernization as an alternative to buying a new one

We have received a small green part: the cupboard corner is reminiscent of the original kitchen from the 1970s. Unfortunately, we could not replace the handles. They are another holdover next to the cabinet sides. For us, renovating the kitchen was a very good alternative to buy a new one.

We saved several thousand euros - which we didn't even have at the time. The kitchen still fulfills its purpose three years later. And at some point, we might have a kitchen with a sink and a view of the outside ...

Replace kitchen appliances

What was important to us: our own refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher. I don't want to use these kitchen appliances second-hand - even if they weren't 40 years old. So we were finally able to buy an induction cooker. We brought the dishwasher from the old apartment.

Since we needed more space, we also had to buy a new refrigerator. Beware of small houses: large kitchen appliances sometimes do not fit through narrow entrances!

Restoring the kitchen - new tiles, paint, and varnish

Extension of the kitchen

A few new parts moved in. In addition to the complete kitchen appliances, we also bought two cabinets for the kitchen unit opposite.

 

 

We absolutely had to buy a larger refrigerator, which is actually still too small for five people. There is also a large freezer in the basement.

 

The kitchen cupboards also have an integrated garbage can and space for small devices and cookbooks. We have built-in a waste collector from Wesco * for organic and household waste. The muesli shelf is out of reach for children, but it is a pretty eye-catcher.

 

Our family whiteboard is also located there, which we use to organize and plan tasks and appointments. .

Expand the kitchen: IKEA cabinets with a larger refrigerator complete the kitchen

Conclusion: modernize the kitchen

We are also replacing the sink and fittings and making the kitchen our own. The cup shelf is my favorite place and, since the Flylady & Konmari method, also the white kitchen sink!

Favorite place: ceramic kitchen sink

I love the tidy and clean sight. It's the first thing you see when you walk into the old new kitchen. We, especially my husband, has achieved a lot.

And yes, renovating and modernizing a kitchen is very time-consuming, but it's worth it! We were able to save a lot of money and bring in our own style. We would like to have two dishwashers, but that is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration - although it would be useful. ;)

New kitchen sink with ceramic basin and cup rack

 

How much does it cost to renovate the kitchen?

The modernization of the kitchen cost us less than € 2000. We spent around € 400 on the new tiles, plus the costs for the tiler (around € 35 / sqm) and the colors. Anyone who can lay tiles themselves can save.

 

How can I beautify an old kitchen?

New wall paint makes a big difference. If you want to change the kitchen fronts, you can repaint, glue or replace the doors completely - depending on the model. Old tiles can be painted over or tiled over. In this way, you can make a major design change in just a few simple steps.

 

Renovate or buy a new kitchen?

It is a question of money! If you have a big budget, I would buy the kitchen completely new, as this way all wishes can be taken into account. Otherwise, fresh colors for the kitchen fronts can change a lot. A retro kitchen can also have a lot of charm - especially if you get individual elements from the past.