Starting 2022 with a home remodel? We understand how fun and exciting renovations can be…but we also understand that it can be hard to choose the best materials for the job.
You get to personalize your space with your favorite materials, colors, and designs– and Magnet Remodeling is here to help you sort through all of the available options and find your perfect match.
Whether you’re doing a full kitchen remodel or simply updating the half bath, get started on your search with our house renovation material list!
Before You Begin The Renovation
Before you jump into a search for materials to build out your home remodel list, step back and think about the bigger picture. It will help the process run much more smoothly so you can quickly narrow down your choices and make your final material decisions.
Here are two tips to help you out when you’re building your house renovation list:
1. Decide On A Style
Sometimes the most challenging part of designing a new space is deciding on a style. There’s so much to choose from, and you probably like more than one of the home design trends you’ve seen.
Do you like industrial-styled rooms– with metal accents and bright wood finishes? Or are you more traditional, with granite countertops and dark wood cabinets? Have modern spaces been catching your eyes? Complete with unique backsplashes or interesting pops of color?
Of course, you can make any style your own by putting personalized touches or unique twists. But there’s a reason certain home interior styles exist— they look good! Draw inspiration from pre-existing styles and trends to decide on a stylistic direction to take with your remodel.
This will help you visualize what you like from a broader perspective and make choices that all flow together nicely in the end to complete your dream style. Your full home renovation checklist doesn’t have to all come from one stylistic perspective, but it helps with the overwhelming options to start with some direction.
2. Use Samples To Help you Decide
This renovation list tip will save you a ton of time. Using samples is one of the best ways—if not the best way—to help narrow down your options. Sometimes a combination of materials and colors seems like it will look amazing, but in actuality isn’t quite what you imagined.
Take away that risk and the need to second guess yourself with samples!
Once you see countertop, paint, and cabinet samples all together, you can visualize how everything will look in your kitchen. You don’t want to find out that your backsplash clashes with your cabinets after it’s already installed!
Block out time for collecting and testing samples on your house renovation material checklist to ensure that everything flows together.
You want the right people to do your remodel– the ones who understand you and can get the job done. And finding the right person to oversee everything can play a huge part in making you feel at ease. But do you need to hire a general contractor? It depends– read our post on hiring a general contactor to see if you need one for your project.
House Renovation Material List: A Guide for Each Part of Your Remodel
Flooring Options To Consider
Flooring might seem like an afterthought when it comes to designing your interior, but trust us, it really pulls a whole room together! When you’re choosing a flooring type, keep these things in mind:
- Lifestyle
- Your style preferences
- Comfort
- Cost
Different materials offer different things when it comes to both style and function. For example, if you are planning to spend hours chopping and dicing food in the kitchen, tile may not be the best choice. Instead a softer option, like wood, might work better for standing long hours.
And don’t worry about having to give up that tile you love. Consider putting it in your bathroom instead– tile is more suited for moisture anyways! Take a look at some of these flooring options to help you build out your house renovation material list:
Hardwood
Hardwood flooring brings warmth and beauty to your home. A popular option for open floor plans, many homeowners gravitate towards hardwood because of its versatility and durability. The average cost for hardwood flooring materials and installation can cost anywhere from $4 to $6 per square foot.
Porcelain or Ceramic Tile
You often see tile in bathrooms or kitchens because it does well in high-moisture areas. There are a few different kinds of tiles, but two popular options are porcelain and ceramic. Both are common house renovation material list choices because of their sleek, clean appearance.
Porcelain and ceramic don’t just look good– they’re also durable and have a large variety of styles. Plus, they’re great for easy cleaning, a major plus in a bathroom or kitchen.
How do you choose between these two options? Let’s look at a few key differences.
Porcelain tile is considered the upgraded version of ceramic tile; it has a longer manufacturing process that makes it harder, less porous, and very resistant to wear and tear. It also makes it the more expensive option.
Ceramic tile has a shorter, lower-heat manufacturing process, so naturally it’s softer and less refined. The trade-off is that it’s more affordable and easier to cut and install. Note that even though it’s ability to withstand moisture, spills, and heavy traffic is less than porcelain’s, ceramic may be the better choice if you need a large quantity.
