Kitchen refresh - new cupboard doors or repaint existing?

[ginzillas]

We have £2k max to give our tired kitchen a much needed face lift. Having been initially in by glossy kitchen brochures, we've now accepted that we cannot afford a whole refit. And actually the worktop is fine and the cabinets are sturdy. It's just the laminate doors that are shabby (and two have recently fallen off!)

We need new flooring and a new fridge freezer too so we need to leave spare cash for that.

We've been quoted £900 by a joiner/decorator to repaint the whole lot as well as the rest of the kitchen. We trust that he'd do a good job as he's done work for us before. But we're wondering whether it makes more sense to replace the kitchen cupboard doors. Howdens quoted us nearly £1.5k just for around 16 new doors, end panels and kickboards which wouldn't leave us much for the rest of the room.

DH is willing to do the work himself but we still have work to do in the rest of the house and I'd rather pay someone to do the kitchen to get as polished a look as possible.

Anyone else used a good replacement door company? I've found one online called doors2size but I've got no idea whether they're any good. Anyone got any recommendations or tips?

TIA.

*Having been initially drawn in by glossy kitchen brochures, that should read...

It is an easy job as long as they are standard sizes. Have you checked B&Q etc?

there's a company called Renue I think that specialize in door replacement - also Jali do MDF paintable doors to any size - or check your local joiners as they might be interested in supplying nice new doors !

the two that fell off - was the parting of ways on the door or off the cabinet ?! as if off the cabinet - you might be wise to fix the new hinges on in a different place as the area will be less strong there now - plug up the old holes with water resistant wood filler to avoid the carcase blowing with moisture damage !!

I'm painting our kitchen cupboards and drawers myself today.

It will cost us £60 at the most and will only take a couple of hours.If you haven't got time yourselves do you have any friends or family that are good at decorating and might be struggling with money?You'd save yourself a small fortune that way.

If you can find a car resprayer to spray them you get a great long lasting finish. Otherwise I would replace unless you are prepared to take the time to do it properly Priming and sanding between coats etc

It depends on the state of the doors and hinges.
If they are sound but just ugly then I would repaint/spray them but if they are past their best then I would go for replacement, there are loads of companies who offer this. Look locally and also on-line,
this kind of thing, though am sure B&Q would be cheaper and have some nice doors these days
www.dreamdoors.co.uk/?gclid=CNCm1tDYw7wCFbPItAodlQYAFQ

Not been to B&Q yet. Tried Homebase but they could only supply entire unit.
The two that fell off - the hinge snapped on the cabinet side.
If they were wood we'd attempt to paint ourselves but as they're laminate it's trickier.
Thanks for the tips. Will have a look at the links.

My son has his own company replacing kitchen door fronts [and worktops/sinks/cookers etc] and he is in great demand. Doors get tailor made so the fixings on the doors and original units match up.

If your hinges are in the exact same places as on the B&Q doors you will probably be ok. But be careful of the quality of the cheaper range. Kitchen door companies generally supply better quality than 'off the shelf' ones.

Go for a reputable local company [with a small showroom] not a national franchise, they are pricey. Which part of UK are you in?

We are in the Stevenage area, cafesociety - where is your son based?

ginzilla, sorry not to get back to you sooner. We are in N. Somerset. Shame. Hope you find a local source.

Many years ago I painted laminate doors using a roller and satinwood paint. I cleaned them first using sugar soap. They lasted many years and not one scratched.

Check out Annie Sloane chalk based paint. It might work.
Personally I'd get new doors fitted. It would be like having a new kitchen. I'm not in the U. K. Otherwise I'd give you the name of the guy who did ours. I would use him again.

Hi again. DH tried to spray paint one of the doors yesterday. He did a really good job and it looked fab. We were so excited - but then a strip peeled off again when knocked (it was dry).

So we're going to bite the bullet and get new doors fitted after all..I'm pretty excited as the kitchen will look brand new rather than a patch up job. Yay!

Thanks for all the advice.