Kitchen Revamp

Trollydolly_2

Im buying my first home at the moment.

The kitchen that is in there isnt to bad, although its a little old fashioned. It doesnt have handles just the groove at the top of the doors for your fingers.

The layout is fine and there are plenty of cupboards.

I was just wondering if it would be cheaper for me to buy new doors and handles??

Im a complete novice so is it possible to do this and if so what kind of price am i looking at.

Is there universal door measurements ??

Help!!!

TD xx

theGrinch

I guess it would be cheaper, but first it wouldnt be a whole amoutn cheaper and secondly replacement choice is limited.

usually, there are standard sizes BUT measurements still vary according to who supplied them or made them. I recently had to replace some that were made by the previous owner. a 328 mm door was a nightmare to find!

bockster

yes great idea, if you are happy with everything apart from the doors its worth a go. i know b&q for one sell doors on there own. units are, to my knowledge standard sizes, but i would measure each and every door, write it down and then visit the store to compare. also note the position of the hinges, ie, distance between them and distance from top and bottom, if different its not a major problem as you can move the hinge to suite on the old cabinets. another thing to be careful of is the drawer fronts, are the existing fronts an integral part of the whole drawer? you may have to buy complete drawers and runners (if this is the case measure the thickness of the cabinet sides, normally 15mm or 18mm, is this the same as the new drawer cabinet that your not buying!!) have a close look and discuss it with the store.

good luck with your project.

ka7e

We did the door-changing thing last year and it was a nightmare! The only reason we persisted was because the new doors were half-price from B&Q and our old kitchen was purchased there, so we thought it would be plain sailing.
The larder unit had to be totally replaced as doors were only available in 60cm instead of the 50cm we originally had. The drawer units had to be replaced as the fronts were not removeable from the drawer carcass. The new drawers were easy-peasy to assemble, but the runners had to be moved on the old carcasses - and there were no pre-drilled holes, so lining them up was hell! Finally, the really nice handles available at B&Q were prohibitively expensive, but we got decent cheap ones at Ikea.
All in we probably spent £500 for a largish U-shaped kitchen, but it took ages to get right even though my husband is a builder by trade and a dab hand at carpentry etc.

theadore_2

B&Q are having a doors sale at the moment i think. Having said that, check the condition of the units as well... not much point in replacing the doors now, only to have to replace the whole kitchen a few years down the line. Also, seeing as i am replacing my kitchen at the moment... i found that despite the sale, wickes was still cheaper than B&Q as their units come complete with doors and plinths... also seem to be slightly better quality than their B&Q counterparts. Have been told in a previous thread that Howdens (possibly) sell MFI kitchens at 70% to trade customers, so if you know anyone that could help you, it would be worthwhile looking into

Trollydolly_2

Thanks for your help guys!

Luckily there are no draws only cupboards so that should make things a bit easier!

I think i can live with the ugly kitchen for a while but it will need changing at some point.

Thanks again

TDxx

Luis

We went looking for doors a month ago, but as our house is a 70s council house, all the measurements are in Klingon I think, and certainly bear no resemblance to modern door sizes.

SO, we have gone MDF mad - have bought sheets of MDF to cut into doors, plus strips of pine to fit round the edges of the new doors to give a 'panel' effect, a pot of kitchen cupboard paint, some hinges and gorgeous brushed steel d shaped handles (10 for £14.99) all from B&Q for a total of £120.

Trollydolly_2

Thanks Luis, my new house is a 70's ex council house too!!

So no doubt i will have to learn klingon!