Kitchen Door Makeovers

With the average price of a fully fitted, brand new kitchen coming in at around £10,000, it’s hardly surprising that it’s a once in a decade or more project. But what happens if your kitchen starts to look a bit shabby but you can’t afford to rip it out and start again? One of the easiest ways of giving your kitchen a makeover is by changing the cupboard doors, and this might not be as expensive as you might think.

Painting Kitchen Doors

The easiest ways of changing the colour and appearance of your kitchen doors is with paint.

You can’t just use any paint for this; you’ll need to get some special cupboard or cabinet paint from the local DIY store. Most of the modern paints don’t need you to prime the doors first, and the key to getting a great finish is to take your time and apply the paint in thin coats to avoid drips and patches. Expect to pay between £20 and £30 for specialist paint to do the job.

Spraying Kitchen Cupboard Doors

Another option which is guaranteed to give a professional finish is to have your cupboard doors sprayed in exactly the same way as you would spray a car. This is a more expensive option but will guarantee a professional result. Look online for people offering the service close to where you live, and get a few quotes before deciding. Most sprayers will finish the doors with a spray of lacquer to seal the finish and give added durability. Prices are generally per door, with a standard door starting at around £25.

Kitchen Wrapping

One of the newer techniques on the market is to have your kitchen “wrapped”. This is done with a durable vinyl film, which comes in every colour and finish imaginable. You can buy the vinyl online and have a go at the wrapping yourself at around £60. However, if you’ve never done wrapping before, it can be tricky to get a smooth, perfect finish. The cost for wrapping a standard door will be around £25 to £30. Once wrapped, the surface is easy to keep clean, durable and will stand up to knocks and spills.

Replacing Doors Only

If the problems with your kitchen doors go beyond being fixed with a coat of paint, the other option might be to replace the doors only. If the carcasses of the cupboards are solid, it’s far more cost effective to buy just new door fronts than a whole new kitchen.

Most kitchen cupboards are a standard size, so it’s easy to source new doors online, or through a large kitchen retailer. You should also be able to source matching new kickboards and fronts of drawers to complete the look. Shop around for deals on new kitchen doors as you might be able to get a real bargain for end of range doors or doors which have previously been used as display kitchens in store.