Wrapping your cabinet fronts costs a small fraction of what a new kitchen does, and usually a fraction of new replacement doors too. A full kitchen renovation often runs into many thousands of dollars once you count cabinets, fitting and trades, while a peel and stick vinyl wrap refresh is measured in dollars per metre. So if your cabinets are sound and you mostly hate the colour, you almost certainly do not need to spend renovation money to feel like you have a new kitchen. The honest part is that wrap is not right for every kitchen, and below we walk you through the real numbers so you can decide for yourself.
What does a new kitchen actually cost?
A brand new kitchen is the big number, and it is rarely small. Once you add new cabinets, benchtops, fitting, plumbing and electrical, a full renovation often runs into many thousands of dollars, and a larger or custom kitchen can climb well beyond that. Even a modest update with off the shelf cabinetry adds up quickly, because the labour to remove the old kitchen and install the new one is a real cost on its own. Every kitchen is laid out differently, so the only figure you can trust is a written quote for your space. A new kitchen is a renovation, not a refresh, and it asks for a renovation budget. If the bones of your current kitchen are fine, that is a lot of money to spend on a colour you could change for far less.
What about just replacing the doors?
Replacing only the doors and drawer fronts is cheaper than a full kitchen, but it can still cost hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on how many you have and what you choose. You keep the carcasses and the layout and swap the visible fronts, which sounds simple, yet custom doors are made to order and priced per piece, so a kitchen with a lot of cabinetry adds up fast. You also need the new fronts to match your existing hinge positions and sizes, or the job grows. For some people this is the right middle path. For many, it is a surprising amount of money to change something a wrap can change for less, especially when the existing doors are perfectly solid underneath.
What does painting cost, and what are its downsides?
Painting your cabinets is usually the lowest cost option on paper, and that is fair to admit. A few tins of cabinet paint, primer, rollers and sandpaper is not a large outlay. The cost shows up in your time and in the result. Cabinet painting is a slow, fiddly job that wants careful sanding, priming and several thin coats, and on the high touch doors near the sink and bin it can chip and show wear and tear sooner than people expect. Brush marks, uneven sheen and drips are easy to create and hard to hide. If you enjoy the work and have a free weekend or three, paint can look lovely. If you want a clean factory style finish without the fumes and the dry time, that is where wrap earns its place. We lay both options out side by side in our honest piece on wrap or paint, an honest comparison.
What does wrapping cabinet fronts cost, and what do you get?
Wrapping is priced by the metre, so your cost tracks the surface you actually cover rather than the size of the whole renovation. You buy the rolls you need, you keep your cabinets and benchtops, and you do the work yourself over a weekend with simple tools. What you get is a smooth, even colour or texture across your doors and panels, with no paint, no fumes and no long dry time. A quality film is built to handle a busy kitchen and hold up to daily wear and tear, and you can read about that in our guide to how long a quality film lasts. You also get the freedom to change your mind later for a small cost, which a new kitchen never gives you. Browse every finish we make to see what is on offer.
What does wrap not replace?
Wrap changes the surface, not the structure, and being clear about that protects you. It will not fix broken hinges, sagging shelves or carcasses that have swollen or come apart, because it sits on top of what is already there. It does not turn a cramped layout into a better one, and it is not a benchtop product, so a damaged or dated benchtop stays that way unless you address it separately. Wrap is a finish, so it rewards a clean, dry, solid surface to stick to. If your doors are flat, intact and simply tired or the wrong colour, wrap is made for exactly that. If they are falling apart, no surface treatment will save them.
When is a full renovation the smarter spend?
Sometimes a new kitchen really is the right call, and we would rather say so than sell you a film you will regret. If your carcasses are water damaged or broken, if the layout genuinely does not work for how you cook and live, or if the cabinetry has reached the end of its life, then a refresh only puts a nice surface over a deeper problem. In those cases the renovation money is well spent, because you are fixing the bones, not just the look. The question to ask yourself is simple. Are your cabinets structurally sound and just dated, or are they actually worn out? If they are sound, a refresh makes sense. If they are worn out, plan the renovation and do it once.
How do you estimate your own metres?
You can get close to your own number with a tape measure and ten quiet minutes. Measure the height and width of each door and drawer front you want to cover, add the panels and any exposed end sides, and convert each piece to square metres. Add it all together, then add a sensible margin for trimming, overlap and the odd mistake, because every kitchen is laid out differently and yours will have its own quirks. That total is roughly the wrap you need, and from there your cost is just metres times price, far easier to plan around than a renovation quote. Before you commit a cent, feel the material in your own light and against your own benchtop. See it before you commit with The Sample Box, and when you are ready to plan the whole job, walk through the complete guide to wrapping kitchen cabinets.