Staying at home means spending a lot more of your time doing two things: hanging out in the kitchen and binge-watching your favorite home and kitchen remodeling shows. It’s no wonder you’re dreaming more about ripping out your kitchen cabinets and giving your space an upgrade. Fortunately, you can use this time to do more than just dream; you can use it to build a plan of action. Check out our list of steps you can take now—while you’re spending quality time with your kitchen—to make your impending kitchen project a rousing success.

Start with the basics

The most important questions to answer about your kitchen project are: how much do you want to invest, what do you need and when do you need it. Starting with these basic questions will lay the foundation for everything that comes after.

Pro tip: Let our design experts walk you through every step of your project to reduce stress. Often our designers have multiple solutions for one need, making it easier for you to get what you want within your scope.

Decide: Remove and replace, or reface?

Removing and replacing kitchen cabinets means you’re simply replacing what you’ve got with something new in the same configuration. You can choose stock cabinets—which may limit your choice of colors, cabinet facings, etc.—or custom cabinets built to fit your space. Remove and replace can also apply to your kitchen sink, hardware, appliances, and lighting fixtures, all quick changes without a full remodel. Kitchen cabinet refacing will leave the body your cabinets intact, changing only the doors, hardware and fixtures.

Pro tip: Collect pictures online of what you want your kitchen to look like, and email them to your Kitchen FX design expert so we can help you to choose whether to remove and replace, or simply reface.

Choose your products…and choose them wisely

After you’ve set project scope, design style, your investment level, and whether you’re going with a replacement or a reface, you can move on to picking colors, cabinet features, hardware, etc.

Pro Tip: Not all cabinets, hardware, finishes, or even brands are created equal. Working with a design expert can help to ensure that you get products that can stand the test of time and support your unique life for years to come.

While these steps may seem simple enough, each is critical to the success of your project, and shouldn’t be rushed. Thinking through your scope, making the huge decision between replacements and cabinet refacing, and making final product selections carefully can help your installation go smoothly, and ensure that you get what you want for the investment you planned. The more time you put into the planning process, the more you’ll love the outcome.