Kitchen Refurbishment Cost Calculator
If the carcasses are sound and the layout works, replacing the doors, worktop and handles gets you most of the way to a new kitchen for a fraction of the cost. This prices that job, item by item.
Open the calculator →Price your refurbishment in 30 seconds
4 steps. Kitchen size, what you are replacing, worktop and region.
How this calculator works
A refurbishment keeps the carcasses and replaces what you see. That is why it lands at £3,500–£12,000 against £8,000–£35,000 for a full renovation: the expensive, disruptive part — ripping out and re-running services — never happens.
Unit count drives the price, not floor area. Twelve doors in a small galley costs more than eight in a big room.
When it is the wrong answer: if the carcasses are chipboard that has swollen, if the layout does not work, or if you want to move the sink or hob, you are paying twice. Refurbish a kitchen you like the shape of.
Kitchen refurbishment cost by item (2026)
| Item | Typical 2026 cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Doors and drawer fronts (8–12 units) | £1,200–£3,200 | Material and finish drive it |
| Handles and hinges | £120–£400 | Cheap change, big effect |
| Laminate worktop | £350–£800 | From £180/m² fitted |
| Solid wood worktop | £800–£1,600 | Needs oiling |
| Quartz / granite / Dekton | £1,800–£3,800 | Up to £680/m² |
| Splashback | £200–£900 | Tile, glass or stone |
| Sink and tap | £200–£800 | Often replaced at the same time |
Figures match our kitchen refurbishment cost guide.
What changes a kitchen refurbishment quote the most
A refurbishment keeps the carcasses and changes what you see and touch — doors, drawer fronts, worktops, handles, sometimes the sink and appliances — so the first cost lever is honesty about the units themselves. If the existing boxes are sound and square, a refurb is excellent value; if the chipboard has swollen at the plinths or the runners are failing, money spent on new doors is money wasted and you are better off in a full renovation.
Worktops move the figure most after that. A laminate top is a modest spend; quartz or granite is several times more and adds templating and a separate fitting visit. Appliances are the other big swing — integrated units cost more than freestanding, and swapping a like-for-like oven or hob is simple while relocating one is not.
The moment the layout, plumbing or electrics move, a refurbishment quietly becomes a renovation, with plastering and re-tiling behind it. If that is where you are heading, price it against the kitchen renovation cost guide before you commit.
Kitchen refurbishment calculator FAQs
If the carcasses are solid and the layout works, refurbishing gets you 80% of the visual change for roughly a quarter of the cost. If the carcasses have swollen, or you want to move the sink, hob or walls, the saving disappears and a full renovation is the better spend.
Most mass-market kitchens use standard carcass sizes, so replacement doors are readily available. Older or bespoke kitchens may need made-to-measure doors, which costs more and takes longer — measure a door and a drawer front before assuming.
Usually not, because nothing notifiable moves. It becomes notifiable the moment you add a circuit, move a gas appliance or alter waste pipework — see the note above.
Two to four days for doors and handles. Add a day or two if the worktop is being replaced, and up to two weeks lead time if it is templated stone.
Related cost guides
- Kitchen renovation costs — every spec priced
- Worktop costs — per m² by material
- Kitchen quotes — 3 free quotes
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