Kitchen Unit Doors

Just purchasing new Kitchen Unit Doors can be a relatively cheap alternative to renewing the entire kitchen. Although the kitchen unit doors can often be the most expensive part of a kitchen fitting them is probably the least labour intensive task of fitting a new kitchen and in some instances, providing that you possess basic DIY skills, you can fit them yourself.

The vast majority of the work in fitting a kitchen is usually in the fitting of the carcass units, these often have to be cut around objects such as pipe work and they have to be levelled and lined up correctly. The worktops can be difficult and time consuming to fit as they often have to be planed into the walls and if you have a seamless (butt and scribe) joint made in the corners this can take considerable time, expertise and comes at a fair cost. Another relatively expensive job when fitting a kitchen is the tiling above the worktops, this can take time and the tiles can have a considerable cost.

Other costs of fitting a new kitchen as opposed to fitting new kitchen unit doors are things such as re-plumbing the sink top and washing machine and dishwasher if you move them and re-fitting an oven and a hob.

So you?ve decided that you?re going to take the easier and cheaper option of just replacing the kitchen unit doors rather than ripping out the old carcasses so what are your choices and what do you need to do.

The first and maybe obvious thing to do is to check the condition of your current carcasses and worktop, are they in good enough condition to last another ten years or more? Do you still like the style and design of the worktop and tile? If the answer to any of these is no then maybe you should reconsider your plans.

You need to measure your carcasses to see who supplies the right sized doors, kitchen doors come in different sizes dependant upon manufacturer but you will hopefully be able to find some doors which will fit just right. Another option that you have if you can?t find the right sized doors is to get them made at a local joinery but you would need to check the cost of this against the cost of replacing the whole kitchen, also there are a number of companies around who specialise in changing kitchen unit doors and they will make them to suit but again you do really need to consider both costs.

You next need to decide your budget and have a look at what styles of doors that you like, do the two match up? I mean can you purchase the doors that you like with the budget that you have?

So you?ve found some doors that fit your carcasses and you have chosen some designs that you like and they are within your budget, so what else do you have to consider? Well you need to see if the hinge holes on the door will line up with the hinge holes on the carcasses, most likely they will not and you may have to the hinge receivers on the carcasses, this isn?t too much of a job if you are used to DIY but may be a bit more difficult if your not.

Once the doors are fitted to the carcasses you?ll need to drill holes for the door handles, there will often be a mark on the back of the doors showing you where to drill, the best way to make a good job of this is to use G cramps to cramp a clean smooth piece of wood onto the front of the door so that the door front doesn?t splinter when you drill through from the back, carry out this procedure for each door and draw and your done, you have a beautifully transformed kitchen and all you did was change the kitchen unit doors.