Searching for Cheap Kitchen Doors? Don’t forget about the Quality!

16th November. 2013 Published by Kitchen Restoration

There’s an old saying – ‘buy cheap, buy twice’. What that basically means is that if you have cost as your one and only criteria when deciding on a purchase, then that ‘cheap’ price tag could end up being a false economy.

But in an age where every penny counts, we have to consider the bottom line number on every major purchase we make, including our home refurbishment plans. One of the parts of our house that is most likely to be refurbished at some point is the kitchen. However, how much that refurbishment costs is down to you. So let’s take a quick look at your options.

#1 – most expensive: A full refit

A ‘from the ground up’ refit is by far and away the most expensive option. This involves basically ripping out your existing kitchen and starting again, literally from ‘the ground up’. So we’re talking new flooring, units, cupboard doors and drawers, painting and decorating, and even new utilities. A full refit will run into thousands of pounds, and it will also cost you with regards to general inconvenience and upheaval too. Yes, it’ll add value to your home, but can you afford to take a big loan out to pay for it right now?

#2 – more cost effective – a refurbishment

If the units are perfectly serviceable and have plenty of life left in them, the utilities are working fine and you actually quite like the sink where it is, then rather than ripping everything out and starting again, a far more cost effective option is a refurbishment. This retains the usable parts of your kitchen such as unit frames, and gives them a completely new lease of life by adding new doors, drawers and even work surfaces.

A refurbishment will cost you considerably less than a full refit, and is certainly a cheaper option. But in this instance cheap doesn’t mean ‘tacky’. We’re talking about custom-made drawers and cupboard doors here. If it’s done properly and by a professional and reputable refurbishment company that creates bespoke solutions to your exact specifications, then you can still achieve an incredibly high quality result. It also happens in days, rather than weeks. So you’re not inconvenienced or in complete upheaval for months on end.

#3 – cheapest – do it yourself

If you’re really watching the pennies, then option three is going to be your default solution – doing it yourself. You’ve got a hammer, some screwdrivers, a bit of wood glue; I mean, how hard can it be to hang a few cupboard doors, right? And the local DIY store has a sale on, so you’ve picked up a real bargain.

However, that laminated board is stuck on with cheap glue that in the heat and humidity of the average kitchen will eventually become far less sticky than it needs to be. The generic doors don’t quite fit, and that clumpy, traditional handle really doesn’t complement the clean lines and modern style of the rest of the kitchen. While doing it yourself may offer the cheapest option initially, in the long run it can cost you a great deal more because that cheap DIY refit has a lifespan of a couple of years at most.

So by all means, look around for the cheapest kitchen cupboard doors you can find. But when you do, don’t forget that quality has its own value, and by spending just a few pounds more you could actually be saving yourself a small fortune in the long run.