Nothing dates a house more than the style of the kitchen. That’s why many people regularly replace the units, doors and worktops throughout their kitchen’s lifetime. But there’s a simpler and cheaper way to update your kitchen décor: cover the visible surfaces with a vinyl wrap.
The average cost of wrapping a kitchen in the UK is £2,000-£4,500. Or, for a single door, expect to pay £50-£250. Additionally, labour rates are typically £150-£200/day. These prices depend on the materials used, the chosen finish, quality of wrapping, number of units and their surface area.
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As with most household improvement jobs, using professionals is a good idea. Although vinyl wrapping sounds like an easy job that anyone can do, it’s much better to use a professional experienced in using self-adhesive vinyl sheets. Alternatively, if you reckon you have that experience, turn it into a DIY project to save money. But, you’ll then realise it’s not that easy.
Wrapping cupboards, doors, and worktops in vinyl is a cost-effective method to update your kitchen, especially if you still have old-fashioned non-standard kitchen units. Using self-adhesive wrapping is up to 80% cheaper than replacing your entire kitchen. Furthermore, premium quality vinyl lasts over ten years, so you’ll undoubtedly get your money’s worth.
This guide discusses the use of self-adhesive vinyl to update your kitchen. We also consider the price and the factors affecting it. Choosing a reputable professional can also be tricky, especially if you have other work, such as repairing chipped doors or removing and replacing sinks and electrical points. Therefore, we’ll also suggest ways to find a suitable tradesman too.
Main Topics
How Much Does Kitchen Wrapping Cost?*
You can use the typical estimated values in the table below as a kitchen wrapping cost calculator. Compare them with the size of your kitchen for an approximate ballpark price.
| Description | Per Item | Estimated Cost Range | Average Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-adhesive vinyl wrapped surface | Per door | £50-£250 | £160 |
| Typical kitchen project size | 14-doors, 3-drawers fronts, worktop, cabinet sides, plinth & coving | £2,000-£4,500 | £3,250 |
| Tradesman labour | Per day | £150-£200 | £175 |
*We compiled and estimated these prices from those published by various online resources. Every kitchen’s configuration is unique and will have specific issues affecting the wrapping process and cost. Also, you’ll find that the wrapping’s quality affects the ease of installation. Therefore, when comparing these prices with others, be aware that they might not be like-for-like. Contact a local specialist kitchen wrapping service if you want an accurate quote for your kitchen. Alternatively, use the form on this page.
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Details
Self-adhesive vinyl wrapping is relatively easy to work with when you have the required experience. However, the prices range widely because of issues with:
- Matching up vinyl patterns.
- Complex mouldings that might be present on doors, coving, and worktops are difficult to cover.
- Poor quality vinyl stretches unevenly, causing sagging and difficulty removing air bubbles.
9 Kitchen Wrapping Price Factors
Before finally deciding to wrap your kitchen, it’s wise to calculate the total wrapping price and budget for additional work that might be necessary. Although you must get a comprehensive quote from a reputable company, there are several significant price factors you should be aware of, as shown below:
1. Vinyl type
Self-adhesive vinyl comes in many different finishes, colours and patterns. Standard vinyl varies in price considerably, with rolls of different sizes readily available. For example, £5 for a 30cm x 2m roll, or £184 for a 106.7cm x 20m x 2 pack roll.
In addition to the roll size, you can also buy different finishes with varying costs. For example, expect to pay more for a textured finish than a gloss finish.
Typically, you can buy:
- Gloss.
- Matte.
- Metallic.
- Pearl.
- Glitter.
- Natural texture. Typically, this includes slate, wood, marble, stone, fabric, and leather.
- Solid colours.
- Carbon fibre for a tough surface.
2. Surface area
Kitchen unit doors come in various standard sizes. But, you can also buy drawer fronts and open shelves for spices, glasses or bottles. Standard kitchens also have plinths running at floor level and coving at ceiling level. You can also wrap cabinet-carcass side panels to brighten up boring white laminated MDF. Finally, there’s the worktop, which can also be covered. Furthermore, these surfaces don’t all have to be the same colour (although they could be). Instead, choosing complementary colours makes a cheap kitchen appear something special.
As you would expect, surface area affects the price, as does the number of cuts, folding edges, difficulty accessing surfaces, and awkward profiled mouldings. All these issues cost extra.
3. Surface condition
Vinyl wrapping is a relatively thin sheet to cover a laminated MDF surface. Therefore, you can’t hide bumps, dents or scratches without further work. So, it’s essential to smooth or fill any irregularities on the surfaces to be covered. This additional repair work adds to the cost depending on the severity of the damage.
