I have a rental unit in which the kitchen is very dated as It was built some 40 years ago. To say money I am wondering anyone can advice whether existing timber frame can be use to fo fit new cabinet doors and drawers etc. Also the bench top Is Caesarstone is it possible to fit the new cupboards around the old bench top. It seems to be a waste to destroy the caesarstone top.
Partially Renovating Kitchen in a Rental Unit
LShark4fins on 19/05/2020 - 17:48
Comments
You could do the following
- remove door handles, and replace with newer modern handles (if the new handles have different spacing, fill the old holes and make new ones)
- paint all the cabinet doors and framing
- you can update all the hinges and draw runners with soft closing etc.
that's my 2 cents.
Thanks Deuce. The doors are laminated over particle boards. Realistically they need to be replaced as some of the laminates are starting to peel and the board swelling.
If you are really on a tight budget. You could get new doors made for the whole kitchen.
My experience with this is mainly redoing doors and giving it a new coat of paint, resealing etc. I was lucky because I have melamine doors, so it was easy to replace and cut new ones.
Post some pictures, we might be able to give better advice. Deuce has some good suggestions, a but of paint and new handles etc can make a world of difference.
I say get the landlord's permission first before planning or doing anything. Most of them will be happy to let you renovate at your own expense.
I'm guessing the OP is the landlord. But it is not clearly stated, so you could also be correct.
Yes I am the landlord.
Yes you can, we did it a few years back. But the frame has to be usable, no idea if yours is. No idea if you need weird size doors etc either.
Get a kitchen cabinet/panel maker to go and visit and give a quote. Likely you can’t just buy doors from, say, IKEA and put new ones on.A 40yo kitchen probably isn’t going to be ‘standard’ sizes like a modern one. Did they have modular stuff in the 80s or was it all scratch built? You might be able to update, but it might be easier to get some modern kit stuff to fit under the existing bench.
The doors are laminated particle boards. Some of them are starting to peel already. I guess that would be the issue with measurements unless going to get them custom made to fit.
Definitely chuck the doors then. Once the board starts to swell there is no recovery.
It depends on time/money value. If you want to spend more of your time doing it to save money, it could be worth it. If you are hiring a tradie in Sydney/Mel, probably cheaper to start fresh.
Changing doors and panels is called reskinning. That can be done without removing the top.
The carcass/skeleton/frame needs to be decent, ie no water damage. The new doors, drawers and panels will largely be the same dimensions. You can turn a cabinet into drawers within the same width vice versa but that's about it.
You cannot change the carcass without ripping out the top. To salvage the stone is not worth the effort because by then, you are already 85% in for a new kitchen. May as well design to your ideal set up.
If the kitchen is just going to be replaced with the same design it’s worrh trying to keep the Caesarstone, it’s the most expensive bit of the kitchen. If going cheap you would need a laminate top which is inferior, and not the best for a rental if you have the option.
I am guessing a 40 year old design and cutouts for the sink and stove would be very outdated but that's just my guess.
Also, it is a common misconception that the stone top has to be the most expensive component. There are many grades of synthetic stone. The more uniform the appearance, the cheaper.
If using more uniform stone, the hinges and drawer rails are likely to cost more in total.
Anything is "possible". As usual, the true answer comes down to budget, desire, and the suitability/condition of anything you're looking to reuse.