Modernising kitchen on a budget

Grenage

We replaced out cabinet doors, work-surface and flooring for under a grand. It was done simply for the purposes of selling the house, and it made a big difference for relatively little.

The doors were Howdens, and the flooring was vinyl from Wickes.

zoothornrollo_2

Grenage wrote: »

We replaced out cabinet doors, work-surface and flooring for under a grand. It was done simply for the purposes of selling the house, and it made a big difference for relatively little.

The doors were Howdens, and the flooring was vinyl from Wickes.

Yes this is the sort of thing I was thinking.
But I've never quite understood it when people say they just replaced cabinet doors: surely then you have a mismatch with the frames, sidewalls, bases, etc?
I was also thinking we could just paint ours, although have received conflicting advice on how easy this is to get right.

Grenage

Well the plinths are generally neutral, and blank panels are replaced at the same time. You can paint doors, and it can look decent, but it's obviously more work. I had much more success taking off the plastic coating with a heat gun (it comes off in seconds), and painting the MDF beneath.

My sister painted the doors directly, and it looked bloody awful.

zoothornrollo_2

Grenage wrote: »

Well the plinths are generally neutral, and blank panels are replaced at the same time. You can paint doors, and it can look decent, but it's obviously more work. I had much more success taking off the plastic coating with a heat gun (it comes off in seconds), and painting the MDF beneath.

My sister painted the doors directly, and it looked bloody awful.

haha, yes I have heard that painting laminate / melamine type finishes can be a bit of a hiding to nothing - even if you get a good finish, it chips easily etc. But I've also heard people say its worked well for them.

Ours are quite old-fashioned units - well, 1990s probably - with thick frames and plinths all in the same pine-effect laminate. Several sidewalls are visible too.

With surfaces: am I right in thinking that if you get the same thickness you could replace them without having to re-tile?

Furts

zoothornrollo wrote: »

With surfaces: am I right in thinking that if you get the same thickness you could replace them without having to re-tile?

Possible, but unlikely. This is because the worktop gets fitted back to the wall, then the tiles go over the top of the worktop. This hides any gaps. Silicone sealant is usually applied as a bead which effectively joins both the worktop and tiles together.

If you cut away the silicone, you may be lucky. This also depends how tight the tiles are to the worktop - they are probably sat on it. So as you lever out the worktop you are likely to crack the tiles.

zoothornrollo_2

Understood, thanks

Slinky

We've toyed with the idea of updating our kitchen (as in new doors and drawer fronts and worktops) as we will be selling within a couple of years. But the kitchen is quite small. There's an option for a buyer to knock through into the current dining room and make a much bigger kitchen diner. Would cost quite a bit for us to do, and who knows if we'd pick something our future purchasers would want. So I think we'll probably leave it as it is and let somebody else decide what they want to do. I still love it anyway as it was my choice, and far nicer than the nasty 1970s dark wood effect melamine it replaced, but it's nearly 20 years old now and tastes have changed. I may update the handles with something a bit more modern which wouldn't cost much.

bris

For a budget DIY job I use Trade-point. Pick everything up in store for under a grand. I can fit myself so just time needed.


Kitchens are for all budgets, the IT trade point (B&Q) range is about as budget as you can get but they aren't actually that bad. Everything from their best selling ranges are in stock to take away. They even have software you can download to see what you need.


If you need it delivered though they are the worst suppliers for that, 3-4 weeks is the norm and their is usually something missing. This is the case even on stocked ranges so can't quite figure out why their delivery service is so bad.

zoothornrollo_2

bris wrote: »

For a budget DIY job I use Trade-point. Pick everything up in store for under a grand. I can fit myself so just time needed.


Kitchens are for all budgets, the IT trade point (B&Q) range is about as budget as you can get but they aren't actually that bad. Everything from their best selling ranges are in stock to take away. They even have software you can download to see what you need.


If you need it delivered though they are the worst suppliers for that, 3-4 weeks is the norm and their is usually something missing. This is the case even on stocked ranges so can't quite figure out why their delivery service is so bad.

Thanks for that, v useful, I'll take a look

minority

I would say 2 to 3k would be pushing it I am in the process of installing my own kitchen and would say by end of it I will have paid maybe 10k or so and I have done the majority of the work myself with only an electrician and flooring being done by an expert.

out of the 10k the majority of it has been buying the units and worktop with another 2 or 3k on electrical appliances and flooring.

I can rate DIY Kitchens there units are strong and well made and cheaper than similar quality units from other places. I am also getting my quartz worktop from them but not got it yet was literally measured today.