If your kitchen layout works and the cabinets are sound, you may not need a new kitchen at all. In most cases the doors, drawer fronts, panels and fillers can be replaced on the cabinets you already have. Whether it suits your kitchen comes down to a few checks, and this guide walks through them.
Can you replace just the doors and keep the cabinets?
Usually, yes. The cabinet boxes stay where they are, and you replace the parts you see. How you order depends on what the cabinets are:
- IKEA METOD, PAX or BESTÃ…, or a Bunnings kitchen. Our standard range is made to the same standard measurements as those systems, with the same drilling. You order by size, the way you would order new fronts for a new kitchen: start with our kitchen doors, drawer fronts and panels. If you still have your saved IKEA kitchen plan, paste it into the 3D Kitchen Planner to see your kitchen with new doors and a price before you order.
- Any other cabinet. Older and custom-built cabinets rarely match a standard size, so each piece is made to your exact measurements. The bespoke door builder takes each piece's width and height in millimetres.
What to check before you order
Get a second opinion on the cabinets. It depends on your situation, so if you aren't familiar with cabinetry, have a carpenter, builder or other tradesperson look at the kitchen. They can tell you what can and can't be replaced, take the measurements and fit the new pieces.
Size limits. Custom pieces can be up to 1200 mm wide and 2400 mm tall. The minimum is generally 150 × 150 mm, though it varies by profile.
Large routed panels. On custom pieces, routed profiles such as Slim Shaker, Shaker and French Shaker carry a higher risk of bowing as the piece gets bigger. For a very large panel, a Plain profile is the safer choice.
How do hinges work on replacement doors?
For custom-size doors you choose one of two options:
- With hinges. We supply Blum hinges and drill the hinge holes 100 mm from the top and bottom of the door, for $30 per item.
- Without hinges, undrilled. Choose this if you are reusing your existing hinges or buying hinges elsewhere; your installer drills the doors on site.
We don't supply vertical lift-up or corner hinges. For those doors, order them undrilled and fit your own hinges on site. Custom drawer fronts and panels always arrive undrilled, with no hardware, so they are drilled on site too. Our guide to hinges for IKEA and custom doors goes into more detail.
How do you measure for replacement doors?
Every piece is made to the size you enter, so the measurements are the job. Our custom size page has a measuring guide and an installation guide to download, both as PDFs. Read the measuring guide before you start, and measure every door, drawer front and panel you want replaced, not just one of each.
Which finishes and profiles can you choose?
Custom pieces come in painted 2Pac in any Dulux, Taubmans or Porters colour, unpainted MDF, woodgrain laminate, Laminex and Polytec. Not every profile is available in every finish; the builder only shows the combinations that are available. If you are weighing up the options, start with our kitchen door finishes compared.
What happens after you order?
Custom pieces are made to order to your specification, typically in 4 to 6 weeks, and can't be returned or refunded, so check every measurement twice before you place the order. When your order is ready you have seven days to collect it or to book and accept delivery. Read our shipping policy before ordering, and if you need someone to fit the doors, we keep a list of recommended installers.