How To Makeover Your Kitchen in an Afternoon
Can you make over a kitchen in an afternoon?
You can transform how a kitchen looks in an afternoon, provided you pick jobs that are limited by effort rather than by cure time. Cooking spills, kids, clutter and general wear leave a kitchen looking tired long before anything in it is actually worn out, and most of that is reversible in a few hours.
Five steps below: declutter, touch up scratches, replace the old silicone, deep clean the surfaces, and do the oven. The only one with a real wait attached is the silicone, so start it early and let it cure while you work on everything else.
What you need
- Selleys Sealant Remover
- Selleys Wet Area Silicone
- Selleys Original Sugar Soap
- Selleys Oven Clean
- Selleys Appliance Touch Up
- A caulking gun, spatula, cloths and gloves
Step 1: Remove the clutter
Get the unnecessary items out. Put the cut-and-keep recipes in a folder, reorganise plastic containers by nesting them and storing lids separately, and go through the utensil drawer removing anything you have not used in six months. This costs nothing and does more for how a kitchen reads than any product on this list.
Step 2: Touch up scratches on appliances
Scratches on a fridge or oven front make an otherwise clean kitchen look neglected. Selleys Appliance Touch Up is a brushable white paint that will not yellow with age or exposure to high temperatures, and it comes packaged with a small brush for delicate application.
Step 3: Replace old, worn silicone
This is the job that makes the biggest visual difference in a kitchen, because a mouldy or lifting bead around a sink or benchtop reads as dirt no matter how clean everything else is.
Remove the worn silicone with Selleys Sealant Remover. Its published method is to scrape or cut off the old sealant first, leaving only a thin layer less than 5mm deep, then spread at least a 5mm thick layer of Sealant Remover evenly over what remains. Leave it for at least 10 minutes — Selleys' current technical data describes it as fast acting and working in 10 minutes, and notes that in some cases a second application may be required. Then use a scraper or a sealant remover tool in a forward and backward motion to lift off the softened sealant, and clean any residue and your tools immediately with mineral turpentine.
Cutting away as much old sealant as possible first lets the remover penetrate more easily, and a sealant remover tool makes that initial cutting and scraping far easier.
Once the old silicone is completely removed, apply a fresh sealant designed for kitchens. Selleys Wet Area Silicone adheres to cement and grout and contains a fungicide to stop mould growth. Cut the nozzle at a 45 degree angle, place the cartridge in a caulking gun, and apply with steady pressure, pushing the sealant into the joint. Tool it with a spatula dipped in detergent water within 5 to 10 minutes of application, and clean up with turps before the product skins. The sealant will cure in 72 hours.
Step 4: Give your cleaning a boost
Spills, grease and grime accumulate on every horizontal surface in a kitchen. Selleys Original Sugar Soap is a professional grade cleaner that can be used on floors, walls, cooktops, range-hoods and benchtops to remove grease and grime.
For most jobs, dilute half a cup into half a bucket — five litres — of water and apply with a mop or cloth. For stubborn or in-ground marks, use it neat with a non-scratch scouring sponge. Rinsing is not required on walls, but floors must be rinsed well after use, and glass must be rinsed before the product dries.
One caution: sugar soap may damage aluminium and brass. Wipe it off those surfaces immediately — range-hood trims and tapware are the usual places this catches people out.
Step 5: Don't forget the oven
Frequent baking and roasting means the oven needs a specialist cleaner. Selleys Oven Clean works in about four minutes to remove oven build-up without scrubbing.
Its method: heat the oven to no more than 90°C, turn it off and open the door, apply liberally while the oven is still warm, close the door and leave it four minutes, then wipe clean with a damp cloth and rinse thoroughly. Do not light pilot lights or use the oven until cleaning is finished, and reheat and ventilate the oven before cooking in it again.
Where it must not go: self-cleaning or continuous cleaning ovens, microwave ovens, glass oven doors, pilot lights, electrical connections, switches, heating elements, fan grills or blades, thermostats, rubber seals, exterior oven surfaces, benchtops, aluminium, copper, linoleum, painted surfaces, plastic, chrome, galvanised steel, and damaged or scratched non-stick surfaces. It is caustic based, so wear long rubber gloves and eye protection and work in a well-ventilated room. Full detail in how to clean your kitchen oven.
Planning the afternoon around the cure times
Two waits govern the order of work:
- Sealant Remover: at least 10 minutes of dwell before scraping, and possibly a second application.
- Wet Area Silicone: 72 hours to cure. That is well past the afternoon, so lay the bead as early as you can and keep water off it.