4. Replacements
You shouldn’t only consider minor repairs. Instead, find out the cost of replacing worktop sections, cupboards, or doors if the damage is too severe to repair.
5. Labour cost
Typically, only one person will work on your wrapping project. However, if the kitchen is larger than standard or there’s a short deadline, you might get two professionals on the job. Usually, a typical wrapping job takes from one to three days, depending on the work involved, and you should take this into account. Typical labour charges range from £150-£200/day/person. Therefore, a small kitchen with one tradesperson will be cheaper than a large kitchen with two tradespersons.
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7. Additional Budget Considerations
As we’ve hinted previously, producing a new, updated kitchen isn’t only about wrapping it in self-adhesive vinyl. There are other considerations to look at, which will probably be priced separately at the tradesperson’s day-rate.
Typical additions could include:
- Fitting new matching flooring.
- Fitting a replacement worktop.
- Buying new handles.
- Assembling and installing new flat-packed carcasses.
- Erecting kitchen shelving.
- Moving or adding a radiator.
- Adding new electrical power sockets or lighting fixtures.
- Fitting a new sink.
- Installing a gas or electric hob and oven.
- Installing an extractor fan.
8. Specialist tradespeople
Some additional tasks require specialist professionals to comply with the UK Building Regulations.
- To Install a new sink, plumbing and drainage must comply with Approved Document G and Approved Document H.
- Moving or replacing gas pipework and fittings for kitchen appliances must comply with Approved Document J.
- Install extractor fans to comply with Approved Document F.
- Electrical fittings and rewiring must comply with Approved Document P.
You can find gas fitters, plumbers and electricians on the Competent Person Register, approved by the Building Control office of your local authority. Alternatively, many kitchen installation companies already have qualified technicians. Or, you can use the form on this page.
9. Location
The price of almost all jobs varies with your location. Generally, work done in London and South East England is the most expensive in the UK, and you can add up to 15% to increase the labour charges.
Kitchen Wrapping: Steps & Process
Although we recommend using professionals to wrap your kitchen, it’s useful for the customer to know what’s involved, especially if they want to try it as a DIY project.
There are three surface types in the kitchen, cupboard doors, carcass sides and worktop. Generally, the wrapping methods are similar, but some operations are unique to the surface.
Cleaning
Irrespective of what’s to be wrapped, the adhesive won’t stick properly if grease or dirt remains on the surface. Therefore, before beginning, carefully clean the surface with a liquid degreaser and allow it to dry naturally. And, don’t overlook corners, edges and inside surfaces. Degreaser removes all traces of impurities from the surfaces and allows the adhesive to stick.
Carcasses
- Measure the height and width of the carcass side and add about 75mm to each measurement.
- Transfer the measurements to the back of the wrap roll.
- Using the pencil lines, cut the roll to size. If the vinyl has a pattern, ensure it runs the right way.
- Peel off about 50mm of the protective paper on the back of the wrap from one end, and fold over to expose a small adhesive strip.
- Place the exposed adhesive at the top of the carcass side and leave enough wrap to cover the edges. Ensure the wrap is parallel to the front edge and covers the entire side.
- Slide your hand under the wrap and gradually remove the protective paper from the adhesive. Smooth the wrap, using a felt squeegee, across the surface to remove air bubbles and wrinkles.
- Use the felt squeegee to fold the wrap around the edges. Holding the squeegee at 45⁰ on edge helps the wrap mould properly.
- Using a scalpel or Stanley blade, cut the excess wrap from the edges.
- Press the wrap into the corner against the wall using a smoothing palette knife.
Doors
- Unscrew hinges to remove the door from the carcass.
- Place the door on a smooth surface and remove the handle.
- Measure height and width, and add 75mm to each measurement.
- Transfer the measurements to the back of the wrap roll.
- Using the guidelines, cut the roll to size. If the vinyl has a pattern, ensure the design runs correctly.
- Place the wrap face down onto a table. Peel about 150mm of backing paper from the vinyl to expose adhesive.
- Place the door face down and align with the wrap. Then, press the door onto the vinyl. The top of the door then sticks to the adhesive.
- Turn everything over, so the door is on the table, and the wrap is on top.
- Gently pull the backing paper from the wrap while using the felt squeegee to remove bubbles and creases.
- When completed, flip it over so the wrap is face down on the table.
- Cut the wrap corners at a 45⁰ angle from the door corner to the edge to allow folding at the corner.
- Pull vinyl tight around one side edge. Allow about 50mm overlap to secure the wrap onto the back of the door.
- Trim the excess vinyl on the edges to be flush with the door on the top and bottom edges.
