Refits and makeovers
Replacement kitchen doors
Replacing kitchen doors means keeping the existing cabinets, which are often still sound, and changing only the doors, drawer fronts and visible panels. New doors are made to measure or carefully matched to the old sizes and hinge positions, hung on new soft-close hinges and finished with new handles, end panels, plinths and cornice, so the kitchen looks different without a full strip-out.
When do you need replacement kitchen doors?
Kitchen carcasses usually outlast their doors. Gloss fronts chip at the edges, wrapped doors peel near the oven, and a colour that suited the room years ago now looks tired. If the cabinets are square, dry and well fixed, new doors and drawer fronts change the look with far less disruption than a new kitchen. The sink, hob, worktops and appliances can stay in use, and the fitting is usually done in a day or two once the doors arrive.
We start with a free survey visit to check the carcasses for water damage, loose hinge plates and sagging shelves, and to measure every door, drawer front and panel. Door sizes and hinge positions vary between makers, so new doors are made to measure or matched carefully. You get an itemised written quote. On fitting day the old doors come off, new hinges go on, the doors are hung and adjusted, handles are drilled, and matching panels, plinths and cornice are fitted.
What is included?
- Free survey visit to check the carcasses and measure every door and drawer front
- Doors and drawer fronts made to measure or matched to the existing sizes
- Hinge holes drilled to line up with the positions on your carcasses
- New soft-close hinges fitted and every door adjusted so the gaps run even
- Drawer fronts fixed to existing drawer boxes, or new boxes where worn
- Handles or knobs drilled from a template so they sit at a consistent height
- Matching end panels, plinths, cornice and pelmet cut and fitted
- New fronts fixed to integrated appliances with their door-fixing kits
How much does replacement kitchen doors cost?
These are national guide prices including VAT at 20%. Prices are higher in London and the South East and lower in much of the North, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Choose your area below for a local range.
| Typical project | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Doors and drawer fronts supplied and fitted (15–20 doors)Standard ranges, with new hinges and handles | £1,000–£3,000 |
| Bespoke, in-frame or hand-painted doorsMade to measure for your carcasses | £2,000–£5,000 |
| Fitting only, doors you have boughtHanging, adjusting, handles drilled and fitted | £300–£800 |
| Matching end panels, plinths and corniceCut and fitted to suit the new doors | £150–£600 |
Guide ranges cover doors, drawer fronts, hinges and handles for a typical kitchen of 15 to 20 doors; replacing swollen carcasses, worktops or appliances is priced separately. Your price is confirmed after a free survey visit.
How long does it take?
Typical timescale: 1 to 2 days on site once the doors arrive. The programme for your kitchen is set out in the quote, and depends on the size of the room, what is moving, lead times for units and worktops and, after plastering, drying time.
Do you need permission or building regulations approval?
The rules differ across the UK. Choose your nation:
Replacing kitchen doors needs no planning permission or Building Regulations approval in England, because nothing structural, electrical or plumbed changes. The exception is a listed building, where original fitted cupboards or joinery may need listed building consent before they are altered. If you add plinth or cornice lighting at the same time, the wiring must meet BS 7671, and a new circuit for it would be notifiable under Part P.
In Wales, new kitchen doors need no planning permission or Building Regulations approval; if the building is listed and original fitted joinery is affected, listed building consent may be needed. Adding plinth or cornice lighting is different: extending an existing circuit within a kitchen is notifiable under Part P in Wales, so that part is certified through a competent person scheme or building control. Doors, drawer fronts, panels and handles on their own need no paperwork.
In Scotland, replacing kitchen doors and drawer fronts counts as replacing fitments, which does not need a building warrant. A listed building may need listed building consent if original fitted joinery is being altered or removed. If plinth or cornice lighting is added at the same time, the wiring must meet the building standards and BS 7671, so ask for the right electrical certificate. Nothing else about a door change involves building standards.