The sensible sequence is therefore: declutter while the Sealant Remover works, scrape and clean the joint, lay the new bead, then move on to the general cleaning and the oven while the silicone starts curing. Doing the silicone last means finishing the day by immediately putting water on a fresh bead.
Limitations to respect
- Wet Area Silicone — not paintable, so complete any painting seven days before sealing. Not suitable for polypropylene, polyethylene or PTFE, not for aquariums, not for food or drinking water contact, and not for permanent water immersion.
- Sealant Remover — not suitable for rubber, EPDM or polycarbonate. Product may affect some surfaces, so test compatibility before use, and do not leave it on porous materials or acrylic-painted surfaces for extended periods. It will not remove staining caused by old penetrated silicone oils.
- Sugar soap — wipe off aluminium and brass immediately; rinse glass before it dries; rinse floors after use.
- Oven Clean — see the exclusion list above. Caustic based; gloves and eye protection required.
Common questions about a quick kitchen makeover
How long does Sealant Remover take to work?
At least 10 minutes according to its current technical data sheet, which describes the product as working in 10 minutes. In some cases a second application is required. Cutting away as much old sealant as possible first helps it penetrate.
How thick should I apply the Sealant Remover?
At least 5mm thick, spread evenly over the old sealant — and scrape the old bead back to a thin layer of less than 5mm depth before you start.
How long before I can use the sink after resealing?
Wet Area Silicone cures in 72 hours. Avoid water pressure or movement on the bead until it is fully cured.
Can I paint over the new silicone?
No. It is not paintable — any painting should be completed seven days before you apply sealant.
What silicone should I use in a kitchen?
One designed for kitchens. Selleys Wet Area Silicone adheres to cement and grout and contains a fungicide to stop mould growth.
How do I smooth the bead?
With a spatula dipped in detergent water, within 5 to 10 minutes of application. After that the surface starts to skin and tooling tears it.
How much sugar soap per bucket?
Half a cup into half a bucket (5 litres) of water for most jobs, or neat with a non-scratch scouring sponge for stubborn marks.
Will sugar soap harm my tapware?
It may damage aluminium and brass. Wipe it off those surfaces immediately rather than letting it dry.
How long does the oven cleaner need?
About four minutes in a warm oven with Selleys Oven Clean, then wipe with a damp cloth and rinse thoroughly.
Can I use oven cleaner on the glass door?
No. Glass oven doors are on the exclusion list, along with exterior oven surfaces and benchtops.
What do I clean up wet silicone with?
Mineral turpentine, before the product skins. Cured silicone has to be cut and scraped, or softened with Selleys Sealant Remover.
What if I only have an hour?
Do the decluttering and the sugar soap clean. Those two take the least time and account for most of the visible change; the silicone and the oven can wait for a day when you have the cure time to spare.
How long does Sealant Remover take to work?
At least 10 minutes according to its current technical data sheet, which describes the product as working in 10 minutes. In some cases a second application is required. Cutting away as much old sealant as possible first helps it penetrate.
How thick should I apply the Sealant Remover?
At least 5mm thick, spread evenly over the old sealant — and scrape the old bead back to a thin layer of less than 5mm depth before you start.
How long before I can use the sink after resealing?
Wet Area Silicone cures in 72 hours. Avoid water pressure or movement on the bead until it is fully cured.
Can I paint over the new silicone?
No. It is not paintable — any painting should be completed seven days before you apply sealant.
What silicone should I use in a kitchen?
One designed for kitchens. Selleys Wet Area Silicone adheres to cement and grout and contains a fungicide to stop mould growth.
How do I smooth the bead?
With a spatula dipped in detergent water, within 5 to 10 minutes of application. After that the surface starts to skin and tooling tears it.
How much sugar soap per bucket?
Half a cup into half a bucket (5 litres) of water for most jobs, or neat with a non-scratch scouring sponge for stubborn marks.
Will sugar soap harm my tapware?
It may damage aluminium and brass. Wipe it off those surfaces immediately rather than letting it dry.
How long does the oven cleaner need?
About four minutes in a warm oven with Selleys Oven Clean, then wipe with a damp cloth and rinse thoroughly.
Can I use oven cleaner on the glass door?
No. Glass oven doors are on the exclusion list, along with exterior oven surfaces and benchtops.
What do I clean up wet silicone with?
Mineral turpentine, before the product skins. Cured silicone has to be cut and scraped, or softened with Selleys Sealant Remover.
What if I only have an hour?
Do the decluttering and the sugar soap clean. Those two take the least time and account for most of the visible change; the silicone and the oven can wait for a day when you have the cure time to spare.