Kitchen cabinet doors

[cisamcgu]

Dear CCers,

I am thinking of sprucing up my kitchen by replacing the old doors with new ones - which hopefully will be a lot cheaper than getting a whole new kitchen. Has anyone done this before ?

Should I get someone in to do it ?
Should I just buy the doors and drawer covers and do it myself ?
Should I bite the bullet and get a whole new one ?
Is there anything I need to think about ?

Any and all advice gratefully received.

Andrew

 

[NickNick]

I've done it for a few different landlords I do jobs for, the kitchen doors were all looking pretty grim. It did the trick quite nicely, might not have quite the longevity of a new kitchen but then it was a fraction of the cost. I presume they're MDF as opposed to real wood?

For MDF you have to use an MDF specific paint, Wickes used to stock their own brand which was quite good, but last time I looked they only seemed to have the Ronseal one in stick, which is more expensive.

You need to do the prep right, helps to key everything in first with a v fine grade sandpaper, degrease and rinse and then leave to dry out. Its also worth bearing in mind that although the paint is dry in 12h or so, it remains quite soft for a week or so until it is properly cured. It could also be worth using some kind of clear coat on top to increase its longevity (I've not done this myself as none of the clients wanted to spend the extra money on it, but if it was my kitchen I would have probably gone down that route).

TLR yes its doable and will freshen the kitchen up at a fairly minimal cost, but it won't last as long as if you fitted new kitchen unit doors.

 

[smutchin]

This is exactly what we're in the process of doing - we have an Ikea kitchen so it's pretty easy to get replacement doors and drawer fronts. Or would be, if they hadn't discontinued the old style kitchen furniture and replaced it with a new range in different sizes. Fortunately, you can still buy old stock and we were lucky that they had all the bits we need available in the sizes we need (although we will have to customise a few pieces).

 

[NickNick]

Just realised I completly missread your post (put it down to the raging chest infection), going down the new door route is a great way to go and most kitchen co's use fairly generic fittings so its quite easy to swap over.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Careful measure your doors as each firm craftily use slightly different sizes, problem also is they sell the carcasses reasonably cheap & then screw you on the doors. There is a local firm to us now offering to vinyl wrap doors, no dea on price but that could be an alternative if they are simple slab doors.

 

[presta]

The door hinges are never quite as standard as they appear to be, so you might have to make new fixing holes. A trivial job if the new holes are separated from the old ones by a sufficient margin, but when I've renewed hinges the new holes were too close to the old ones, which makes the additional chore of plugging the old holes first.

 

[smutchin]

In my experience, the bit that takes the longest and causes the most utter angst is adjusting those horrible hinge units so the doors close neatly. It's a skill I have never managed to acquire.

I spent ages on getting it just right last time I fitted some kitchen doors and was reasonably happy with the results. It's never perfect though, is it? Very annoying business.

 

[User482]

Dear CCers,

I am thinking of sprucing up my kitchen by replacing the old doors with new ones - which hopefully will be a lot cheaper than getting a whole new kitchen. Has anyone done this before ?

Should I get someone in to do it ?
Should I just buy the doors and drawer covers and do it myself ?
Should I bite the bullet and get a whole new one ?
Is there anything I need to think about ?

Any and all advice gratefully received.

Andrew

Yes, I bought new door and drawer fronts, handles, plinths, pelmets and cornices. Some stuff to think about.

1. Make up templates from cardboard for drilling the holes for the handles. It's a lot quicker than having to measure each one.
2. Get a proper laminate blade for cutting plinths, or you will make a right mess.
3. Check the condition of all the cupboard carcasses and hinges - no point replacing the door front if the whole thing is knackered.
4. Check the position of the hinges on the replacement door front matches up with your cupboard carcasses. Otherwise expect to get busy with the drill.
5. You will need to cut mitre joints for the pelmets and cornice. Use a proper mitre saw.
6. B&Q doors are crap. The laminate starts lifting at the edges after a few years.

 

[Electric_Andy]

We did this, but kept the carcasses and just fitted new doors and drawers. They were all made to measure and finished, so no painting involved. When they are closed, it does look like a whole new kitchen (we also got new worktops and painted the walls and ceiling).

The trickiest bit is fitting all of the hinges straight, but if you have someone to help you, or are an experienced DIYer, should be fine.

 

[Levo-Lon]

User482 has about covered the " do's and dont's " as have a few others.

You can get some very good paint for kitchen doors but that's a lot of work.
Take your time and learn with the first door then you will be ok

 

[Yellow Saddle]

In my experience, the bit that takes the longest and causes the most utter angst is adjusting those horrible hinge units so the doors close neatly. It's a skill I have never managed to acquire.

I hate those hinges. They're more of a mystery to me than the Higgs Boson. And, when I do get one adjusted by fluke, it unadjusts itself. Whoever invented them, I hope yours play up too.

 

[User6179]

The doors are easy to adjust though sometimes the carcasses are not cut right and are off the square making it impossible to line the doors up correctly at the ends and where they meet.

 

[raleighnut]

They're called 'blum' hinges and they're a 'piece of piddle' to adjust if you have the right ones for the carcase,



My advice would be to keep the hinges you have and if the new doors are 'pilot drilled' in the wrong place then transfer those on to the new door and fill the wrong ones up with a suitable filler.

 

[Mike_P]

If you can reuse the existing hinges that helps. My hinges were all shot or nearly shot so I got some new ones, first snag they were longer so if I reused as best as possible the existing hinge fixing points the doors stood proud of the cabinet. The solution I took was not to reposition the hinges but to add a trim to the front edges of the cabinets. The doors I got (ordered from an on-line supplier) were gloss white but with a silver grey rear so I got the trim cut to size as no available wood strip seemed t exist of exactly the right size and then painted the trim to match the rear of the doors. This further improved the appearance of the cabinets as their slightly tatty looking front edges are hidden.

 

[neil_merseyside]

I've used the company below for new doors, sample swatches are available free, a sample door is very cheap, sadly an odd size that'll fit nothing useful.
Massive range and many, many 'standard' door sizes but loads of the ranges can be made to measure. Measure the doors accurately, and the hinges centre positions (usually a telltale centre mark) then they'll drill hinges for £1 a hole, be careful as some doors are handed from the front design (arch etc) or if your existing door/hinges have offset hinge positions, so be just a bit careful ordering.

I've had 2 lots of fascias now and really pleased with quality and service.

https://www.kitchendoorworkshop.co.uk/