How to Price a Kitchen Refurbishment: Respray, Doors and Worktop Replacement Costs

Quick Answer: A typical UK kitchen refurbishment in 2026 prices £1,500–£5,500 for a door respray of an 8–12 unit kitchen, £2,000–£8,500 for replacement doors only on the same carcasses, and £1,200–£6,500 for new worktops only. The cost-crossover where refurbishment stops making sense and a full refit becomes the better value is roughly 60–70% of the new-kitchen total — when the refurb quote climbs above that line, replacing the carcasses (which are typically the soundest part of an old kitchen) gains better long-term value. Programme is 2–5 working days for a typical refurb, with no structural or notifiable trade work in most cases.

Summary

Kitchen refurbishment exists for the homeowner who has a sound carcass, hates the doors, and does not want to spend £15,000+ on a full refit. The carcasses (the boxes the doors hang from) are typically the longest-lived part of a kitchen — 18 mm MFC carcasses from a quality manufacturer last 25–40 years. The doors, hinges, drawers, worktop, and appliances all have shorter lifecycles. A 12-year-old kitchen with intact carcasses but tired doors and a scratched worktop is the textbook refurbishment candidate.

The four mainstream refurbishment routes — respray, replacement doors, worktop swap, and refresh-everything-but-carcasses — sit at different price points and address different problems. Respraying is cheapest and works when the doors are sound but the colour is wrong. Replacement doors are next when the doors themselves are tired or damaged. Worktop swap is the single biggest visual change for the smallest disruption. Refresh-everything-but-carcasses is the upper end of refurbishment and starts to compete on price with a budget full refit.

The trap in pricing kitchen refurbishment is the homeowner who keeps adding scope. A respray quote becomes "respray plus new handles plus new worktop plus new splashback plus new sink plus new tap" — which is now a £6,000 job on a kitchen that would refit for £9,000–£12,000 with a 25-year warranty. Honest quoting flags the crossover point clearly: at this price, a new kitchen is the better long-term value.

Key Facts

Quick Reference Table

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Refurb scope 8–12 units Programme Total fitted 2026
Respray doors only (on-site) 8–12 doors + 2–4 drawer fronts 2–3 days £1,500–£3,500
Respray doors and panels (full kitchen) doors, drawers, plinth, cornice 3–5 days £2,200–£5,500
Replacement doors only (vinyl/MDF flat-pack) 8–12 doors + 2–4 drawer fronts 1–2 days £2,000–£4,500
Replacement doors only (painted shaker bespoke) 8–12 doors + 2–4 drawer fronts 2–3 days £4,500–£8,500
Replacement doors + new handles as above + 12–18 handles 1–2 days adds £80–£300
New laminate worktop only 4–6 linear m 1 day £600–£1,800
New quartz worktop only 4–6 linear m 2 days (template + fit) £1,800–£3,500
New worktop + sink + tap 4–6 linear m + sink + tap 2 days £1,300–£4,500
Doors + worktop refresh full doors + worktop 3–5 days £3,500–£11,500
Doors + worktop + splashback + handles + decorating full visual refresh 5–7 days £5,000–£15,000
New kitchen full refit (for crossover comparison) new units + worktop + appliances + labour 5–10 days £9,000–£25,000 — see full kitchen fit pricing

Detailed Guidance

Respray — when it works and when it doesn't

A kitchen respray transforms the look of an existing kitchen without touching the carcasses. The process:

  1. Doors removed — typically taken off-site to a spray booth, alternatively masked and sprayed in-situ
  2. Surface preparation — degrease, key (sand or chemical etch), prime
  3. Spray — water-based or 2-pack acrylic, 2–3 coats with flash time between
  4. Topcoat — clear lacquer for durability or pigmented topcoat for solid colour
  5. Refit — doors rehung, alignment adjusted

Respraying works well on:

Respraying does not work well on:

The single biggest determinant of respray longevity is preparation. A 2-day spray booth job with proper cleaning, sanding, priming, and 2-pack lacquer lasts 8–15 years before showing wear. A 1-day on-site spray with minimal prep starts to chip at corners within 12–24 months. Pricing reflects this — £40–£60 per door is on-site quick-spray; £75–£120 per door is professional spray-booth with full prep.