Just be aware of it’s care requirements and it will work great!
Ceramic tiles (alone, without installation labor fees), cost anywhere between $0.50 to $35 per square foot, while porcelain tiles range between $13.50 and $63…a pretty noticeable difference!
Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring is durable, practical flooring that comes in a wide array of gorgeous options. Like any piece of a home renovation project, there are pros and cons of vinyl flooring that should be considered before you decide on it for your remodel.
Here are some of the pros:
- Vinyl can be water and stain proof, and at a minimum is very resistant to these types of damages.
- Durability makes it a solid choice for any high traffic area.
- It works well in high-moisture rooms, such as laundry rooms or kitchens.
- Vinyl tends to be warmer underfoot, so you’ll also often see it included in many bedroom remodels.
Linoleum
Linoleum is also known for its durability, but it’s got one really great standout benefit– it’s eco-friendly!
This green flooring option is usually made from biodegradable cork powder, linseed oil, or tree resins and other natural materials. It is known to be resilient over the years, especially since any scratches can be easily buffed out and resealed.
It’s best to apply a protective coating to avoid staining, but do this and you’ll have a long lasting, moisture resistant floor. Linoleum flooring averages about $2.50 to $3.50 per square foot with prices varying according to the thickness of the material.
If you’re looking to add some environmentally friendly choices to your growing house renovation material list, make sure you consider linoleum.
Lighting Options
Lighting: a very important part of a home remodel that’s often taken for granted. But when you’re updating spaces you have to think about what you’ll be doing in them and how well lit you’ll need them to be.
You don’t want your kitchen- a space where you handle sharp knives and boiling water- to have improper lighting.
To install recessed lighting you should expect to pay $100-$480 per fixture, or an average of $360.
Appliances– Don’t Forget These On Your Renovation List
Have you thought about the appliances you’ll want to use for your remodel? Your house renovation material list should include appliance options, especially with kitchen remodels.
Home improvement stores, like Lowe’s and Home Depot, offer appliance packages that make picking them out easier, but it’s helpful to know what you want as you plan out your remodel. That way you can make sure you have a space for what you need.
Head to your local store and interact with appliance models to get a better feel for what you’d be using day to day.
Pricing for this portion of your remodel is probably going to vary a lot. New, standard appliance sets can cost thousands of dollars, but simpler options are more affordable.
Picking Out Countertops
Some people know exactly what they want when it comes to countertops. But, there are plenty of gorgeous options out there and that can make the decision difficult. Most popular kitchen countertops are:
- Laminate
- Ceramic tile
- Wood
- Marble
- Granite
In general, you can expect to allocate approximately 10% of a kitchen remodel budget to countertops.
It probably comes as no surprise, but the cheaper the option, the more susceptible the material is to damage. Even so, it’s worth considering the benefits and drawbacks of each to find the perfect fit for your lifestyle and your budget.
If you like to bake, marble works great. But you don’t necessarily need glossy, marble countertops for everyday use. Since marble is more expensive than other countertops, many homeowners opt to mix and match with other materials to achieve the style they want and save a bit of money.
The average price range of new countertops in a remodel is $825-3,850, depending on the material you use.
Vanity and Vanity Tops
A bathroom remodel doesn’t always mean you need to pull everything out and start from scratch. The addition of a vanity (or simply updating an existing one) is a great way to transform a space and give it a brand new feel.
The vanity is a focal point in many bathrooms, so it’s best to consider style and size. Homeowners often want a big vanity- with an ample amount of countertop space- but that’s not always feasible for every bathroom size.
There’s other ways to get more out of your vanity:
- Storage space with cabinets and drawers
- Wear and tear resistant countertops such as wood veneers, laminate, or marble
When it comes to vanities and vanity tops, the style options are almost endless. Expect to pay anywhere between $150 to $2,000, not including installation costs.
Sinks and Plumbing
Depending on your remodel goals, your project might require some plumbing, especially if you upgrade your bathroom or kitchen with new sinks.
