New kitchen doors

[AboutTurn]

We have recently moved and the kitchen, while fully functional, is really not my taste.

I was thinking about just replacing the door/drawer fronts and worktops, rather than a full new kitchen. As the units and layout are fine.

Has anyone done this themselves? Or used one of the specialist companies that do it? Any tips or ballpark costs would be really helpful.

i dont have an answer but watching this thread as we hope to do something similar with a property we are purchasing :)

Thanks for bumping hopefully someone knowledgeable will come along to help us.

Hello, I was thinking of doing this - I got a quote from one of the shaker door companies and the cost of replacing the doors, drawers, plinths and end pieces was within a few hundred of having a brand new DIY kitchen. That was without handles. I decided my carcasses weren’t really worth it. Instead I’m going to repaint it myself and then save up for a new kitchen over time. I get the impression the price for new replacement doors and demand for them has gone up in the last year or so.

I’ve just dug out my quote - it was £4000. And I have a small kitchen! That was for 11 cupboard door fronts (including two corners), 4 draw fronts and 2 end plinths. This was for painted shaker doors. Also what put me off was that I would see the carcass around soom of the doors if that makes sense (my kitchen isn’t in frame). So I’d have paid for lovely painted doors but still see the laminate carcass in places… unless I painted it myself but figured if I was paying £4K I wouldn’t want that.

I have done this, measured doors myself and ordered online at kitchenandbedroomdoors.co.uk. Had a company come in and they were just short of a brand new kitchen but ordering new doors online was very cheap and well worth it.

If it's just the colour that's not your style you can get them sprayed/wrapped.
Not sure on prices though but it's becoming popular!

ha ha!

places that make doors sell them to places that sell kitchens, but will happily sell them to you.

In the same way that a BMW costs a lot more than a ton of pig iron, they are much cheaper from the source.

If your kitchen is fairly modrn, they will probably be available in the exact same size, with the hinge-holes ready drilled in exactly the same place, but you can specify the hinges if not.

Standard height of doors changed slightly around 10 years ago, the new ones are slightly taller. It will probably not show.

Ikea may be in Swedish sizes.

lots of doors are made of vinyl wrap MDF which I do not favour as it is liable to peel off if it is near a steamy kettle, or a hot toaster, or a hob, or an oven, or a dishwasher, or a splashy pets bowl, or a cat with claws. If your kitchen contains none of these it will probably be fine.

I bought nre fronts from kitchendoorworkshop c£1700 (6 drawer, (12 cuoboard), kickplate and pelmet. Worktops from Howdens c£500, joiner £1500. Was keeping same layout and carcasses were fine so easy choice.

I paid £400 to the regional warehouse of a major kitchen company, and got two pallets containing all the remaining brand new stock of the (discontinued) range I'd had in the previous house, and wanted again.

To be fair, I had been scouring the market for that range for quite a while. It was drawer fronts, doors, hatches, pillars, decor panels, plinths (no carcases). Much more than I needed, included some odd sizes, and omitted a few sizes I really wanted and kept looking for. I wanted a couple more 900mm wall cabs, and got them second hand for a couple of hundred from someone remodeling. To my surprise, when I rolled up with the van, they explained the sale included a complete kitchen, with dozens of units, and I could have the granite worktop, washer, dishwasher, hood if I wanted, all inside the price. Used stuff is often very cheap because most people haven't got a van, or don't want to dismantle it and take it to the tip.

(I realise I was pretty lucky)

You have to look at all the colour matched parts of your kitchen, that may be doors and drawers, end panels, plinth (kickboard), and the wall cupboard trims. Most of these items are just screwed/clipped on and a carpenter can remove and refit new ones.
Places like DIY kitchens or other online suppliers sell all these parts as well as complete kitchens. If I was going to all the trouble I’d choose a painted, lacquer or solid wood door not a cheap vinyl.