Replacement doors — measuring and matching

Replacement doors fit to existing carcasses if hinge cup positions are compatible. Three door supply routes:

Made-to-measure direct (DIY Doors, Replacement Doors Direct, Pickup Doors) — homeowner measures each door, supplies dimensions, the manufacturer cuts and edges to size and bores hinge cups. £30–£140 per door supplied. 2–6 weeks lead time. Most flexible — any kitchen, any door style.

Trade rigid suppliers (Howdens, Magnet, DIY Kitchens) — same suppliers as for full kitchens. Cheaper per door than made-to-measure but only available in their standard sizes (250, 300, 400, 500, 600, 1000 mm widths). Suits kitchens with standard cabinet sizes; impractical where the original kitchen used non-standard widths.

Bespoke painted (independent door manufacturers) — hand-built, painted, fitted. £140–£350 per door supplied. The premium route, used for shaker and in-frame styles where standard substitutes don't satisfy.

Hinge compatibility is the key technical question. Modern kitchens use 35 mm cup hinges with the cup bored at standard depths (typically 12.5 mm). Replacement doors with the same cup specification fit existing hinges directly. Older kitchens may have proprietary or 26 mm cups — the new doors won't fit, and either new hinges + carcass modification or a different door supply route is needed.

Labour for a fit-only door swap on an 8–12 unit kitchen is 1–2 days. The fitter:

Cost £450–£900 labour for the door fit alone. Material allowance of £900–£3,500 for trade rigid doors, £2,500–£7,500 for bespoke painted.

Worktop replacement — single biggest visual change

Replacing the worktop while keeping units and doors is one of the highest-impact lowest-disruption refurb routes. The worktop is the most visible element of the kitchen — a tired laminate worktop replaced with quartz transforms perceived value more than any other single change.

The worktop swap process:

  1. Disconnect plumbing — sink and tap, traps, isolation
  2. Lift worktop — usually unscrewed from inside the units
  3. Inspect carcass tops — check for water damage around the sink cut-out, repair if needed
  4. Template (stone) — for quartz, granite, solid surface; the stone fitter measures the existing run with templates or laser-scanner
  5. Cut and fit (laminate) — kitchen fitter cuts on site, mitres any corners, biscuits and glues at joins
  6. Install (stone) — stone fitter returns 5–14 days later with the cut piece, drops in, seals
  7. Re-plumb — sink reconnected, tap refit, traps recoupled

Pricing by material on a 4–6 linear metre kitchen:

The sink and tap are usually replaced at the same time — disconnecting and reconnecting is included in the labour, and a tired sink looks worse next to a new worktop. Sink allowance £100–£500; tap allowance £80–£400.

Handle change — the cheapest refresh

Handle replacement is the smallest change with significant visual impact. Handles cost £4–£18 each supplied for standard styles (D-bar, knob, T-bar); £18–£60 each for designer/branded.

Critical: existing handle hole centres must match the new handle, or the holes need filling and re-drilling. Handle hole standards:

A handle change without re-drilling is 5 minutes per door. A full kitchen handle swap is 1–2 hours of fitter time + £50–£250 in handles. A swap that requires re-drilling adds 30–60 minutes per door for filling, sanding, and redrilling — at which point a respray to hide the old hole positions becomes a logical add.

Plinth, cornice, and pelmet replacement

The plinth (the kick-board running along the floor below the units), cornice (the decorative top moulding on wall units), and pelmet (the under-cabinet light enclosure) are inexpensive to replace and contribute disproportionately to the kitchen's overall feel.

