Is your kitchen looking tired, dated or worn, but a full refit isn’t in the budget? You’re not alone. A new fitted kitchen in the UK typically costs around £10,000, and that’s before any surprises.
The good news is that most kitchens don’t need replacing at all. The units, worktops and appliances are usually still sound. It’s the doors that show their age, and the doors are what you see.
The quick answer: if your kitchen carcasses are in good condition and you’re happy with the layout, replacing just the cupboard doors and drawer fronts can give you a kitchen that looks new for a small fraction of the cost of a full refit. Below, we show you exactly how much you could save, where the savings come from, and how to save even more.
How much can you save? New kitchen vs new doors
Replacing your doors typically costs a small fraction of a new kitchen, because you keep everything else.
| Option | Typical UK cost | What you get |
| New fitted kitchen | £5,250 to £28,400, around £10,550 on average | New units, worktops, appliances, fitting, often new tiles and flooring |
| Replacement doors, supplied and fitted by a joiner | Around £1,300 to £2,250 in total | New doors on your existing units, fitted for you |
| Cottage Doors solid pine doors, fitted yourself | From £41 per door | Handmade solid pine doors, made to measure and delivered |
A worked example
A typical kitchen has around 15 cupboard doors and 5 drawer fronts. At our prices from £41 each, that’s from around £820 for the whole kitchen, before handles, hinges and delivery.
Compare that with the average new kitchen at around £10,550, and you could keep more than £9,000 in your pocket, while still ending up with solid wood doors rather than MDF.
Where the savings come from
- You keep your units, worktops and appliances. Units, worktops and appliances make up the bulk of a new kitchen’s cost. When you replace only the doors, you keep all of them, along with your tiles, flooring, sink and plumbing.
- You avoid most of the fitting costs. Fitting a new kitchen typically costs around £3,500 in labour alone. Hanging new doors on existing units is a much smaller job that many homeowners do themselves.
- No knock-on costs. Ripping out a kitchen often means replastering, retiling, new flooring and moving electrics or plumbing. Keeping the units means none of that.
- Less time without a kitchen. A full refit can leave you without a working kitchen for a week or more, which means takeaways and eating out. New doors can usually be fitted in a day or two.
- Less waste. Keeping your units out of the skip is better for the environment and saves on waste removal.
- Doors that won’t need replacing again. Cheap vinyl wrapped doors can peel near ovens and kettles within a few years. Solid pine doors can be sanded and refinished whenever you fancy a change, so you’re not paying for new doors again.
7 ways to save even more
- Fit the doors yourself. If you can use a screwdriver, you can usually hang replacement doors on existing hinges. A joiner typically adds a few hundred pounds.
- Reuse your hinges and handles. If they’re in good working order, keep them. If you want a fresh look, new handles are an inexpensive way to finish the job.
- Finish the doors yourself. Our doors arrive sanded and ready to paint, stain or wax, so you choose the colour and avoid paying for a factory finish.
- Order direct from the maker. Buying from the workshop that makes the doors cuts out showroom and middleman costs.
- Replace only what you need. If budget is tight, start with the doors everyone sees, such as the wall units or the run beside the cooker, and do the rest later. Because we make to measure, matching doors later is straightforward.
- Measure carefully. A door made to the wrong size is money wasted. Follow our guide to measuring for replacement cupboard doors and double check before ordering.
- Order everything at once. Doors, drawer fronts and any end panels in one order means one delivery and a consistent finish.
Costs not to forget
New doors are much cheaper than a new kitchen, but budget for these too:
- Handles or knobs, if you’re not reusing your old ones
- Hinges, if yours are worn or a different type
- Paint, stain or wax, and brushes
- Matching end panels, plinths or cornice, if you want them to match the new doors
- Delivery
- A joiner, if you’d rather not fit them yourself
Respray, new doors or a new kitchen?
Respraying is another popular budget option, but it only changes the colour, not the style or the condition of the doors.
| Respray existing doors | New made to measure doors | New fitted kitchen | |
| Typical cost | Around £1,200 to £2,500 for an average kitchen | From £41 per door, fitted yourself | Around £10,550 on average |
| Changes the colour | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Changes the style | No | Yes, for example to Shaker or Victorian | Yes |
| Fixes swollen, chipped or peeling doors | No | Yes | Yes |
| Disruption | Low | Low, usually a day or two | High, often a week or more |
| Best for | Sound doors in a style you still like | Sound units with tired or dated doors | Units that are damaged, or a new layout |
When new doors aren’t enough
We’d rather be honest: replacement doors aren’t the answer for every kitchen. A full refit makes more sense if:
- The carcasses are water damaged, swollen or falling apart
- You want to change the layout, move the sink or add an island
- The worktops and appliances need replacing anyway
If your units are sound, though, new doors are almost always the better value. Not sure? Send us a few photos and we’ll give you an honest opinion.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to replace kitchen doors or the whole kitchen?
Replacing the doors is far cheaper. A new kitchen averages around £10,550 in the UK, while a full set of our solid pine doors starts from around £820 for a typical kitchen.
Can I replace just some of my kitchen doors?
Yes. Because every door is made to measure, you can replace a few now and match the rest later.
Will new doors fit my old kitchen units?
Yes. We make every door to your measurements, including older and non-standard units such as solid pine kitchens from the 1980s and 90s that the big retailers no longer stock.
Can I fit replacement doors myself?
In most cases, yes. If your hinges are in good condition, it’s usually a case of unscrewing the old doors and screwing on the new ones.
Does replacing kitchen doors add value to my home?
A fresh, well kept kitchen helps a home make a good first impression, and new doors are one of the most cost effective ways to get there.
Get a free quote
See how little a kitchen makeover could cost. Send us your measurements and we’ll quote for your replacement kitchen cupboard doors, handmade in solid pine in our Cheshire workshop and delivered across the UK.
Call 07979 854600 or get a free quote online.
Read next: Bespoke vs Standard Cupboard Doors: Which Should You Choose?