Replacing your kitchen doors is one of the cheapest ways to transform a kitchen, but only if the new doors fit. Most returns and reorders come down to one thing: measuring wrong. This guide shows you how to measure correctly, whichever finish you choose.
Do you need to measure at all?
If your kitchen uses standard-sized cabinets, you may be able to match doors to a standard size chart rather than measure every door. Even so, you should always check the cabinet openings before ordering. Our replacement kitchen doors are made to fit standard kitchen cabinets, so the main job is confirming what you already have.
What you’ll need
- A steel tape measure (not a fabric one)
- Pen and paper, or your phone
- A stepladder for wall units
Step 1: Measure the cabinet opening, not the old door
Old doors are often worn, warped or painted over, so don’t rely on them. Measure the cabinet opening the door covers: the height and the width from the outer edges of the cabinet frame. Write each measurement down against the cabinet’s position, for example “Base 1, left of sink”.
Step 2: Allow for the gap
Doors sit slightly smaller than the opening so they can open and close without rubbing neighbouring doors. Standard fascias are sized to allow for this, so match your opening measurements to the nearest standard size rather than ordering the exact opening size. Use the Fascia Size Matrix to find the right door size for each cabinet width.
Step 3: Check the hinges
Hinge position matters as much as door size. If you’re keeping your existing hinges, check where the hinge cups sit on the back of the old door and compare this with the hinge positions on the new door. Most modern cabinet hinges use a standard-sized round hinge cup recess, but always confirm before ordering.
Step 4: Measure fillers, drawer fronts and appliance panels
Don’t forget the smaller pieces. Measure oven fillers, drawer fronts, bridging unit doors and any integrated appliance fronts separately. These are often forgotten and cause delays when ordering. If your layout includes corner or tall units, note these too and check them against the matrix.
Step 5: Decide on handles
Handleless and J-pull doors need no handle holes. If you’re choosing standard doors, plan your handle positions at the same time. Browse kitchen handles to match style and finish.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Measuring the old door instead of the cabinet opening
- Forgetting fillers, plinths and drawer fronts
- Ignoring hinge positions
- Rounding measurements up instead of choosing the nearest standard size
- Ordering before checking the cabinet boxes are in good condition
If the cabinets themselves are damaged or the wrong size, it may be cheaper to replace them. See our kitchen cabinets range.
Choosing your style and finish
Once you have your measurements, choose a style: shaker, handleless, gloss, matt, supermatt or oakgrain. Our guide to kitchen styles can help, and you can see how much a replacement costs compared with a full new kitchen in our cost guide.