I hate my kitchen but it cost a lot of £££

[RightMoveAlong]

Namechanged.

I had a new kitchen fitted around 18 years ago and it cost over £20K in total. New boiler at the same time (in kitchen), built in fridge, granite worktops, solid light-wood kitchen installed by an upmarket company.

I was never happy with the worktops (glittery black) but DP wanted them and I gave in.

It's so dark. The room faces north so I need the lights on all day as the window is small. The black worktops don't help.

It's very dated now because everyone is going for white or pastel painted units.

I don't know what to do , if anything.

We may move at some point and I guess buyers would know it was a quality kitchen even if not their taste and rip it out.

I can't bring myself to re-new it even though the money is there, as it seems such a waste. The property is worth around £650-£700K.

Would it be possible to sell it 2nd hand or get something for parts of it?

It sounds like your kitchen has solid wood doors and wood effect or wood veneer interiors. Traditionally furniture was painted on the outside only. Its quite a nice look to have the natural wood inside. The painter would remove doors and drawer fronts and re-attach them, fixed parts/end panels would be masked off and painted where they show. Shaker kitchens look very nice painted.
You could also remove some wall units for a more contemporary look if you don't need them all, this might help with the dark feeling.

I don't think you need to justify not wasting something but definitely be creative to make it look better and it will probably last another 20 years. It maybe won't look showroom new (because trends change) but it will look great and unique.

I was reading a thing about consumer society and how we have been persuaded that things we use (clothes, cars, furniture) have become things we use up and keep replacing, effectively disposable.

Quotes varied - we had one at £1250 but when he explained his plans it didn’t seem to be as thorough as others. We had local companies quote and went for the one with the most experience and knowledge (also the most expensive).

Normally they would have taken the kitchen apart and removed most of it to their work shops but because we weren’t moving in straight away, they did it all on site.

Do some research of companies local to you and invite them to quote. They will be able to explain the process in more detail. Good luck

We had the doors etc replaced in our kitchen a year or so ago and the company also did the end panels, drawers, any moulding at the tops etc. They didn't change the insides of the cupboards at all but given the doors are shut most of the time that was fine. It made a huge difference!

We moved into a house with a very dated but excellent quality I frame solid wood kitchen. We just changed tiles, changed handles and had a professional come and hand paint it. The transformation was amazing. Try this group of kitchen painters they can help find one local to your area. hpkuk.com/

We had a new one installed 4 years ago - light maple and black star galaxy granite! But it’s all about what you like. Could you change the flooring and lighten wall colour? We put in glass splash backs rather than tiles on the walls. Plenty of over worktop lighting in the form of led so it’s really bright. Also how about modern tap? I’m like you OP our old kitchen lasted over 20 years and was a wood one from MFI but it was past it’s sell by date. Could you post a pic for suggestions?

Also in terms of wear with handpainting I was concerned it would chip, but we were pleasantly surprised even in 3 years we have not had to touch up. It was probably the best £2500 we spent.

If you have wood doors, have the kitchen units and doors painted, change the handles/knobs to more modern. Change the work surface. A change of sink, tap and splash back will completely change the kitchen. You can also redo the floor too if needed. Wood doors are so versatile and much more money than the wrapped mdf so don’t lost the wood doors (if that’s what you have) for the wrapped mdf.

If it’s the wrapped mdf you have, then changing the doors are a preferred option to painting as the wrapped doors once painted is not as durable as painted wood.

It’s not just about selling but how you feel using your kitchen. If you update, you may find a renewed love of cooking, spending a lot more time in your “new” kitchen.

I had a bespoke kitchen fitted fourteen years ago. Solid oak, proper metal door hinges, black granite worktops, Falcon range. Because of the quality of the cupboards and worktops etc it really is unethical to just replace it for no reason. This is a solid kitchen, not a cheap covered chipboard kitchen with plastic drawers and runners. It has been built to last. I will maybe have it painted and change lighting, blinds etc
In the next five years or so but the cost to replace entirely with similar quality would probably be in the region of 40k.

Maybe look at painting it and changing the lighting etc. Do people really consider spending 10s
Of thousands on something just
Because it is old? But still perfect?

Painting is so much aggro. I wouldn't bother with any of it if you're thinking about moving. A perfectly functional kitchen? Leave it be! Maybe as a pp said add in some more lighting? Honestly op, why give yourself the bother?

I hear you @RightMoveAlong! I have a 16 year old kitchen, installed by previous owners of house. It was at the time the last word in extravagance, and would easily have been a six figure kitchen based on size but also banks of Miele machinery. It is well designed but hideous. A couple of the built in machines have broken and cannot be repaired but also cannot be replaced with similar as Miele no longer do the same finish. I therefore currently have a steam oven that’s used to store food and a completely non functioning built in coffee machine with a free standing one next to it. It’s a bit like a game of jenga that if one thing goes, there’s a whole topple. I think I’m going to get it resprayed but that does still leave issues with appliances and an ugly flooor - I’m spending thousands on the respray but it would be about £150k to replace to a similar standard which isn’t an option- but it feels crazy to spend thousands on an imperfect patch up job

Paint it if it's good quality wood don't just get rid and put a cheaper on in.