When replacing doors but keeping units, replacing plinth and cornice is almost always worth doing — old painted plinth next to new doors looks shabby and the cost is low.

Splashback refresh

Behind-hob and behind-sink splashback is high-impact, low-cost:

Decorating allowance

A kitchen refurb almost always includes redecorating walls and ceiling. The cabinet swap exposes paint shadows where old units met walls; new units rarely sit in exactly the same plane. Allow:

A clear quote includes redecorating; a vague quote omits it and the homeowner gets a surprise.

When to refurb vs refit — the cost crossover

The decision rule: when refurb pricing climbs above 60–70% of the equivalent new-kitchen total, the refit becomes better long-term value because the new kitchen comes with new carcasses (replacing the only part not refreshed in the refurb), full new appliances, full warranty, and 25-year carcass life.

Worked example, 10-unit kitchen, 5 m worktop, 4 appliances:

Scope Refurb route Refit route
Doors only respray £2,200 n/a
Doors only replace + handles £4,500 n/a
Worktop only swap to quartz £2,800 n/a
Doors + worktop + splashback £8,000 n/a
Full refurb (doors + worktop + splashback + sink + tap + handles + plinth + decorate) £11,000 n/a
New kitchen, trade rigid, mid-spec n/a £15,000–£18,000

At £11,000 refurb vs £15,000 refit, the refurb is 70% of the refit cost — and the homeowner has 12-year-old carcasses (still serviceable but no fresh warranty), old appliances, and old plumbing. At this price point, recommending the refit is honest. At £8,000 refurb vs £15,000 refit, the refurb is clearly better value at 53%.

The crossover varies by kitchen size and existing condition. A small 6-unit kitchen can refit for £8,000–£12,000, so the refurb crossover is at £5,500–£8,500. A large bespoke kitchen has no realistic refit option under £30,000, so even a £15,000 refurb is solid value.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to respray kitchen doors?

For a typical 8–12 unit kitchen (8–12 doors plus 2–4 drawer fronts), respraying costs £1,500–£5,500. On-site spray with moderate prep is the lower end; off-site spray-booth with full prep, primer, and 2-pack lacquer is the upper end. The longevity gap between cheap and expensive respray is significant — cheap respray starts chipping at corners within 12–24 months; quality spray-booth respray lasts 8–15 years.

Can I just replace kitchen doors and keep the units?

Yes — this is the standard "doors only" refurb route. Replacement doors fit to existing carcasses if hinge cup positions match (typical for kitchens 5–25 years old using 35 mm cups). Made-to-measure suppliers cut to any size; trade rigid suppliers offer standard sizes only. Cost £2,000–£8,500 fitted depending on door style.

How long does a kitchen refurb take?

2–5 working days for a typical refurb. A respray-only refurb is 2–3 days (1 day removal + 1 day spray + 1 day refit). A door swap is 1–2 days. A worktop swap is 1 day for laminate or 2 days for stone (split by template lead time). A full refresh combining doors, worktop, splashback, sink, tap, handles, and decorating is 5–7 days.

When is refurb the wrong choice?

When the refurb quote exceeds 60–70% of the cost of a full refit. At that price point, the homeowner gets better long-term value from the refit (new carcasses, new appliances, full 25-year warranty) than from refurbing on top of 12+ year old infrastructure. Also wrong when carcasses show water damage, when the kitchen layout no longer suits the family, or when appliances are at end-of-life.

Will a kitchen refurb add value to my house?

Refurbs don't add proportionate value the way a full refit does in a low-spec property, but they prevent a kitchen from being a viewing-stage negative. A tired kitchen is the single most-cited estate-agent reason for a price reduction. A £4,000 refurb that brings a kitchen from "tired" to "presentable" prevents the £8,000–£15,000 price drop a buyer's surveyor might suggest. The ROI on refurb is generally better than on full refit for a property being prepared for sale.

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