What Order to Renovate a Kitchen: Step by Step

What is the correct order for a kitchen renovation?

The correct order is planning, strip-out, building work, first fix, plastering, flooring, units, worktops, second fix, tiling and decorating. Each stage prepares the room for the next. Doing a stage out of order usually means undoing finished work, such as cutting into new plaster to move a cable, which costs time and money.

1. Plan, design and order the kitchen, and apply for a building warrant if you're removing a structural wall.
2. Strip out the old kitchen, with the water, gas and electrics made safe.
3. Do the building work: knock through, block up, or change windows and doors.
4. First-fix the services: run new pipes, cables and gas supplies to where they'll be needed.
5. Plaster the walls and ceiling, and let them dry.
6. Lay the floor, or prepare it if the floor goes down after the units.
7. Fit the units: base units, wall units and tall housings, all levelled.
8. Fit the worktops, or template them if they're stone or quartz.
9. Second-fix the services: sockets, lights, the sink, taps, hob and appliances.
10. Tile, decorate and finish: splashback, paint, plinths, cornice and handles.

What is first fix and second fix in a kitchen?

First fix is everything that goes into the walls and floor before they're closed up, and second fix is everything that connects to it once the kitchen is in. The same trades come back twice: once before plastering and once after the units are fitted.

Gas work must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and new electrical work should be certified to BS 7671. We use a trusted Gas Safe registered engineer and a certified electrician on every renovation.

Should flooring go down before or after kitchen units?

It depends on the floor, but in most kitchens we lay the floor first and fit the units on top. That gives a continuous floor, makes it easy to change the layout in future, and avoids awkward cuts round every unit. Plan for it in the right order:

When the floor goes in first

• Vinyl, tiles and engineered wood usually go down before the units.
• Protect it with boards while the kitchen is fitted.
• Allow for the height, so the dishwasher still fits under the worktop.

When the floor goes in after

• Floating floors, such as some laminates, may need to stay free to move, so units shouldn't sit on them.
• Expensive flooring is sometimes laid only to the plinth line to save cost.
• Check the flooring manufacturer's instructions to see which method they require.

When should you tile a kitchen?

Tile the splashback after the worktops are fitted, so the tiles sit neatly on top of the worktop. Tiling first and fitting the worktop up to the tiles leaves an uneven line and makes it harder to replace the worktop later. Floor tiles are different: they usually go down before the units, as part of the flooring stage.

When are quartz and stone worktops templated?

Quartz and stone worktops are templated once the base units are fitted and level, and fitted when the slabs come back from the fabricator, usually about one to two weeks later. That gap affects the order:

• Templating needs the units fixed, level and in their final position.
• The sink and hob should be chosen and on site, so their cut-outs are measured exactly.
• A temporary worktop can be fitted in between, so you can use the kitchen.
• Tiling and second fix of the sink and hob wait until the stone is in.

Laminate and solid wood worktops are cut on site, so they're usually fitted straight after the units.

How long does each stage of a kitchen renovation take?

A typical kitchen renovation takes 2 to 3 weeks on site, plus a few weeks of planning and ordering before work starts. This is how a typical renovation breaks down:

Some stages overlap, and quartz worktops add a wait of about one to two weeks between templating and fitting. Our how long does it take to fit a kitchen guide has timings for smaller jobs.

How much contingency should you budget for a kitchen renovation?

Common advice is to keep around 10% to 20% of your budget as a contingency. Older homes are more likely to need it, because problems such as damp, rotten joists, old wiring or uneven walls often only appear once the old kitchen is out. We price everything we can see at the survey in a fixed quote, and tell you straight away if we find something hidden, before any extra work is done.

With us, kitchen renovations start from £7,950 and most cost £8,500 to £18,000, with no VAT added.

Do you need a building warrant for a kitchen renovation?

You don't need one to replace a kitchen, but you usually do if the renovation includes structural work, such as removing a load-bearing wall. The warrant must be approved before that work starts, so apply at the planning stage, not once the kitchen is ordered. Our building warrant for kitchen wall removal guide explains how it works in Glasgow.