While a smaller pedestal sink is perfect for a half bath, larger vanity sinks are better suited for full or master bathrooms. The total cost for installing a sink can range from $390 to $2000 or more, depending on the style you choose.
Drop-in porcelain sinks tend to be the most cost-effective choice, starting at around $40, while drop-in glass sinks can cost $2860 total. Make sure you budget ahead of time for this part of your project, and include sinks on your house renovation material list!
Cabinets
New cabinets can bring a whole kitchen together (in both style and function!) and come in a number of different materials and textures. If you’re looking to remodel your cabinets, you’re going to want to build out your house renovation checklist with materials you like simply because there’s a lot to consider.
Cabinets for a kitchen remodel can cost anywhere from $160 to $380 per linear foot for stock or semi-custom styles. With installation costs on top of that, you can expect to pay anywhere between $3,200 and $8,500.
If you want fully custom cabinets, it can cost $500 to $1,200 per linear foot, totaling $12,500 to $18,000. With such a large purchase, it’s important to consider your options and pick the best cabinets for you.
Cabinets have two key parts: the exterior and the interior. Let’s talk about different renovation materials that go into them individually.
Exterior
Cabinets are a focal point, so of course you want them to look good and match your style! But the materials you use also should be of high-quality.
Wood is a common material for cabinet exteriors, with the most popular choices being:
- Hardwood: Hardwood is a natural material, so the resulting style may vary and be unique to your kitchen. Other bonuses are a long lifespan and many types to choose from. Hardwood can be more expensive and heavy than other options.
- Plywood: This material is very versatile, resists moisture the best, and is easily repaired. It’s less costly than hardwood, but you have to be careful to have the right thickness when installing.
- Particleboard: Particleboard is probably the most affordable cabinet material, since it’s made by pressing together recycled wood products. It has to be sealed with laminate or wood veneer to look good, and unless you get a high-quality version it probably won’t be very durable.
- MDF (medium-density fiberboard): A great option that falls between plywood and particleboard when it comes to durability (less than plywood, more than particleboard). Be wary of what materials are in the makeup of it though.
Other than wood, you might consider:
- Laminate
- Thermofoil
Interior
Don’t forget about cabinet interiors on your house renovation material list! A strong interior that doesn’t wear over time is a key part of cabinets that last. Here are some of the best cabinet renovation materials for interiors:
- Particleboard
- Plywood
- MDF (medium-density fibreboard)
Using Tile In Your Home Renovation
Tile isn’t just for the floor; it’s also used for backsplashes, showers, and more. Tile prices can start at $1.99 per square foot, and there’s a variety of textures and colors to choose from.
Ceramic tile, and the more expensive porcelain tile, are known to be the most durable options when it comes to choosing tile.
Natural stone tiles, including quartz and marble, are considered the most expensive options. The price of natural stone tiles start at around $10 per square foot.
Wall Tile vs Floor Tile
We talked about tile options earlier in this article, but as a material for the floor. So we wanted to point out that in most circumstances, wall tiles and floor tiles shouldn’t be used interchangeably.
Yes, ceramic and porcelain tiles are used for both floor and walls, but they’re not exactly made the same. Essentially, wall tile tends to be less durable than floor tile, for two main reasons:
- Wall tile doesn’t need to deal with the same amount of wear and tear as floor tile.
- Wall tile has to be installed vertically, so it’s better when it’s smaller and lightweight.
Hardware and Fixtures
There’s nothing like putting the finishing touches on a remodeling project! Even if it’s early on, it doesn’t hurt to add some hardware and fixture options to your house renovation materials list.
The right fixtures can bring the entire final space together, and prices will vary depending on what exactly you want and where you get them.
Expect to pay as little as $1 to $2 per piece of hardware or as much as $200 per piece.
Building Your Perfect Home
It’s hard to decide which materials to use for your home remodeling project! There are a ton of options out there and you want to get every piece right. Before you get started on your project, make sure you take some time to decide on your style and use our house renovation materials list to check off everything you need.
Still feeling like you’re drowning in paint swatches and tiny countertop samples? Let our team at Magnet Remodeling help you nail down your style and create a plan to build the home of your dreams. Get in touch with us today!
