Replacing kitchen doors with aluminium handle bar at top

[Hobbes007]

Hi,

We recently had some water damage in the kitchen and need to replace a few kitchen doors and drawer fronts. The material of the panels is white MFC, and it would normally be easy enough to replace were it not for the handle bars. These are aluminium profiles that slid into a groove at the top of each panel, such as the one in this picture:

Aluminum-Kitchen-Cabinet-Handle-Profile-D1508-.jpg (36.56 KiB) Viewed 5849 times

.

The difficulty appears to be the groove at the top. Apparantly it can be made with a router, but so far no one that I have contacted can or is willing to do this job. As the place is a rental flat we want to match the new doors as much as possible to the existing ones, without having to replace the entire kitchen.

Please, if you have ideas as to how this can be fixed, where we can find matching doors or a carpentry service willing to carry out such a small job (estimated £100-150), then we'd be very grateful for your suggestions. We are based in the South London area.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Kind regards,

Kris

[speed]

how many door\draws is there

its a easy job fitting the handle, the hardest job imo is the edging strip around the door.

who have you contacted for quotes, have you contacted any kitchen fitters

[royaloakcarpentry]

You will get those doors in many places, they are bottom range contract. Travis perkins, Alsfords, Jewsons, Howdens (if you know someone with an account) etc.

Is this your estimate?? If a qualified carpenter has quoted you that much, then take it because thats only 4 hours of time quoted for.

[speed]

howdens discontinued these a few years ago iirc
if you can still buy them its a diy job to swap them,
if not its a cut\edge a sheet. its a fitters\joiners job

[royaloakcarpentry]

Still get them in Howdens..........they use them in Barking and dagenham council houses.....Unless Enterprise get the sinks at Howdens but the units elsewhere.

........Got to check my brochure now lol.

[speed]

http://www.howdens.com/product-range/ki ... owden-600/

-- Wed May 26, 2010 7:01 pm --

it seams you are correct

the budget range in our 2 local howdens is grenwich beech, and thats what out council fits

[big-all]

you have to find doors and drawers that are smaller or reduce the size
then slot stopping short off the edges
you then need to cut and shape the handles
around 30 to £50 per door or drawer

how many drawers and doors do you have to replace!!

[Hobbes007]

Thanks everyone for your replies, very helpful, I wish I had posted here before .

I think this place is ex-council, so that explains the range of the kitchen.

We need to replace 2 doors (left and right opening) and 2 drawer fronts of a sink base unit (probably the 1000 Dummy Drawer Line Easy Fit Sink Base Unit (182, 183) of the Howden 600 range).

If it is a carpenter's job, the existing aluminium handles can be reused so that's time saved.

The quote is not a professional quote, just my estimate of the amount of time I think is needed. We contacted a joinery and a fitter/carpenter and neither wanted to take the job - my guess because it's too small a job.

So what do you recommend I should do? Try to get it from Howdens (probably means getting the whole unit as I don't see the correct doors sold separately) or get a joiner/carpenter to make them (any takers )?

Kind regards,

Kris

[royaloakcarpentry]

Doors come complete with the 'handles' on them anyway.

So it is just 2 doors and 2 drawer fronts. Take longer to look at the job and get them than to change them over.

I cover London, but depends where it is. High rise, difficulty parking then I pass on them.

Would need to visit before I quote. Then it would be a question of when I can fit it in, I am virtually booked until mid July at the moment. However could be something I could squeeze in during an evening if I am working close by.

[speed]

easyer and most likley cheaper to just buy replacements, they will sell draws,doors seperate.
howdens is a trade only outlet so you need to find someone with an account.

[royaloakcarpentry]

Don't the DIY outlets still do them?

[Hobbes007]

Not Wickes, B&Q or Homebase. Haven't tried any of the other ones you suggested.

Living on the second floor, but parking isn't straightforward (double red line during the day).

I'll see if I can find someone local with a Howden's account, missus is getting nervous it's not been fixed yet.

Thanks,

Kris

[marc1106]

Hobbes just find your local howdens ask them for the Howden 600 doors in the sizes you require fill in a CASH acc form pay for em and take em home! then change them yourself, should only need a pozi2 screwdriver.

Ps the Howden600 is a matt finish now, are your doors matt or gloss?

[Hobbes007]

Hiya,

I went to Howdens, they were very helpful. Unfortunately, when we measured the doors, they turned out to be a different size: ours are made for a 90mm plint (doors are 600mm full height), theirs for a 150mm plint (doors are 570mm high).

They sent us to Magnet, said that back in the day they used to make this type of kitchen for a 90mm plint. Went to Magnet, very helpful again... but they didn't make the 90mm anymore either. They suggested to take a 720mm door and cut off the bottom. But that would mean the hinge holes would be in the wrong place, wouldn't it?

So what to do know? Speed, you said that it was easy to fit the handle bars at the top. Where can I have that done you think? I certainly don't have the tools to do that myself.

Cheers,

Kris

[speed]

.if the top hole is in the correct position the bottom hole will get cut off anyway so just need to drill a new hole, if the top one is wrong you can buy covers and re-drill,

if you want the doors made from scratch using the existing handle you would be better off going to a joinery manafactures, if you take an old door for them to copy. the will start with a sheet, then it needs cutting to size then white edge strip sticking on then the handle