There comes a time in the life-cycle of all kitchens when we walk in and realise that something has to change. Generally this point is reached somewhere between 5 and 10 years after the kitchen was last replaced. The doors may look dirty and stained. There might be scratches on the work surface. The tile grout can yellow and the flooring may be coming up in the corners.

Handleless Matt Black doors
Handleless doors in Matt Black

When to replace your kitchen?

But how do you know when you should completely replace your kitchen? Or when a simple make-over involving the purchase of new doors and a few accessories will more than do the job? The fact is that there are many parts of your kitchen which are not on display and where the wear and tear of daily life is yet to have much of an impact. These few tips should help you decide when it is possible to make a huge difference to your kitchen with a few small changes.

Tips to help you decide

  • Your kitchen design is perfect for the room and you like the way it is arranged and the number of kitchen cabinets and worktops. In this case you don't need to change the layout of your kitchen.
  • The cabinet carcasses are still firmly attached to the walls and are in good shape on the insides. You need to check that the shelves are intact and that all the sides are still level and even. You can always replace one or two carcasses if required.
  • Your hinges still work well and will be easily removed and used on your new doors. Of course you can always buy new hinges if you prefer.
  • The doors and handles are the only part of the kitchen which need replacing. This will be inexpensive and easy to do.
  • Other parts of the room such as the tiling, the flooring and the appliances can be improved or cleaned to a standard where they will look like new. In many cases this is very easy to do. Grouting can be whitened and appliances cleaned in no time.

The fact is that a kitchen which was replaced just a few years ago will still be very useful in terms of carcasses and appliances. You may have just fallen out of love with the design or colour. These things are very easily replaced without having to rip out a perfectly good kitchen and buy a new one.

Once you have decided that you can get away with a simple replacement of your cabinet doors, you have the opportunity to make some real changes to the look of your kitchen. You can opt for different materials and colours than you are used to. And you can really splash out on decorative handles and even a new worktop.

Let's talk about cost

Of course deciding to take this option is going to save you plenty of money. The cost difference between replacing cupboard doors and replacing an entire kitchen is huge. You could save yourself in excess of £2,000 easily. And you will get the results you want in just a few days compared to a few weeks.

Finally, by deciding to get replacement kitchen doors, you are being kind to the planet. There is no need for perfectly sound kitchen carcasses, tiles, flooring as well as the kitchen doors to be sent to landfill. The amount of waste you will be producing will be significantly less overall.

So, for most of us the choice is easy to make. Save money, save time, save the planet and get replacement kitchen doors – easy!