In Northern Ireland, new kitchen doors need no planning permission and no building control application. If the house is listed, check before altering any original fitted joinery, as listed building consent may be needed. Lighting added to plinths or cornice should be installed and tested to BS 7671 and certified, even though there is no notification scheme for domestic electrical work. The doors, panels and handles themselves need no paperwork.
What should you think about before starting?
- Check the carcasses first; a swollen sink base, a sagging shelf or loose hinge plates mean some units may need replacing before new doors.
- Door sizes and hinge positions vary between makers, so doors must be made to measure or matched carefully to your existing units.
- Remember the extras: end panels, plinths, cornice, pelmet and integrated appliance doors all need to match the new fronts.
- Old drawer boxes may not take new fronts neatly; worn runners or unusual fixings sometimes make new drawer boxes worth adding.
- If the worktops are also worn, consider replacing them in the same visit rather than fitting new doors beside tired surfaces.
- A new kitchen makes more sense if the carcasses are damaged, the layout does not work, or the sink and hob need to move.
How does the project run?
- Guide price. Use the online guide-price tool or call us for a realistic range for your area
- Free survey visit. We measure the room, check walls, floors and service positions, and look at the plan or delivery
- Itemised written quote. Broken down by stage and trade, with any worktop templating, engineer or approval costs listed
- Fitting in the right order. Strip-out, first fix, units, worktops, second fix and finishing, with the trades booked in sequence
- Final check and handover. A walk-round together, certificates for electrics and gas, and the manufacturers' documents
Questions about replacement kitchen doors
Can new doors be fitted to my existing kitchen units?
Usually, yes, as long as the carcasses are sound. We measure every door and drawer front at the survey and check the hinge positions, because sizes vary between makers and older kitchens often use sizes that are no longer standard. Doors are then made to measure or matched to your units, drilled for new hinges and hung so the gaps line up across each run.
How much do replacement kitchen doors cost?
For a typical kitchen of 15 to 20 doors, standard-range doors and drawer fronts supplied and fitted with new hinges and handles cost about £1,000 to £3,000 including VAT. Made-to-measure, in-frame or hand-painted doors are usually £2,000 to £5,000. Fitting doors you have bought costs £300 to £800, and matching end panels, plinths and cornice add £150 to £600. Prices are confirmed after a survey visit.
What if some of my kitchen units are water damaged?
Damaged units are replaced before the new doors go on, because swollen chipboard does not recover. The sink base is the usual problem, from slow leaks at the trap or tap, followed by units beside the dishwasher. We check every carcass at the survey, look for the cause of any leak, and price replacement units as a separate line so you can see the cost clearly.
Can I change to a completely different door style?
Usually, yes. Slab, shaker and painted doors can all go on standard carcasses if the sizes and hinge positions suit. An in-frame look is more involved, because the doors sit inside a frame built onto the front of the units, so it costs more. A true handleless kitchen uses rails built into the carcasses, so with a door change that look is imitated with edge-profiled doors instead.
When does a new kitchen make more sense than new doors?
When the problem is more than the look. If several carcasses are swollen or broken, the layout does not work for you, or you want to move the sink, hob or appliances, new doors only cover the issue. New doors suit kitchens whose cabinets are square, dry and well fixed and whose layout still works. We will tell you at the survey which route we think makes sense.
Are new hinges and handles fitted with the doors?
Yes, normally. Old hinges are often worn or set for the old doors, so new soft-close hinges are fitted and adjusted so the doors close quietly and the gaps run even. Handles are drilled from a template so every one sits at the same height and distance from the edge. If you would like to reuse your existing handles, the new doors are drilled to suit them.
Related guides
- Should you replace your kitchen doors or fit a whole new kitchen?
- What should landlords look for in a rental or HMO kitchen?
Related kitchen services
Where do we carry out replacement kitchen doors?
We take on replacement kitchen doors across England, Wales, mainland Scotland and Northern Ireland. Choose your area for local guide prices and the rules that apply there.
England
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- County Durham
- the East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- the Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- the West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire