To think my 40+ year old kitchen is adequate?

[FarrowAndBallsUp]

My 35 year old kitchen is very elderly compared to friends' ones. I worry a bit about what people think when they see it when the norm seems to be (correct me if I'm wrong) to have a new kitchen every 10-15 years.

The doors all hang very slightly squint.
It was originally fitted but as some units have failed over the years they've been replaced, so there are three different patterns of fronts.

The linoleum is ancient, doesn't quite fit (from having been lifted periodically through the years when underfloor pipes have burst), and has some stains that don't scrub out.
The sockets have been added to over the years so are different styles, heights.
The wallpaper was replaced in the 80's and has an attractive teapot pattern.
It's a positive spider metropolis.
Some units were removed to make space for white goods and some of the panels are just plain unpainted chipboard.

But it's serviceable, and the appliances are all fairly new.

The rest of the house is reasonably modern, tidy, clean and reasonably aesthetically pleasing.

AIBU to let it limp along?

Stick with it if you’re happy with it. Spruce it up if you like. Don’t be swayed by others.

My kitchen is ancient - it has those 1950’s sloping cabinets with sliding glass doors and Formica tops. It is painted, solid wood and well fitted with blue and white tiles that have now come full-circle fashion-wise. I called it vintage retro . We’re on our second cooker and fridge, but the kitchen is still going strong.

Meant to add, I have better things to spend money on!

@chippyminton - your kitchen sounds rather fab!

Wallpaper, sockets and linoleum are very easy fixes which would probably make a huge difference btw. A weekend's work.

Stains should be attacked with bleach and a magic sponge. Even tiling isn't too hard.

chippyminton yours definitely will come back into fashion!

Don't worry MereDintofPandiculation electrician says it is safe, would need to rewire before installing new white goods etc.

My Ikea kitchen has been in for 11 years and I’ll be bloody annoyed if I don’t get at least the same again out of it!

It's entirely up to you, but frankly, I don't understand people who keep a kitchen in this kind of state.

^I agree. Sounds grim, would put me off eating anything from your kitchen.

Dhs house he rents out has original kitchen to the house (which is 80s). When new tenants move in we always debate whether to replace the kitchen first but it’s such a good quality durable kitchen and we know if we replaced it the new one wouldn’t last a patch on it. It’s a clique but they don’t make things to last anymore, I bet your kitchen will outlast all your friends’ new ones! I say if it doesn’t bother you don’t replace it. If you want to freshen it a bit you can paint the cupboard doors, get some new Lino and paint the walls, it’ll make a world of difference for a fraction of the cost.

Our kitchen is 70 years old. Solid wood cupboards, drawers, etc. The counter tops were replaced 23 years ago, the floor tile was replaced about the same time. I painted the cupboards about 10 years ago.

The stove and dishwasher are both 23 years old; the fridge is about 15 years, I think, and is probably on its last legs. The floor could do with re-grouting.

I replaced the cartridge in the taps last year; it's just non-stop expense, isn't it.

I agree. Sounds grim, would put me off eating anything from your kitchen.

Because you don't like the decor?

How do you travel?

^Have to laugh at people saying that kitchens don't get changed more than every 10-15 years because theirs is 30 years old, well I'm sorry but it is true and most of the ones that are taken out are still in good condition people just want something different.
I have to laugh even more at the poster who though 10 to 15 grand gets you a good quality wooden one, sorry but that will get you a standard kitchen these days with a few fancy storage devices^

If you go to a reputable sole trader or small kitchen company then of course 10-15 grand will get you a good quality wooden kitchen. I dont mean appliance or blingy counter tops but for good quality cupboards and fitting that will last then then thats what I would expect to pay. You could of course got to b&q and spend 15k on foil wrapped doors a chipboard carcass and a granite counter top but its not going to last as well because all the money went into the appliances and granite and not the actual kitchen presses.

My family work in a kitchen company, I do the invoices and can see the break down of the cost of wood/appliances/countertops. I am shocked that someone would think that a 10-15k kitchen is a throw away kitchen, sure I could go to ikea or cash and carry kitchens and get something for around 2k, now thats what i would call a throw away kitchen.

OP if you go to a good company that has good word of mouth and ask them to come out they would give you an idea of what you could keep/replace and you could get new doors and a new countertop for a good price if your carcasses are ok (or get your doors resprayed) and new floor and wall wouldn't cost much if you diy it.

Ours is a 20 year old cream shaker with wooden tops and cream tiles. Was looking a bit tired and stained.

I got a quote to renew it all which came to £15k. But we like the shaker style so our new kitchen looked v similar to what was already there.

In the end we sanded the wooden tops and revarnished (£200) and got a coloured glass splashback made to replace the manky tiles (£300). Gave it a lick of paint and bought some LEDs off Amazon which change colour and go under the cabinets. Looks fabulous.

Linoleum and peeling, decades-old wallpaper are classic enduring material? Your kitchen cabinets are already falling apart. If you have marble or granite countertops, you can always reuse them, but it doesn’t sound like your old kitchen is of any better quality than current ones.

Bollocks to new kitchens being shite - most people replace them for aesthetic reasons not because they’re falling apart. Like ahem, yours.

When I moved in my first kitchen was crap, we stuck with it for 15+ years it was way way past its useful best and looked terrible - adding it all up it must have been about 20 years old when it was removed. We were all embarrassed by it and it was hard to clean. Then we had a cowboy builder come round and fit a new one. 8 years later and once again it is looking shabby but the poor workmanship means we'd need completely re-wiring. Now to cap it off - literally - the plasterboard on the ceiling has started to come down and the concealed lighting inside it doesn't work.

We're late 50s/early 60s now and I am thinking FFS how many more bloody kitchens do we need - we will need to sell in the next 5 years so I think our hand will be forced in the end.

Sorry OP that doesn't help you, but just gives me a chance to chat about my kitchen dilemma. I think your kitchen sounds very much like mine at the time we had to condemn it!!

The way you have described your kitchen makes it sound hideous, and it would depress me having to cook in a kitchen like that. Sorry.

Kitchens last longer than 10 years! We had ours done, complete remodel, walls knocked down etc... over 10 years ago and I still walk in and think Wow! But we went quite traditional with oak so it wouldn't be to some people's tastes. However, the whole effect of it (huge island, granite, lots of cupboards, american fridge) is just solid and lasting.

Sorry OP. I'd replace it just because it sounds bloody depressing. If I'm to spend any length of time in a place (and I do in the kitchen) then I at least have to like it. Forget the price...think about the value, the value to your happy mindset. Replace the bloody old kitchen.

If cost is no issue and you do sound like you want to change it, then change it! But money is tight then you could go for an upgrade that will keep you going for a few more years - we had 20 year old units in our kitchen which were looking tired but they were solid oak and they were all carefully cut around beams etc and cost a lot at the time so we replaced all the hinges and shutting mechanism and got some lovely handles, and got it all painted in a lovely eggshell paint, then had another cabinet made to match (different joiner but you wouldn't know). Need to get new floor tiles and it will look like a new kitchen!

It's not nonsense. Most people I know replace there's every 5-10 years on average. And I'm not rich but I am "young" and our age group is more of a throwaway society than a mend and make do society!

You can’t be that young if you know people who replace their kitchens every 10 years.....

It’s the fitting of the kitchen as much as the actual quality. We replaced our Ikea kitchen last year, it was about 10 years old and in the house when we bought it.
The problem was that it had been badly fitted with no overhang on the work top. Therefore all the units under the sink had got wet and started to rot.

My kitchen is prehistoric. It’s totally 70s. I’ve just painted the cupboard doors and put new sticky plasitc backing on the work tops, and painted the tiles just to give it a bit of a face lift. The units are bowed and the doors are out of alignment but it’s clean and functional. Why waste money unnecessarily.

I don't even know that many "young" people who own their own houses! Certainly not who have been in possesion of a home long enough to have gone through multiple kitchen changes.

There should be no pride in being anti-makedo and mend and pro landfil though.

We had an old farmhouse kitchen, huge utility room. Dogs, cats, sports mad kids. I was forever cleaning it. Downsized to a smaller place when two of them had left home.

OMG it was an almost new kitchen, sheeting instead of tiles, drawers for pans, cutlery, oven items. Every inch of it fitted, pull out corner cupboards, pull out larder. wall cupboards which hinged upwards. Smooth tiles instead of quarry and terracotta tiles on the floor. I cannot tell you how easy it is to keep clean.

I was a slave to the old house, with its wooden floors, dado rails, skirtings so much dust and scrubbing.

I think it's a moot point anyway as you said you'd have to borrow the money. It's non essential, won't 'add value' to the house, so it's not the kind of thing to get yourself into debt for.

(Our kitchen is 20+ years old, my DP's is 50+).

We had a new kitchen fitted last year. Solid wood, hand crafted with solid granit worktops. We were able to reuse our apliences as they are good quality, and only a couple of years old which did keep costs down.

Kitchen consists of pantry cupboard, inbuilt hob and workspace, 6 cupboards and pan drawers. Then we have a large island with belfast sink, inbuilt dishwasher (reused this from old kitchen) and loads of additional storage.

There is not a speck of chipboard in sight. I expect the kitchen to last well in excess of 20 years. All this cost £12k including fitting.

(Flooring was an additional expense).

I would absolutely love a new kitchen, but due to lack of finances I’ve had to accept that I’m stuck with the one I’ve got for the foreseeable unfortunately.

It’s really quite old (I’d guess early to mid-90s?) and the tiles on the floor and walls are incredibly dated. The floor tiles are clean but have a number of chips in them, which look like bits of dirt from afar.

The units are made of chipboard or MDF, which is misshapen and peeling in various places. Several of the lower cupboards only have half backs so you can see the dirty (and in some cases mouldy) plaster behind.

The walls are also in bad condition - the paint has chipped off and is peeling. The seal between the unit tops and the wall tiles has eroded away in places. The grouting between the wall tiles behind the hob (there’s no splashback) is an unsightly shade of brown and no matter how hard I scrub it with bleach and bicarb, the grime refuses to budge.

The laminate worktop has some deep stains that can’t be removed and has also become very worn behind the sink, where the surface has worn away and it just looks black.

The kitchen is as clean as it possibly can be, but due to its age some bits are simply uncleanable.

In fact I think I’d take OP’s kitchen over mine any day!

Just to add that despite all that, it is still functional thankfully!