Look at frenchic paint, it's extremely easy to use lots of people done kitchens with it.

Op
I hate waste too.

There are loads of companies out there who sell second hand kitchens- especially counter tops.
Someone would probably be grateful for them

OP I think you've had quite a few unnecessary comments on here. Regardless how old your kitchen is, if it's good quality, a classic style (and as it's shaker it is) and has been well looked after, there's absolutely nothing wrong with updating rather than replacing it.

My late parent's kitchen is from the very early 80's. Whilst the style isn't at all classic and I doubt it was as expensive as yours was, it has been so well looked after it''s pristine.

I'd definitely get the doors professionally spray painted. Although not cheap, it will be far cheaper than replacing with a 'cheap' kitchen, and you'll keep the quality. Definitely replace handles. If you've always disliked the wortop I'd get rid of that too. Oh and just as a heads up, granite does stain unless properly sealed, as it's porous. Quartz is far more forgiving!

Bet it will look amazing when finished!

I wouldn't paint it yourself as I don't think it can ever look fantastic. A friend of mine had their kitchen professional done, I can't remember whether it was sprayed or wrapped, but it looks like a brand new kitchen.

I think I'd do that and get a new worktop

*worktop

As others have said. I’d have it sprayed a different colour and possibly new worktops rather than replace.
A company like this would do a good job, have s look at the before and after images. Quite often the worktops look so much better once the cupboards are a different colour.
instagram.com/spraykitchenelite?igshid=3z5l2g69h4vp

@bouncydog
The lighting is fine- we've had it replaced with LEDs.

The floor was replaced a year ago with an Amtico limestone. The sink's okay and I had a lovely Phil Stark tap but that broke, so now have a replacement, but not PS.

The doors are solid maple. The carcasses are mdf obviously, but beige inside not white (to match the units.)

I'd not risk painting it myself as it's a professional job I guess to get a good finish.

I don't have tiles. The walls are just painted with a steel splashback behind the hob.

I hate waste. The problem is that fashions change. When we bought this it was top of the range and more sought after than painted units which were dated at the time! Wood was 'the thing' and the design is very simple.

This thread is just what I've been looking for. I moved before Christmas, it's a 1930's terrace house with lots of potential. It's a L shaped kitchen with mdf cupboards and doors and a black worktop, built in oven and fridge freezer. I've just had a wall taken down at the end to open it up and install cupboards to house the washing machine and tumble drier with a worktop over. The layout is ok, not much else you could do with it, but the fridge is tiny, the soft closes don't really work any more and the tiles and worktop are aged. I think it's been in around 15 years. I was thinking of tarting it up by painting, new worktop and tiles but now I kind of feel like that would look naff and still cost thousands when I could probably get a new kitchen for under 10k. I'm not installing a fancy pants one as it just wouldn't be worth it. I'd be happy with an IKEA level one. I'd sell or give away the old one if I could, as I'm sure someone will be able to make use of it. Loads of useful info in this thread - and sorry for hijack OP!!

I think dark granite is lovely, and worth keeping.
Can you change the cupboard doors, and paint the walls? It would probably make a huge difference.
However if you might move, don't do anything. You won't make the money back.

As I mentioned upthread I think you’ll struggle to get the granite off the units, certainly it was impossible in our case- they ended up using a sledgehammer!

When we did change the lot we went with a very light quartz and I hate it nearly as much as the very dark granite. It shows every bloody mark and coffe, red wine etc leaves a stain that only heavy duty products will remove. Oh how I long for a mid grey finish with plenty of swirl to hide the off crumb and water marks.

MatildaTheCat, have you ever tried bicarbonate of soda mixed with water to make a paste and left to soak for half an hour? It really does a great job on tough stains.

Our kitchen is a John Lewis one put in by the previous owners 14 years ago. We moved in 8 years ago and the cupboards were fine being a light oak but the worktop was orange/brown mottled with terracotta tiles and floor.
We couldn’t justify ripping out a solid kitchen especially when we would have chosen a similar wood finish. So we replaced with black speckled worktops, black floor and black specked tiles. Still love it now.
However we are probably going to put in a utility room this year or next and John Lewis no longer sell this kitchen.
We want it to match so if I found one on gumtree or something I’d be snapping it up.
So don’t agree with the posters saying it’s not worth trying to sell it. Someone out there might be looking to add units or replace broken ones if they can’t afford a whole new kitchen.

So- if I do go for painted cupboards, how do they do the inside of the units? the carcass and the shelves, and the end panels?

I think - it was my friend who had it done and I was too busy admiring to pay attention to the fine details - that they take the doors off and take them to their workshop to be spray painted. Then they come to your house to paint the carcass. Hers looked top notch, I must say.

You don’t need to paint the inside of the cupboards. It’s perfectly normal to have e.g. a light oak carcass with a painted colour door. The doors usually get taken to be sprayed and other detailing can be finished by hand.

@8misskitty8 how did you remove / replace your floor tiles? I'd love to do that but the units were built on top of the floor and we have a wet underfloor heating system so I'm not sure if it can be done? A lighter coloured floor would make the world of difference to ours