- Repeat with the other side edge. Trim around hinges if necessary.
- Now repeat on top and bottom edges, trimming excess vinyl.
- Replace the door handle and reinstall the door onto the carcass.
Worktop
Fit in a similar method to the cupboard sides. But first, remove the sink and hob, so there’s a completely flat surface.
- Measure the length of the wrap roll to cover the worktop.
- Pull back about 150mm of backing paper from vinyl and line this up against one of the worktop ends.
- Ensuring the wrap’s long back edge stays parallel with the worktop back edge, pull the backing paper from the vinyl while smoothing it onto the worktop with the felt squeegee.
- Smooth the vinyl’s long front edge over the worktop’s rolled edge and press it into place.
- When everything is smooth, trim the wrap overlapping the rolled edge and cut holes for the sink and hob.
- Replace sink and hob.
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Hiring Checklist
Unfortunately, many jobbing builders will “have a go” at wrapping kitchen surfaces as they think it’s an easy job. To weed these cowboys from your list of contractors, ask a few questions before hiring.
- Don’t accept quotes from contractors without having them visit your home for a survey.
- If they work using a day or hourly rate, always ask for a cost estimate based on the length of time they reckon the job will take.
- Ask for references from previous similar jobs. And follow them up to ask the customer their opinion of the contractor’s work.
- Check they have Employer’s Liability Insurance to £1,000,000 and Public Liability Insurance of at least £1,000,000 (often, local authorities insist on £10,000,000).
- Ensure they’re on the Competent Person Register if they offer additional services like plumbing, electrical, and gas work. Otherwise, you’ll need a Building Inspection.
- Are they members of trade associations such as the Kitchen, Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association (KBSA) or Fair Trades Approved Tradesmen?
- Some vinyl manufacturers and large wrapping companies offer training courses. Ask if your contractor has specialist training.
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Benefits of Wrapping Your Kitchen
Wrapping your kitchen provides several benefits that compare well with other methods. Benefits include:
Quick job
Vinyl wrapping takes from one to three days to complete and is much quicker than respraying the units or replacing your kitchen. Furthermore, there’s much less upheaval, which allows for a more normal family existence while being done.
Easy maintenance
Vinyl doesn’t need any particular care other than cleaning with warm soapy water or other cleaning fluids designed for kitchen surfaces. However, don’t use solvents as this can damage the adhesive and unstick the vinyl.
Easily changed
In the future, if you want to change the kitchen décor, vinyl wrap is easy for a professional to remove and replace with a new design.
Wide choice of designs
There are many different colours, textures and finishes you can choose from. And they’re all reasonably affordable.
Savings
Compared to fitting a new kitchen, vinyl wrapping can save from 40%-80% on the price. The existing kitchen stays where it is, meaning fewer material purchases and smaller labour charges.
Less mess and fewer disturbances
Vinyl wrapping in a kitchen involves no drilling, dust, noise or fumes. During work, your kitchen remains clean and tidy without disruption.
Guarantees
Premium quality vinyl is long-lasting and has a ten-year warranty. Therefore, you have protection against scaling, cracking and poor adhesion.
FAQs
How long does vinyl wrap kitchen last?
Vinyl is very resistant to damage and is highly durable for everyday kitchen use. Therefore, if you use a premium quality self-adhesive vinyl wrap and hire a reputable company, the vinyl will last for up to ten years. And, you’ll have a warranty to back this up.
What is better, paint or vinyl wrap?
This depends on what you want out of your new kitchen and whether you can cope with the upheaval.
If you use premium vinyl and a professional installation company, wrapping is better than spray paint. There’s less upheaval, and you can use the surfaces as soon as the job’s complete. Furthermore, there’s a wide range of designs, colours and textures, and if you grow tired of the décor, a professional can easily remove the old vinyl and replace it with new. In contrast, spray paint is messy and leaves fumes in your home. You can’t use the surfaces until the required number of coats has dried hard. Furthermore, the finished product is more expensive, but harder and more permanent than vinyl, and is only available in colours, not designs or textures.
Is wrapping cheaper than painting?
Vinyl wrap is quicker to install than spray painting, therefore, lower labour costs. However, you should weigh the financial and other benefits of vinyl wrapping against the permanence of paint and the hardness of professional premium quality spray painting.
Next Steps
If you grow tired of your kitchen décor and want something more up-market. Choose to have the surfaces wrapped in self-adhesive vinyl. But, to get good quality workmanship with premium materials, hire a reputable company specialising in this type of work.
Complete the form on this page, and you’ll receive up to four local kitchen wrapping quotes from companies that know what they’re doing.
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