Is my kitchen worth a facelift?

donmaico

Hi, I have Benchmark kitchen which was fitted 9 years ago or so and was wondering whether a facelift comprising new doors drawer front panels , indeed everything which has been foil wrapped (pelmets etc) with either painted MDF or solid wood would be worth it .
The cabinets all seem to be fine although I am not a great fan of the soft close Bloom mechanism as some drop off from time to time. I also want to replace the laminated work surface with something more durable ie scratch resistant and i want to keep the tiles as well

FreeBear

Just replacing the draw fronts, doors, and trim will certainly be cheaper than ripping the whole lot out. Have a quick measure up of the door & draw front heights and then see if Benchmarx still do them in the same sizes. Draw front heights do vary from season to season depending on current fashion.

Replacing the worktop is doable depending on how it was fitted with the tiles. You might need to call in a professional for the worktop unless you have the tools to cut holes for sinks & hobs. Replacing the door & draw fronts is a five minute job for each with a screwdriver (something you might consider doing yourself).

PasturesNew

If you look on Rightmove you see many people still have their 1960s and 1970s kitchens in place.

If you want to tart yours up a bit that's your choice, but you don't "need" to do it. If you can't decide then it's still at the "wistful thinking" stage and not "need".

donmaico

PasturesNew wrote: »

If you look on Rightmove you see many people still have their 1960s and 1970s kitchens in place.

If you want to tart yours up a bit that's your choice, but you don't "need" to do it. If you can't decide then it's still at the "wistful thinking" stage and not "need".

I never suggested "need" but if the foil/PVC/vinyl wrap starts bubbling up any time soon as many have suggested it might , then I will certainly feel compelled ot make the changes

donmaico

FreeBear wrote: »

Just replacing the draw fronts, doors, and trim will certainly be cheaper than ripping the whole lot out. Have a quick measure up of the door & draw front heights and then see if Benchmarx still do them in the same sizes. Draw front heights do vary from season to season depending on current fashion.

Replacing the worktop is doable depending on how it was fitted with the tiles. You might need to call in a professional for the worktop unless you have the tools to cut holes for sinks & hobs. Replacing the door & draw fronts is a five minute job for each with a screwdriver (something you might consider doing yourself).

i would certainly leave it to a professional,It just depends on what kind of work surface i decide to have fitted. Solid wood, corian or some other suitable alternative.The current laminate is badly scratched and the joints are showing wear

cranford

My kitchen is ten years old and as good as new. I bought it from DIY-Kitchens and at the time they supplied solid wood doors from Second Nature but that's no longer the case. You can find these at various supplier such as Lark and Larks and if the sizes match you can specify where the hinge holes need to go. You could price replacements up at https://www.larkandlarks.co.uk/ and even send for a sample.

ado

I've just had our old Ikea kitchen replaced and chose Lark and Larks. They do made to measure units for a small additional cost and have up to 54 colours to chose from in some of their ranges. They are reasonable priced anc come out at a similar price to DIY Kitchens for a similar quality. The only downsize is that their staff or only 'OK' helpful rather than exceptionally helpful i.e. they'll sort out what you ask for but they wont't check your order for self inflicted mistakes, so make sure you get everything right before paying.

Overall I'm pretty happy and I'd also recommend Purple Granite as well in terms of cost and speed of templating and fitting if you fancy good quality work surfaces.